(I work in a library.)

Customer: “You! Question!”

Me: “Yes, sir?”

(The customer gestures at the public computers in the middle of the room.)

Customer: “Why is it people who want to play stupid Internet games for an hour get to sit in plush comfort, while those of us who want to use the library services have to stand?”

Me: “I’m not sure what you mean.”

(The customer points to the far end of the room, where a catalogue-only computer is on a high desk, with no chair.)

Customer: *increasingly loudly* “I want to look up books, which is what this place is here for, and I am forced to stand to do so, while anyone who wants to waste library resources gets to sit in plush comfort.”

Me: “I see. Well, there’s two catalogue computers next to the photocopier; those have chairs if you’d like to sit down while you look up your books.”

Customer: “I am not wasting library resources, unlike everyone else in here.”

Me: “Of course. Also, the catalogue is Internet-based, so you can really use any of the computers to look up books, but you’ll need to log in with your library card.”

Customer: “I need to log in to use a chair?“

Me: “Not if you use the catalogues next to the photocopier.”

(The customer glares at me for a moment, then turns to leave. He stops at the door, turns back toward me, and points at me, scowling.)

Customer: “PLUSH COMFORT!”

Customer #2: “…what?”

Me: “I have no idea.”

(We have a woman spend a lot of money with us on a credit card. A couple of weeks later we get a notice from the bank disputing the charges. I am very panicked as it’s a lot of money and even though I am not the one who served her, I was the manager on duty and did help with the packing of her purchases, so I feel responsible. Amidst the panic, I am formulating how I would pay back the lost money to the company when the manager calls me into the office. She’s been going through camera footage.)

Manager: “I can see that you’re helping wrap. Didn’t you notice anything about the customer? Did the card look fake or anything?”

Me: “No, I was really only wrapping between my own customers”

Manager: “You can see she knows exactly where the cameras are; she keeps her face covered or turned away. Here is the footage where the signature on the card is being checked so I know that was done right. But we have no idea how to get her because she gave a fake name. All I’ve got is a few shots of her on the camera at the counter.”

Me: *finally thinking straight* “Wait a minute. Is the camera outside the door real?”

(We used to have mostly fake cameras but a lot were replaced by real ones.)

Manager: “Yes, I’ve seen where she walks in the store on it.”

Me: “Go to [time] on it.”

Manager: “Okay, done it. What am I looking for?” *right then a car pulls up in full view of the camera*

Me: “That’s her car. I just remembered telling her to bring her car to the front of the store to make it easy.”

(We watched as she got out of the car, her full registration number clearly shown. Last I heard the woman is now doing five years, because she had been caught doing the same thing before. She had also done the same thing at our other branches. The card was actually real. She used a misspelling of her name to apply for it, so it was the bank’s fault because they didn’t check it against her ID properly.)

Related:
Gotta Give Them Credit For Trying

(I work for a large grocery chain with locations all around the country. As part of my job, I get a staff card that entitles me to a 5% discount when presented. The only rule is that we can’t give it to others to use, but we are allowed to use it for family and friend’s purchases as long as we are the one presenting the card. One day, I tag along with my mum as she does the weekly grocery shop so she can use the discount. The store we visit isn’t the one I work at. We get to the checkout and I present my card.)

Cashier: “Are you the one paying for this?”

Me: “No, my mum is.”

Cashier: “Then I can’t scan your card. You have to be the one paying.”

Me: “It’s fine to do as long as I, the cardholder, am present. That’s the rule.”

Cashier: “No, it’s not. I can’t accept it. It’s against the rules. Technically, I should be confiscating your card just for suggesting it.”

Me: “What?”

Mum: “But we’re here together. They always let us do it.”

Cashier: “Sorry.”

Me: “That’s how it’s done at my store.”

Cashier: “Then you’re breaking the rules.”

Mum: “I have the money here. If I handed it to him to pay you, would that be okay?”

Cashier: “Yes, that would be okay, I guess, because then he’d technically be the one paying.”

Mum: “But if I just give the cash straight to you, without going via him, we can’t get the discount?”

Cashier: “Correct.”

(My mum made a big show of handing me the cash, which I then handed to the cashier, along with my staff card, which she finally accepted, with a look on her face like she’d put us in our place. The following day I mentioned this to my manager, who agreed that the cashier was in the wrong. We tend not to do our grocery shop at that store anymore, and I’ve since learned that that particular store isn’t held in very high regard by many of my fellow employees.)

(I’ve had a rough couple of months, splitting up with my abusive partner, changing stores for work, and moving to a new place. I have scraped together basic furniture but have no luxuries like a washing machine, TV, or stereo. I also regularly walk 35 minutes to work, then wait 45 minutes in the dark to catch the last bus home. My closest friends and family all live in another state, about a 10-hour drive away. This year my birthday falls on a long weekend. My best friend rings me early on the Friday morning.)

Best Friend: “Hey, how are you? Sorry if I woke you.”

Me: “No, that’s okay. I’ve got to see if the laundromat is open today, anyway. I’m okay. How are you?”

Best Friend: “I’m good. Since I got a bonus at work, [Housemate], [Close Friend], [Other Close Friend], and I are on a road trip down the coast. Just thought I’d check in on you.”

Me: “Oh, that’s sweet. I hope you guys have a good time. Say hi to everyone.”

Best Friend: “Will do. Any plans for your birthday?”

Me: “Nope. Just some housework.”

(We chatted for a few minutes before hanging up. A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. I opened it to find my friends. My best friend had bought me a good secondhand car with six months rego on it, a new washing machine and dryer, TV, and stereo, among other little things. My friends then hired a trailer, packed up the car, and made the long trip to surprise me for my birthday. They had booked a nice motel, took me shopping for new clothes, out for dinner on my birthday and sightseeing around the city, before flying home on Sunday, without me spending a cent. My best friend had spent pretty much all of the money from his bonus on the car and other things for my flat, while my other friends had pooled their money and paid for their flights, the motel, and shopping. I will be ever grateful for their love and support.)

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(I am due to meet with my boss at 4:00 pm one Friday afternoon for our monthly one-on-one catch-up meeting. At 2:45 pm I get a call from him about said meeting. I think he might have had something come up and is cancelling on me; this has happened many times before. Instead, he comes out with this gem:)

Boss: “So, I really can’t be bothered working any more today. You want to get out of here early and go get a beer with me, instead?”

(Of course, I immediately agreed. Best meeting ever!)