(When my daughter was born, my mother-in-law hated that I was breastfeeding her and would try to order me to get her onto bottled formula. A couple of weeks after giving birth, I bring my baby to see my husband’s grandmother. My baby starts crying while she is being held by her great-grandmother.)

Grandmother: “Do you breastfeed her?”

Mother-In-Law: *grunts* “Yes, she thinks it’s natu—”

Grandmother: *cuts her off* “Well, get your boob out; the wee thing is hungry, and booby is best.”

([Mother-In-Law] never chastised me again for breastfeeding.)

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(I am part of a team sourced from other stores to help a store get organised, as they can’t seem to get work completed. The company has had nothing but complaints about the state of the store. I find myself working alongside one of the store’s employees. We both have our own tasks. She is taking stock out of cartons and arranging them onto a shelf.)

Coworker: “What do you think? Does that look okay?”

Me: “Yeah, they look fine there.”

Coworker: *starts taking the items off the shelf and putting them back into the carton*

Me: “What are you doing?”

Coworker: “I have to dust the shelf” *she dusts the shelf, then puts the stock back in place* “Yes, that looks good.” *again she starts taking the stock off the shelf and placing them back into the carton*

Me: “What are you doing now?”

Coworker: “Now I have to price the stock.” *stands back watching me using my scanner*

Me: “Are you waiting to use this?”

Coworker: “No, I have one.”

(My coworker picks up her scanner and starts fiddling around with it finally she makes her first scan and then starts scanning about 24 of the same item separately instead of simply putting a quantity in. I am dumbfounded, and simply don’t want to be working next to this woman.)

Me: “How about I finish up those with my lot and you go to find [Supervisor] for another job?”

Coworker: “Are you sure?”

Me: “Yes, I’m sure.”

(I had completed about ten shelves in the time it took her to not complete one. I think I know why they had so much trouble keeping the store organised. It didn’t surprise me when the company decided to close that location down.)

(A group of friends and I often get together to do adventure courses. On this day, we are at a white-water rafting course when we notice that the place also does paintball. I am female, and there is one other female and two males in this conversation.)

Male #1: “Hey, for our next day out we should do paintball!”

Me: “Yeah, I’m down for that.”

Female Friend: “Me, too!”

Male #2: “Yeah, same, but maybe at a different place. I went to that one for a mate’s birthday and it kind of sucked.”

Female Friend: “Really? How come?”

Male #2: “They were really sexist. They gave body-armour and protective gear to all the girls for free, but charged all the guys for it.”

Female Friend: “I mean, we kind of have a bit more to protect, ‘up there.'” *gestures to her chest*

Male #2: “But that’s like ‘built-in’ armor, isn’t it? It’s not like you’d feel anything when the shots hit you.”

(My female friend and I exchange looks while [Male #1] raises an eyebrow. [Male #2] doesn’t notice our looks, and continues.)

Male #2: “But for us, paintball really hurts, you know? Like, it hits you hard and leaves welts on your skin, even when you’re covered up. And then they make you pay extra for it! It kills, man, you have no idea. It hurts so much! It hurts!”

Me: “Yeah, sexism hurts, doesn’t it?”

(That shut him up pretty quickly.)

(It’s been a long, busy afternoon and I’m trying to serve people whilst preparing food. I go to serve a customer but realise the banana bread behind me is burning, so I pull it out whilst I am still listening to her order. She is speaking very softly, so I ask her to repeat her order. In the most patronising way possible, she repeats her order.)

Customer: “I’ll have two small mudslide mochas with soy sauce.”

Me: “Uh… Did you mean soy milk?”

Customer: *instantly sheepish* “Oh, yeah. I guess so.”

(She scoffed like somehow it was my fault she said the wrong thing, paid, then walked away.)

(I work in a store that customises your sandwich. This story was relayed to me by a coworker.)

Customer: “Could I please have a meatball sub with extra sauce?”

Coworker: “Sure!” *puts meatballs on sub, then grabs the marinara sauce and adds sauce*

Customer: “What do you think you’re doing?”

Coworker: “You asked for extra sauce, so I’m putting it on.”

Customer: “That’s not the same sauce!”

Coworker: “I can assure you that it is the same sauce, ma’am.”

Customer: “But I want extra sauce from the meatball container! That sauce won’t be hot!”

Coworker: “I can heat or toast your sub, ma’am, but I promise you that it is still hot.”

Coworker: “No, I want you to remake the sub.”

(My poor coworker had to remake her sub over this. But, hey, at least the coworker got a free lunch!)