(I work at a bookstore chain that owns a calendar company. From October through January we all dutifully take shifts at the kiosk in the mall. It is boring, but hey, we get to read the calendars! I’m working and it’s been pretty slow. The customers we have had have all been either rushed or rude so it’s been a hard day. Towards the middle of my shift a lady and her daughter come up bearing ice cream cones. They’re about the 20th group I’ve seen with ice cream.)

Me: “Hi, welcome! Can I help you find anything?”

Mom: “I think we’re just going to look! Thanks, though!”

Me: “Everyone seems to have ice cream today. What’s going on?”

Daughter: “Oh, [Company] downstairs is having a ‘$1 a scoop’ sale!”

Me: “Aw, man, sweet! Too bad I work till closing; I love their mint chip.”

(We talk a bit more as they look around and they leave. It was nice to have such friendly customers. About 20 minutes later I see them heading back towards my kiosk… an extra, green ice cream scoop in hand.)

Daughter: “Here, since you have to work!”

(I just stand there speechless.)

Mom: “Oh, go on, take it! I remember what retail is like during the holidays!”

(She hands me the ice cream cone and they both walk away with a very happy “Merry Christmas!” To this day it still brings tears to my eyes to think of them! Thanks for making my week, whoever you were!)

(While out shopping for clothes, I overhear part of a conversation.)

Person #1: “Well, what else do you expect from a white guy with dreadlocks?”

Person #2: “I know, right? It’s DREADful.”

Person #1: “I should probably smack you for saying that, but you’re right.”

(I stop by the food court at my local mall to get lunch and choose a burger place. Everything is totally normal. I get my drink and wait for my food. They call my name, I get my bag, and it’s only after I sit down to eat that I realize something is wrong; I got my fries, but instead of a burger, there is a container of chicken nuggets. I glance at the receipt I got with the bag to confirm that it does indeed say I was charged for a burger combo, and then go back up. I’m nearly 40 years old, and none of the employees can be much over 20, mostly teenagers.)

Me: *walking up to the counter* “I’m sorry; I don’t think this is my food—”

(The employee doesn’t acknowledge me, but starts talking through the window to the guy in the kitchen. That’s fine; they’re busy, it’s loud, she may not have heard me before she started talking, and it sounds like they’re talking about orders, not just chatting. I wait for her to finish.)

Me: “Hi, sorry; this isn’t my or—”

(The employee practically shoves a new bag into my hands, fixes me with a disapproving stare, and says in her most weary, chiding voice…)

Employee: “Yes, because YOU took the order meant for [My Name].”

Me: “Yeah, because I’m [My Name]!”

Employee: *eyes get huge* “Oh! We… we must have mixed up the bags.”

Me: “Uh-huuuuh! How about that?!”

(I really wasn’t annoyed until she addressed me like a misbehaving toddler!)

(My shopping centre is in an area where many customers feel very entitled, and we have just changed the pricing structure for all-day parking. It should also be noted that for all-day workers, we have cheaper deals in other car parks around the center that work out to be less than half than what the all-day payment is. I get this call over the intercom from one of the payment machines. )

Me: “Hello, can I help you?”

Caller: “Yes, I’d like to know when you changed your price for all-day parking?”

Me: “The signs went up last night, so you would have read them on your way into the car park today.”

Caller: “I saw no such thing. Why did you not inform me of the change?”

Me: “Sir, we had signs up at all entry points and pay machines this morning as well as the new price structure at the entries to the car parks. If you had read any of those very visible signs you would have seen that the price had gone up.”

Caller: “But why didn’t you tell me? I demand that I pay the original price.”

Me: “Sir, we can’t inform every patron of the car park that this has happened, which is why we put signs up in visible locations around the parking area, including entries and pay machines.”

Caller: “Well, you should have told me! I refuse to pay the new price.”

Me: “Sir, if that is what you want to do, then go ahead, but I must warn you that if you don’t pay for your parking then you can’t get your car out of the parking lot.”

Caller: “I will pay [original amount], but I will not pay [new amount]. You can’t keep my car in here; it is against the law!”

Me: “Actually, sir, part of the terms and conditions that you agree to upon entering our parking structure is that you will pay for however long you have stayed in our car park. If you don’t want to pay that much for all-day parking, there are cheaper options in other car parks.”

Caller: “But those car parks are further away from my office. Wait… You expect me to read those signs at the entry?”

Me: “Yes, sir, as they are the legal agreement that you are entering into upon entering our car park. I understand that those car parks may be further away from your office, but this car park is for those who are doing their groceries and is mostly a short stay car park.”

Caller: “That is ridiculous; you still should have told me about the change.”

Me: “I’m terribly sorry, sir; I will make a note of it for next time we change anything in our car parks. Please pay for your ticket and have a great day.”

(I am walking through the mall one evening, and as I pass a kiosk set up in the aisle I am approached by a woman trying to sell skin lotion. At the time I am experiencing a severe breakout of cystic acne all along my jaw bone, something that happens to me every three to six months and is only controllable by one product that I already own.)

Woman: “Hello! Would you like a free sample?”

Me: “No, thank you.”

Woman: “But it’s really good for your skin! It would help you!”

Me: “Pardon?”

Woman: “Look: this product is a very good moisturizer. It is also effective at repairing any sort of damage from sunburns or other scarring. It’s a really great product; would you like to try it?”

Me: “No, I’m really not interested.”

Woman: “But it would help with your acne, and scarring!”

Me: *now fuming, staring at the woman*

Woman: “Yes, with your acne you really should use this product! It has all these wonderful features, such as—”

Me: “Does it have an antibiotic?”

Woman: “Pardon?”

Me: “What is the active ingredient that makes it so effective against acne?”

Woman: “I’m a skincare specialist; I know it works wonders on acne, and—”

Me: “I’m really not interested in trying something that will not work.”

Woman: “Well, what do you use?”

Me: “I use a topical treatment that contains clindamycin.”

Woman: “Contains what?”

Me: “Clindamycin.”

Woman: “I’ve never heard of that. This product is—”

Me: “Yes, I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of clindamycin. You are selling a skincare product; you are not a skincare specialist. I have a prescription for my product from a specialist, and I have no interest in buying your product. Please leave me alone.”

(She kept talking, so I just walked away. I have never worked in sales, but I can tell you that trying to snag a new customer by first telling them they have bad acne, and then trying to tell them you know better than they do how to handle it, is pretty harsh.)