My family is in Texas for a sporting event for our eldest son. We’re staying at a three-star hotel that is not necessarily fancy but is quite nice.

On our second to last day, as we are at the sports facility, I get an email notifying us of our successful checkout. I call in and the woman at the desk lets us know to just stop by the front desk when we get back because our reservation has the proper date on it and our room is still ours, but she will need to reactivate our keycards because someone on their end accidentally checked us out and deactivated our cards.

A few hours later, we get back to the hotel and the woman at the desk who I spoke to on the phone is there, and she is actually the manager. We’re chatting pleasantly as she gets our cards in order.

There is a second concierge there as well, standing to our left. As the manager is processing our keycards, a man walks in from the doors on our right and starts talking to the other lady without going over to her; he just starts talking across us.

Customer: “Do you do rooms by the hour?”

Concierge: “I’m sorry, what?”

Customer: “Can I get a room for, like, an hour?”

The manager glances up at the man and then returns to our conversation, letting her employee handle it.

Concierge: “Um, do you mean a conference room or a room-room?”

Customer: “A room. Can I rent a room for an hour?”

The manager looks up again and then looks over at the concierge, like it’s starting to click what the guy is asking.

Manager: “What does he want?”

Concierge: “He wants to know if we rent out rooms by the hour.”

The manager looks over at the man and shakes her head. 

Manager: “No, we don’t do that. You have to stay overnight.”

The man leaves and we all just stand there for a second, looking at each other.

Me: “Does this look like a place that rents rooms by the hour?”

Concierge: “What in the world was he even wanting it for—”

Manager: “Oh, we all know what he was going to do with it.”

She pauses and looks startled, like she didn’t mean to say that out loud in front of guests. She starts to rapidly apologize as we’re all laughing. My husband waves it off as we get our keycards back.

Husband: “Hey, don’t worry about it. We were all thinking it. You just beat me to saying it!”

One evening, a fare came up on the screen in my taxi. I could see that I was supposed to do some shopping, but that I had to go to the customer’s address first to get the specifics.

When I arrived, I started the meter, went to the door, and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by a man wearing nothing but an adult diaper. He spent the entire thirty seconds I was there with one hand roaming around inside the front of that diaper.

The man told me that he needed a bottle of vodka and a bottle of cola. Somewhat grossed out, I just turned around and went back to my taxi. Then, I called my taxi company and explained why I was unable to complete the fare I had been given and suggested that none of my colleagues would be interested in that particular one, either.

I work in a hobby shop. A woman in her sixties comes in.

Customer: “Do you sell adult toys?”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, do you mean toys for intimate purposes? We don’t carry those, but I can recommend a shop that does.”

She just about turns purple.

Customer: “No, I want something that my husband can put together.”

It turned out that she wanted a model kit.

I am working at a candy store when a mother and child come up to my register. Suddenly, the kid waves to get my attention.

Kid: “Guess what!”

Me: *Playing along* “What?”

Kid: *In the happiest, loudest voice possible* “Mommy has a front butt, and I don’t ‘cause I have something else, but that’s okay, ‘cause Mommy says I can have a front butt, too, when I grow up!”

The next customer and I barely managed to keep straight faces until the mom had hustled her kid out of the store.

I am the only female employee at a game store and get my fair share of attention and good-natured ribbing from the customers. Most of them are polite and respectful. However, Creeper Customer is not one of them.

He comes into the store on average four times a week, always on the days I am working, and makes sexist and disparaging comments to me.

It’s now at the point where the manager will shoo me into the back room when Creeper Customer is coming. However, Creeper Customer spends lots of money and thus will never be barred.

Today, I find myself the only employee working in the store. The manager is on vacation, and I can’t get anyone else in. Luckily, it’s a slow day and my dad stops in to say hi. I am feeling pretty good until who else but Creeper Customer walks in.

My stomach drops. My dad notices him and steps away from the counter to browse.

Creeper Customer: “You the only one working today, sweetie?”

I grit my teeth, say yes, and then try to change the subject by asking if he is looking for something in particular. He leans in and gives a creepy smile.

Creeper Customer: “Well, I was going to buy some games, but since your boss isn’t here, I think I want you to have the money, instead. But you’re going to have to work for it.”

He raises his eyebrow and nods his head toward the storage room. It takes me a few seconds before it clicks: he is propositioning me!

Me: “If you’re hinting at what I think you are, then you need to leave. Now.” 

Creeper Customer: *Scoffs* “I’m only joking. You need to stop being such a prude.”

I am about to call my manager on his emergency line when I see my dad, who I completely forgot was in the store, walk up behind Creeper Customer and tap him on the shoulder. My dad is 6’3”, a former rugby player, and very intimidating. When Creeper Customer turns around, my dad leans in, gets right in his face, and growls.

Dad: “You piece of s***, did you just proposition my daughter? You’re going to apologize to her and then leave or we’re going to have a problem.”

Creeper Customer turns back to me, pale as a ghost, and mutters:

Creeper Customer: “Sorry.”

He then runs out of the store.

I call my manager and tell him what just happened, figuring this is going to be the thing that will finally get Creeper Customer banned.

Nope.

Manager: “You handled things well. I’ll have a talk with [Creeper Customer] about his behavior when I get back.”

The fact that this Creeper was offering me money for sex, but it still wasn’t enough to warrant a ban, was infuriating. He was literally breaking the law on camera, but his money was more important than my comfort or safety?! Nope! That set me off.

I made some calls, including to the police AND to my manager’s superior, something I probably should have done long before this.

The response was far more satisfying than what my manager did, as someone higher up was there for my next shift and handed over security video and audio to the police. The manager never did return to work, and I got a much better manager shortly afterward.

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