CONTENT WARNING: Gross

I’m working a slow shift at the pet shop, so we’ve let the bunnies hop around the store for exercise. A woman comes in, sees one of them, and sits right down on the floor to pet it.

I’m straightening a display when I see her pick something up from the ground — a small brown pellet.

She holds it up.

Customer: “Oh, is this a dog treat?”

Before I can react, she pops it into her mouth and chews. 

There’s a long, silent moment as the realization hits her.

She freezes. I freeze. Neither of us says a word.

I have so many questions, mostly beginning with “why,” and “even if it WAS a dog treat, why are you eating it?!, and ending with “why are you eating things you have found on THE GROUND?!”

But we just keep standing there in complete, horrified silence.

I had an experience with an anti-masker in 2021 at a PetSmart. I didn’t work there; I was speaking to a manager near the front of the store about some aquarium accessories I’d purchased a few days earlier. 

A man walks in without a mask, and the nearest cashier asks him to put on a mask. He stands in the middle of the entrance, yelling about how Walmart doesn’t require masks anymore, so neither should PetSmart. The manager I’m speaking with tells me to give her a minute and walks over to tell the man that it’s still PetSmart corporate policy to require them… regardless of what Walmart does or doesn’t do.

The man keeps arguing. I happen to be well dressed as my office had the bigwigs visiting that week. I walk over and tell the man:

Me: “Look, if you don’t have a mask, there’s a box of them right over behind you.”

He glares at me and says:

Customer: “I HAVE one, I just don’t think it’s right that you’re forcing me to wear it!”

Me: “Look, both of these ladies have asked you nicely. At this point, you can either put on the mask to come in and shop, or you can leave.”

He stutters and begins another rant. I raise my voice JUST enough, and say:

Me: “Alright, dude, you’re wasting ALL of our time. It’s a simple choice. Do it or LEAVE.”

He angrily takes out his mask, puts it on, and then rushes into the store to find whatever.

I apologize to the manager, and she kind of grins at me.

A minute later, the guy comes straight up to me and starts screaming in my face:

Customer: “Do you work here? I’m going to get you fired for speaking to me like that! You don’t have the right to tell me what to do!” *Insert various colorful metaphors as you will.*

I calmly tell him:

Me: “No, I don’t work here. In fact, I am not restrained by ANY corporate rules because I don’t work here. Would you like to discuss it further outside?”

I didn’t plan on fighting the guy, but that’s a common assumption when someone asks you to take it outside, and I’ll tell you I’ve never seen a grown man run with his tail tucked between his legs faster than him.

Funny how people think it’s okay to belittle and scream at people who are basically trapped and unable to respond the way they would like. Then when they find out you are free to respond however you wish, they turn into giant chickens.

Related:
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 40
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 39
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 38
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 37
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 36

It’s Christmas time at the chain pet shop where I work. I am on the register when ALL of the management team decides to hide in the office and eat Chinese food as part of some kind of management-exclusive holiday party.

There’s a line starting at the register.

Me: *Paging.* “Backup required at the checkouts, please.” 

No one comes. I keep ringing between customers, as the line isn’t going anywhere.

After half an hour of this, customers have also noticed that I’m alone and being kept occupied at the line, so they just walk out with stuff that’s not been paid for.

Me: *Paging again, very aggressively.* “Would someone PLEASE like to come and help me out on the register before all of our customers and merchandise walk out of the store?”

One (just one!) of the managers finally walks out, sees what is happening, and starts shouting at me.

Manager: “Why didn’t you call us?”

Me: “I’ve done that about ten times in the last half hour. Did you all turn your radios off or something?”

He quickly looks at his radio… and sheepishly turns it back on.

Manager: “Well, we were having our holiday meal. Why didn’t you come and get us?”

Me: “I was told once that leaving the register unattended when we have customers – for any reason – gets me a write-up.”

The manager grumbles, but doesn’t have any more blame to throw my way, so he gets on a register and helps me get the line down.

They tried to write me up the next day for the losses, but I took the write-up to the head office. By the end of the month, the entire management team had been fired, and I got promoted to a supervisor position! Great Christmas gift for me!

CONTENT WARNING: Pet Death, Gross

A lady comes through my register at the pet store with a bunch of fish. I’m an aquarium-loving nerdy teenager.

Me: “Oh, these are great fish!”

Customer: “Yes, I know.”

Me: “What made you choose these?”

Customer: “I’ve had them before.”

Me: “Oh, are you looking to set up an aquarium again?”

Customer: “Kinda. I have to replace my entire tank.”

Me: “Did something happen? If you have issues with your aquarium setup, we can help.”

Customer: “Not unless you have a setup that is drunk-teenage-son-proof.”

Me: “Did your son break your aquarium?”

Customer: “I wish! He had a party over the weekend, and the boys ended up doing tequila shots and chasing them by swallowing the fish from my tank… whole.”

I stopped asking customers questions after that.

Back when I was seventeen, I was working at a pet store that sold fish. Some older guy comes in and places a napkin on the counter. He opens it, revealing a dead fish.

Customer: “I need you to tell me how this fish died.”

Me: “Dude, I’m seventeen, and I work here after school.”

Customer: “Doesn’t matter, you still work here! I need you to tell me how this fish died!”

Another customer in the store walks over and says to me, with a wide grin on his face:

Other Customer: “Whaaaaat?! You don’t have a fish autopsy kit?!”

He says it cartoony and funny enough that the dead fish dude realized how stupid his request was, and he walked out.

He left the dead fish behind.