During school, I interviewed for an internship at a newsroom and got it. During the interview, my editor told me that for the first week I’d be sharing a desk, as their current intern would be wrapping up. I agreed, not thinking anything of it.

My first week started, there was no intern to be found, and I had the desk all to myself. I got suspicious, as I certainly remembered my editor mentioning the desk-sharing, but I didn’t say anything.

A few weeks later, someone mentioned the previous intern, and I decided to ask why he wasn’t there when I arrived. They fired him.

Apparently, he would listen to music during his shifts, making it impossible to get him to do anything. He would be told to go out to events and talk to people and shoot photos… and he wouldn’t. He’d come back empty-handed, and when my editor asked him what he was doing out there, he didn’t even try to explain. Deciding she had enough, my editor told him not to come in for his last few weeks.

But it doesn’t end there. He got a new internship working in communications for the local police. He was let go after three days when he was told to go to an event to shoot photos and he didn’t.

The man was fired three days into his internship. When I was told that, I couldn’t stop laughing. How incompetent can you be?

Now, he works at a pizza place in town doing deliveries. We don’t order from that place, anymore.

My mom and stepdad are tidying up in the basement, and I go downstairs to see if they need a hand. My stepdad is going through his wine rack and hands me two bottles of wine. He tells me to go put them on the kitchen counter. My mom says they should go in the sink because they are dusty.

They then start bickering — like only a married couple can — about where the bottles should go, so I walk upstairs and put one bottle on the counter and one in the sink.

My mom calls me a smart-a**, but no one can say that I didn’t follow instructions!

(I come out of the back room with my hands full of toys. One of my new employees sees me struggling and comes to help me.)

Me: “Can you stock those walking dogs for me? I have a lot more stuff to bring out.”

Employee: “Sure.”

(I go to the back room to grab more stuff, and when I come out I see him at the front talking to another employee.)

Me: “Wow, that was fast!”

Employee: “Uh-huh.”

(I think nothing of it until an hour later when I go to sign out and see the dogs thrown haphazardly in the corner of the back room. I grab them and storm up the employee.)

Me: “We clearly have a different definition of what ‘stocking’ means.”

(My store has an outdoor gardening section, which is currently buried under a meter of snow.)

Customer: “Excuse me. When do you get the live plants in?”

Me: “Just as soon as the weather is nice enough for them to survive outside.”

Customer: “Well, when will that be?”

Me: “Um, after the snow melts.”

Customer: “Yeah, but when?”

(This happens over the phone.)

Customer: “Is [Coworker #1] working today?”

Me: “No, sorry, he’s not, but [Coworker #2] is. Would you like me to get him?”

Customer: “No, it needs to be [Coworker #1].”

Me: “Hmm. Well, he doesn’t work today. But all the electronics associates know the same stuff, so if you have a question, I’m sure [Coworker #2] can help you.”

Customer: “Nooooo! It has to be [Coworker #1]!”

Me: “Well, he’s off today, so you’ll have to call back, or come into the store tomorrow, or something. Sorry about that.”

Customer: “What am I going to doooo?”

Me: “You can wait until tomorrow, or you can talk to someone else.”

Customer: “But I can’t wait until tomorrow!”

Me: “Then, I will get another electronics associate for you.”

Customer: “Nooo! It has to be [Coworker #1]! Can you just call him at home?”

Me: “Um, no. No, I can’t call him at home.”

Customer: “Can you give me his number so I can call him at home?”

Me: “No, I can’t do that.”

Customer: “Ugh! Fine, I’ll call back tomorrow!”