I work on and off at an American football stadium in a concession stand. Well, kinda. Technically, I’m a volunteer for a non-profit organization that I was a part of, and while I’m a volunteer and thus not paid, the organization gets a cut (for us, 10%) of any sales I make. With how inflated prices are at stadiums, and with how many people we can serve in any given game, you can see why we do it.
In American football, our biggest lines at the stand occur right before the game and during halftime. Everyone who’s ever been to a game knows this. Most customers are fairly nice and understanding about this, even when their team is losing. However, every season, I get one customer who isn’t.
Customer: “You’re too f****** slow! Get me a f****** [food item] and a beer, and be quick about it!”
Now, since the non-profit I represent gets money, you’d think I’d sigh and just do it. Nah. I’m a volunteer, I don’t get not-paid to handle this. I can deal with grumpy, but swearing at me or my fellow cashiers gets met with something like this:
Me: “Sir, your money’s no good here. Please go to a different stand.”
Customer: “What do you mean? I’ve been waiting in this f****** line for fifteen minutes—”
Me: “And now you get to wait in another one. Better hurry; you’ll miss more of the game.”
Customer: “I’m going to get you fired for this!”
Me: “NEXT!”
And the next customer, who has been patiently waiting in the same line, invariably comes up and starts ordering, and the rude guy invariably shuffles off because the police hangout is immediately across the concourse.
Still haven’t been asked to not come back, strangely.