(It is Black Friday and I am pulled to cover a break on the registers. I am checking out a woman with an assortment of electric toothbrushes.)

Customer: “Those are supposed to be on sale.”

(The register only shows the actual price being rung up so it may be on sale and they don’t realize it. I grab my store device which checks prices. It’s not showing it on sale at all.)

Me: “I’m sorry, but what did you think the sale on it was? It might have been put in the wrong spot.”

Customer: “These were all supposed to be buy-one-get-one-free.”

(This instantly sets off an alarm for me because we never ever offer that type of sale, even on Black Friday.)

Me: “Ma’am, are you sure? That’s not a sale we typically offer. I can have someone double-check the price, though.”

Customer: “No, just never mind. I can’t believe this; even the department girl helped me pick this out.”

(That’s when I knew she was 100% lying. Why? The only person working that department was me and, as I said, I ended up getting pulled to the registers, and most other employees try to stay out of my area due to how difficult some of the customers are. She ended up not taking them and, when I finally went back and looked at the signs, everything was in its place and clearly marked what the sale was. All of the ones she grabbed were the expensive models not on sale at all, while the cheaper ones were on a special where if you buy one you get a $10 gift card. I honestly find it funny that of all the registers she could have gone to, it was mine.)

This story is part of our Black Friday 2023 roundup!

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All of our tickets are a low flat rate of $5 before noon, so there are no extra discounts for things like seniors, military, etc., until the prices go up later in the day. It’s 11:00 am, and I’m helping a customer with a Southern accent who is buying tickets to an 11:30 show.

Customer: “Three tickets to [Movie]. And two of those are military.”

Me: “I apologize, but there’s no military discount at this time of day. But you’re getting the early morning matinee pricing, so the tickets are actually already at the cheapest price they could possibly be.”

The customer immediately snaps into an ugly mood.

Customer: “Pfft! F****** northerners! We know how to respect our heroes down south! You’re what’s wrong with the country! D*** Yankees hate the troops! [Politician] will sort you out!”

He carried on for quite a while about this before walking away still grumbling. It took everything in my power not to mention to him the fact I’m an army veteran… and that I also would have the good manners not to complain about not getting additional discounts when tickets are already the cheapest they could possibly be.

I’m filling forklift tanks at a warehouse. This shipping company is one of our biggest customers, and they get very frequent deliveries. A male worker happens to come out to swap an empty tank while I’m there.

Warehouse Worker: “Wow, a woman? A woman delivering propane? That’s unusual!”

Me: “No, it isn’t. I do this every day.”

Warehouse Worker: “No, it is unusual! In all my years, there has never been a woman delivering propane here.”

Me: “Never?”

Warehouse Worker: “No, never.”

Me: “I have filled these tanks at least once a week for the past two years.”

I work in one of Philadelphia’s hundred museums. It’s not unusual for visitors to ask for directions to other museums when they’re done with ours, especially one made famous by a certain fictional boxer.

I am stationed in a room that people normally visit just before they’re ready to leave. A visitor makes the most confusing request I’ve had to deal with to date.

Visitor: “Can you give me directions to the museum?”

Me: “Do you mean the [Popular Art Museum]?”

Visitor: “No.”

Me: “Okay, which one are you looking for?”

Visitor: “There’s more than one?”

Me: “Yes… there are a couple of dozen museums in this city.”

Visitor: “I guess I’m looking for the [Our Museum].”

Me: “Ma’am, that’s us. You’re already here.”

Visitor: “Yes, can you give me directions?”

Me: “Are you trying to get back to the main room?”

Visitor: “No, I’m just trying to buy a shirt! How hard is that to understand? Where is the museum?!”

Me: “Oh, you mean the museum store.”

Visitor: “Yes! The museum!”

I am an American returning home from studying in the UK. I have a layover in Philadelphia and I’m going through security. My carryon has been flagged for search after the scan and a TSA agent waves me over so he can search my bag. He rifles through it and can’t find anything, and it occurs to me it’s probably a little side pocket that I have been keeping my loose change in.

Me: “There’s a little pocket there on the side.” *Points*

Agent: “DON’T REACH OVER THE GLASS!”

Me: “Sorry…”

I point again, this time keeping my hand as far from the glass as possible. The agent ignores me as he continues to go through the other pockets.

Agent: “Where is it?!”

Me: “It’s right there! It’s just change.”

He finally pays enough attention to me to see the pocket and searches it to just find a handful of British pennies.

Agent: “Listen to me. YOU HAVE TO SPEND THESE!”

He handed me my messed up bag and sent me on my way. I was left wondering when carrying money became an offense or how I would spend £0.50 worth of pennies in an American airport.