Customer: “Hi, I’d like the prosciutto sandwich.”

Me: “Okay, I’ll have that ready for you in just a moment. You can pick it up there by the register.”

After I ring him up and give him the sandwich, he stares at it for a few seconds, and then he sits down but doesn’t start eating. A few moments later, he comes back up to the counter.

Customer: “Excuse me. What is this?”

Me: “It’s a type of cured ham from Italy; I’ve never had any but I’ve been told it’s very salty. Is there a problem?”

Customer: “Well, I just thought it was a kind of cheese. I’m a vegetarian; could I get the hummus sandwich, instead?”

I work at a local sandwich shop. Our manager has recently hired her daughter’s boyfriend and it is going about as well as you might expect. The owners are nice people, but the manager is kind of a snob. She’s the type that only works eight to four, Monday through Friday, no matter what is happening because she’s “management” and the “grunt work isn’t her job.” [Coworker] is lazy and a jerk to customers but the manager has his back.

One Sunday evening, a regular comes in. She always has a special order due to a few dietary requirements but is such a good customer. She comes in during off-peak hours, is polite and happy, and tips fantastically. She even tips extra during holiday seasons, sometimes 100% or more of her bill. 

My new coworker messes up her order by adding meat to a vegetarian order. Then, he tried to pick off the meat instead of just restarting. Then, he added cheese. Nope. The customer has a dairy allergy. Full restart.

I’m catching his mistakes and making him redo it, but each time, he is complaining louder and louder about these “stupid f****** vegans” right in earshot of the customer.

He then tries to hide bacon bits in her food “as a prank.” I kick him off the line to make it myself and tell him I am going to report him. 

Coworker: “Do you remember who I am?”

At this point, the customer pipes up from the counter.

Customer: “Do you know who I am?”

Coworker: “Some entitled Karen who refuses to just pick something off a menu?”

I flipped, told him to shut up, and got her food out “on the house.” She just smiled at me, took out her phone, called someone, and retold the whole story. 

Within fifteen minutes, the manager and owner were both in the shop. [Coworker] was fired on the spot and the manager was told to fill in the shift and the rest of his scheduled shifts since he was “her hire” and the owner didn’t want any shift to be short-handed due to “her mistake”. The manager has since been relieved of hiring duties.

Unbeknownst to all of us, the regular was the owner’s twin sister.

I work in a fast food sandwich shop located within a supermarket. I am a closer and it’s about an hour until closing. I only have a trainee with me in the back doing dishes when a family comes in: a grandma, a mom, and three kids. They have already done their shopping and bought a live fish in a plastic bag full of water. The mom is arguing with one of the kids, demanding that he order a sandwich.

Kid: “I don’t care; I just want that chicken.”

He points to the teriyaki chicken.

Me: “Okay, would you like the whole thing toasted or just the meat warmed?”

Kid: “I don’t care. Yes, toast it.”

The kid gets into a fight with the grandma, but I don’t catch why they start fighting. He then runs around the corner with the grandma chasing him.

I prepare the sandwich and, as I am sliding it into the toaster I hear this awful noise come from near the soda machine. I assume they have broken something. The kid and the mom then begin to yell at the grandma and I quickly look over to see her bent over and picking up their fish, out of its bag. Apparently, they dropped it and the water got all over our rugs. The kid is yelling at her more and the mom begins yelling at him.

Kid: “You killed my fish!”

He runs out of the store and out of the supermarket. The mom goes after the kid, leaving the other two kids in the store. I gave the grandma a water cup for the fish and she then leaves to go back into the supermarket to get water for the fish. The two kids stand around awkwardly until the mom comes back with the little brat. They continue to fight and argue the entire time while ordering three more sandwiches, two pretzels, and three or four Icees. All the while, the kid is yelling about his grandma killing his fish, and she even paid for everything!

I have a conversation with the trainee when the family leaves.

Me: “So… there’s fish water on the rugs out in front of the soda machine.”

Trainee: “Umm… what? H-how?”

Me: “Yeah… Well, I’m gonna go call the manager.”

I called her but she did not answer. I ended up having to text it to her and she simply told me to hang the rugs to dry. The next day, I talked to the manager about it and she said, “That isn’t a call you get every day.”

Me: “Would you like white bread or wheat bread?”

Customer: “What’s the difference?”

Later:

Customer: “I’ll have a Coke.”

Me: “In a can or bottle?”

Customer: “What’s the difference?”

I’m making a customer’s sandwich; it’s lunch hour and there is a long line of customers.

Me: “Hello, ma’am, what can I get for you today?”

Customer: “Yes, I’d like a footlong ham.”

Me: “All righty, on what kind of bread?”

Customer: “Italian.”

I make the sandwich.

Me: “Okay, ma’am, and what kind of cheese would you like on your sandwich?”

Customer: “Provolone.”

I reach out and grab the provolone cheese.

Customer: “Umm, excuuuuse me, I said provolone cheese.”

I nod and proceed to put the cheese on her sandwich.

Customer: “EXCUSE ME! ARE YOU F****** PAYING ATTENTION TO MY REQUEST?!”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, you asked for provolone cheese.”

I continue to lay out the cheese.

Customer: “ARE YOU STUPID?! I WANT PROVOLONE CHEESE; THAT’S NOT PROVOLONE!”

I let out a sigh and name and point to each cheese.

Customer: “DON’T YOU LIE TO ME! I KNOW MY CHEESE!”

She stormed out with nothing.