I work in a “gaming room” in a hotel — basically a small casino with only poker and slot machines. It’s the week before all non-essential businesses close due to the health crisis, and we are starting to put social distancing measures in place. The main one is putting every second poker machine out of order to force distance between people.  

I am told to do this just fifteen minutes before we open in the morning, so I rush around putting “reserved” signs on all the odd-numbered machines as we don’t currently have enough “out of order” signs to use. The signs clearly state that no one but the customer who put the sign on, or a staff member, can remove it to play the machine.

Me: “Should I force errors onto the machines, too? That way customers can’t play even if they ignore the rule and pull the sign off.”

Manager: “We’re about to open, so you won’t have enough time. It’s pretty clear what we are trying to do with the social distancing; I’m sure it’ll be fine like that until we can get enough ‘out of order’ signs printed.”

The very first customer of the day walks right up to our most popular lot of machines, takes a “reserved” sign off, and sits down to gamble, ignoring the two clearly available ones on either side.

I look wearily over to my manager.

Manager: *Sighing* “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking. Go ahead.”

It took a while, but I went around and forced errors onto thirty-seven of our machines so they were unplayable. Despite that, we still had quite a few customers taking reserve signs off and asking us to “fix” the machines so they could play them. Gambling on your favourite machine is more important than avoiding getting sick, apparently!

One of the more popular rides in the theme park where I work has been closed for a considerable amount of time due to maintenance issues. 

Customer: “So, we can’t ride [Roller Coaster] today?”

Me: “Not unless you wish to die.”

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I am about a month in at my new job. There is an unofficial rota amongst the staff that goes desk by desk to replace the printer toner and paper. My desk happens to be next, and the toner is running low.

Me: “[Manager], do we have gloves for changing out the printer, and can we get the window open in there?”

Manager: “Why on earth would you need gloves?” 

Me: “Because I don’t want to get toner on my hands?”

Manager: “Aww, your poor delicate hands?”

Me: “The toner is hazardous, and it’s recommended you use gloves when working with it. The window also needs to be opened to ventilate the room. There are warnings on the box.” 

Manager: “That seems a bit extreme for us.”

Me: “Well, if you want me to change the toner, that’s what you have to do.”

Manager: “You really go to extreme lengths to procrastinate. If you didn’t want to do it, you could have just said.”

Me: “I have no issue with doing it, as long as it doesn’t affect my health.”

Manager: “Well, we change the ink out every other week, and no one has taken ill from it.”

Me: “Then you’re very lucky.”

The manager tells me not to bother and he’ll get someone else to do it. Not fifteen minutes later, [Manager] comes out, hands black and holding an empty toner tube.

Manager: “See, [My Name], nothing to it!”

I’m not impressed and I grab a fresh box. Thankfully, they’re in another room.

Me: “‘Warning: contents may be carcinogenic. Prolonged exposure can result in liver and kidney damage. Ensure the area is well ventilated and that gloves are used while handling.’”

[Manager] scoffed at it and continued with his day, but one by one the people in the office inspected the box, reading the warning themselves. During lunch, I heard a couple of them talking about how their last checkups with the doctor indicated the early signs of liver disease, and one man saying he was asthmatic and was going to opt out of the rota.

A month later, there is a box of gloves that everyone dips into when the toner needs changed, and the window in there is now always open. The manager doesn’t say anything but still changes the toner like he always does.

I work as a dishwasher at a restaurant in town. Toward the end of the night, one of my coworkers was cleaning the stoves. The stoves were still hot and the second he poured water on them, the amount of steam that came off of them was enough to set off the sprinklers above them as well as the fire alarm.

A few minutes later, the fire department showed up — two firemen in all their gear, and one in a regular uniform.

During this whole situation, there was a group celebrating a woman’s birthday party. Everyone in the group was severely drunk; that being said, when the firemen were trying to come into the restaurant, somebody in the group thought the firemen were male strippers. The group became loud and excited, chanting, “Strippers! Strippers! Strippers!”

One of the women in the group forced herself onto one of the firemen and a police officer on scene had to break it up.

Fortunately for the group, nobody was arrested.

(As I pull up to the bowser at a petrol station, I notice a dark-haired woman in her 30s at the next bowser talking on her phone as she finishes filling up. When I finish and go to pay she is at the counter. There is another customer behind her, and then there is me.)

Attendant: *talking to [Customer #1]* “You are not allowed to use your phone when filling up or around the bowsers.”

Customer #1: “Oh, why not?”

Attendant: “It is dangerous, and if my boss sees you doing it, I can get in a lot of trouble, and so can you.”

Customer #1: “Why is it dangerous?”

(The attendant goes on to explain how a spark from the phone could cause an explosion, and there are signs at all the bowsers warning people not to use their phones. [Customer #1] suddenly sounds concerned and remorseful.)

Customer #1: “Oh, dear, I’m terribly sorry; I won’t do it again.”

(She then picks up her phone she had put on the counter — still connected to a call — puts it to her ear, and carries on with her conversation.)

Customer #1: “Did you hear that? Using a phone at the petrol station is dangerous!”

(She continued to talk on the phone as she got to her car and drove off. [Customer #2], the attendant, and I all looked at each other dumbfounded.)