(Every now and then, someone will throw a birthday party at our theater, especially when we have an animated or superhero movie playing. It’s not uncommon for us, and we’re usually willing to accommodate and reserve a corner in the lobby so the kids can sit around and have cake and whatnot, provided the people throwing the party let us know in advance. This time as a birthday party is going on, I notice the parents are passing out something to the kids.)

Me: *muttering* “Oh, s***!”

Coworker: “What’s wrong?”

Me: “They’re passing out party horns to a bunch of six-year-olds!”

(Next thing we knew, we had kids running all over the lobby and blasting their horns. They got so loud, they ended up disrupting several movies and we had to refund customers’ tickets. The next day, the parents called the manager and apologized for what had happened. We never saw them again.)

This story is part of our Birthday Party Roundup!

Read the next Birthday Party Roundup story!

Read the Birthday Party Roundup!

I’m in a theater’s restroom, about to wash my hands. A movie has just ended, so the restroom is packed and loud with guys talking, water running, toilets flushing, paper towel dispensers whirring, and hand dryers going off. It’s almost chaos with how busy it is.

There’s a man, probably in his seventies, two sinks to my right. He already has soap in his hands as he side-steps to the sink next to me.

I start washing my hands, and I see the gentleman stick his hands under the water nozzle, but nothing happens. I notice he looks at the sink I’m using, and seems frustrated also seeing the sink to the right — the one he just walked away from — now working.

He shoves his hands under the water nozzle once more, but the water still won’t come out.

I wait a few beats for him to figure it out, as I don’t want to make him feel foolish.

Then, without a word, I reach my hand over and turn the large handle for the water on.

The man immediately guffaws and, blushing furiously, says, “I can’t believe it! I’m so used to those automatic sinks!”

We both have a good laugh, especially when he points out that he’ll use the paper towels instead of automatic hand dryers!

(It is my last day working at a movie theater, and I am really just ready to go home. However, right as we open, I can tell my last day will certainly not be a celebratory experience for me. An elderly woman and her husband walk up as I am preparing my station.)

Elderly Woman: “Get me a hot dog with extra mustard.”

Me: “I’m sorry, we just opened and the fryer is just starting up. It’ll be about fifteen minutes until it’s ready, so unless you’re willing to wait that long, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do.”

Elderly Woman: *growls in discontentment* “Fine. Get me a medium popcorn.”

Me: “No problem.”

(I gesture to my coworker to scoop the popcorn while I take the rest of the woman’s order, as there is no line at her till.)

Me: “Is there anything else I can get you?”

Elderly Woman: “You? You just made that poor girl fill your order. I guess I’ll give her my money then.”

Coworker: “Oh, ma’am, it’s no problem. We have this system where anyone not serving helps out the person serving. It’s something we all do.”

Elderly Woman: “Well, in my opinion, it’s wrong. Anyway, get me a large soda and a box of candy. Oh, and for my husband, some nachos with extra cheese, a coffee, and another large drink.”

Me: “Absolutely. Is that going to be it?”

Elderly Woman: “Just tell me the price; you know that’s it.”

Me: “Okay, that’s going to be $33.56.”

Elderly Woman: “You do realize that you’re stealing, right? This is absolutely ridiculous, and I cannot believe you would charge me this.”

(I am used to customers complaining about prices — it happens all the time — but this lady has been irking me the whole time and I am starting to get fed up.)

Me: “Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about the price. I am just an employee and I just have to enforce the price, as ridiculous as it is.”

Elderly Woman: “You don’t have to charge me that much; your company has always been crooks and you’re no better. Stop acting like you are any better than the rest of them.”

(I finish filling the drink and print out her receipt. I admit, I put the receipt on the counter somewhat aggressively. It is nothing I would consider rude, but who am I to judge my own actions?)

Elderly Woman: *screaming* “I do not appreciate your attitude, young man. I am a customer, and I am allowed to be as b****y as I’d like.”

Me: “Well, as I said, ma’am, I’m just an employee, and I don’t personally enjoy being treated with disrespect, either. I believe up until this point I have tried to be accommodating as possible, and I apologize for the prices, but again, unfortunately, I cannot do anything about them, and I just wish customers would understand that.”

(She signs the receipt, pushes it off the counter behind my feet, and grabs her order.)

Elderly Woman: “I will be writing about you to your manager. I expect you will be fired for the way you treated me.”

Me: “I understand. I truly hope that doesn’t happen.”

(Of course, only I know this is my last day, and I could use that, but I decide it’s too much, so I decide to leave it be. The woman begins storming off, eventually spilling her entire popcorn on the floor.)

Me: *shouting* “Enjoy your movie!”

(The woman growled and stormed off into her movie. My coworker did defend me when my supervisor asked about it, and all I got was a reprimand not to do it again and a couple of good laughs. I kind of miss that job now, to be honest.)

(I work as both a box office and concessions employee at a locally-owned movie theater, where our policy is to have every customer sign their receipt for us. This happens as I watch one of my coworkers finish up a transaction:)

Coworker: “Okay, sir, here’s your card back, and I’m just going to need you to sign right here for me!” *holds out a pen for the customer to take*

Customer: “What, am I supposed to sign with a pen?”

(I can tell right away that the customer is not joking. I let out a tired sigh, and then step forward.)

Me: “No, sir, with your blood.”

(I am currently working the box office shift at a very small, locally-owned movie theater. We are currently in the middle of a showtime, which means we will have virtually no traffic in the lobby for roughly two more hours until the movies end. During these two hours, my manager and I notice the same man exiting his movie several times and entering the bathroom, but think nothing of it. Eventually, another employee goes in to check all the auditoriums and notifies us that the man has fallen asleep. After the movie lets out, we send them back in to make sure he has woken up and left. A few minutes later, they return with a clearly concerned expression on their face.)

Coworker: “The old man left, but he didn’t take his diaper with him.”

Manager: “I’m sorry, what?”

Coworker: “He left his used, dirty diaper on the floor of the auditorium, along with some dirty napkins it looks like he used to clean himself.”

(The coworker ended up having to clean it, and I am still in shock. How can you go to the bathroom so many times and not only take the used diaper back with you instead of throwing it away in a provided trash can, but also leave it on the floor for some poor, underpaid employee to clean up?)