(A student approaches my counter at our college’s store, which is adjacent to the bank.)

Me: “Hello, may I help you?”

College Student: “Yes, I need to get four dollars out of the bank.”

Me: “I’m sorry, the campus bank branch does not open for another hour.”

College Student: “Well… what if I was to pay you? *pulls out a five dollar bill*

Me: “You’re going to pay me five dollars to get four dollars out of the bank?”

College Student: “Yes.”

Me: “Why don’t I just give you change in ones for this five?”

College Student: “You can do that?”

Me: “Yes.”

College Student: “Technology these days!”

(I give him the five ones, and he walks out of the store shaking his head and smiling to himself, still saying “Wow!”)

Me: “Alright, sir, you’re all set. Anything else I can do for you today?”

Bank Customer: *jokingly* “Yeah, you can deposit a million dollars into my account.”

Me: “Sir, if I had a dollar for every time someone said that, I’d have a million dollars.”

Bank Customer: *hangs up laughing*

Customer: “…and I’d like extra tomatoes on my sandwich, please.”

Me: “All right, that’ll be [price].”

Customer: “Why is it so expensive?!”

Me: “Well, ma’am, you asked for cheese, bacon, and extra tomatoes. All those cost extra on the sandwich because they’re expensive products.”

Customer: “But your policy says that I can have it my way! Why am I being charged?!”

Me: “You can have it your way… You just have to pay for it.”

(I’m ringing up a fairly high-end video card for a customer.)

Me: “That’ll be $211.98 please…”

Customer: “But the display showed it as $49.99.”

Me: “Are you sure it was this card? This is a fairly new card.”

Customer: “Yes, I picked it up, and it says the price is $49.99 below it.”

Me: “Can you show me?”

(We walk over to the video cards, and he shows me where he picked it up from. The shelf is marked $49.99, and it is the same manufacturer. However, it is a lower-end card than the one he is holding.)

Customer: “See, $49.99!”

Me: “Sir, that price is not for that video card. You’re holding this one…”

(I point to another shelf with the video card he picked up; it’s priced at $199.99.)

Customer: “Well, it was on this shelf, so it was advertised at this price and you have to sell it to me for that.”

Me: “I’m sorry for the confusion, sir, but sometimes customers pick things up and then don’t return them to their proper location.”

Customer: “That’s not my fault! It was on this shelf, so you should sell it to me for $49.99.”

Me: “Sir, how do I know it wasn’t you who put it on that shelf? Or for that matter, that it was on that shelf at all?”

Customer: “…”

Me: “So, do you want the $49.99 one instead?”

Customer: *defeated* “Yeah…”

(I worked as a debt collector for a car rental agency.)

Debtor: *on the phone* “You sent me a court order about a debt. I can’t pay it. But, I can offer you some paintings I made.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, I cannot accept them. You have to pay cash or make a wire transfer.”

Debtor: “They’re good paintings; I have written confirmation by the Arts Department of the University of [City] that they’re good.”

Me: “If they’re that good, I recommend that you sell a few of the paintings. Then you’ll have money to pay your debt.”

Debtor: “I can’t do that! To sell a painting I’d have to ruin a marriage!”

Me: “I’m afraid I don’t understand…”

Debtor: “Well, for a man to buy a painting off of me, I’d have to sleep with him. His wife would find out, and she’d divorce him.”

Me: “Ma’am… I think that you should check your relationship with reality. I am extending your deadline by one week; please pay cash or transfer.”

(End of call.)

Me: *to my coworker* “I can’t believe she just said that. I can’t believe I just said that.”