During some time of unemployment, I apply for a job at a new restaurant they plan to build in a nearby city. I haven’t worked in a restaurant for several years, but I know I can do it if I want to, and I need a job.

After some time, I receive an invitation by email for a general meeting of applicants. At the meeting, a presentation is given about the plans for the new restaurant. It sounds quite cool. There is also a round where you introduce yourself to the group, which seems promising. After that, they take individual interviews. During the interview, I get the usual questions about what days and hours I can work. I go into it with an open mind and am prepared to work a lot for them.

Later, I receive a rejection by email anyway. I’m not terribly disappointed — just a little bit. Hoping to learn from the experience, I ask them if they could explain their motives for rejecting me.

Their answer?

Hiring Manager: “As we said in our previous email, it’s based on your experience and traveling distance.”

Right. But you knew all of that already from my resume, so what was the point of inviting me for the job interview, anyway?

My father died recently at the age of ninety-five. About a week after his death, I get a letter from the city telling me to return the card my father had that entitled him to use parking spaces for disabled people. I call the number in the letter.

Me: “Hi. I am [My Name], the son of [Father], who passed away recently. I received a letter from you telling me to return my late father’s disabled parking card with the enclosed return envelope. However, I have a bit of a problem with that because—”

City Worker: “You are legally obliged to return that card. Not returning the card can result in heavy administrative fees up to €1,000 per month. And using the card can lead to fines and more, with a minimum fixed penalty of €300 per incident and the risk of criminal prosecution. I have your father’s information before me now, so as of this moment, you are in direct violation of the City Ordinance, and since you now have been officially warned and informed, you will be held personally accountable for any abuse of the disabled parking card.”

Me: “…”

City Worker: “Are you still on the line?”

Me: “Yes.”

City Worker: “Well?”

Me: “Well, what?”

City Worker: “Why don’t you respond?”

Me: “I was waiting for you to finish your speech. It wasn’t Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, but it was impressive. The only problem I had was that there was no return envelope enclosed.”

They hung up.

I’ll try again tomorrow.

I am at a convention as an artist and I have some leftover stock, so I organise a giveaway. All people have to do is sign up — no purchase required. At the end of the day, I hold a lottery and two people win a package. The winners are happy and thankful and go their merry way.

About fifteen minutes later, I see a boy, my guess is about fourteen years old, hanging around my booth.

Me: “Can I help you?”

Boy: “Yeah, I signed up for the giveaway.”

Me: “Ah, well, the winners already picked up their prizes. Better luck next time!”

Boy: “So, what was the prize?”

Me: “Oh, a couple of items, like a calendar with my art, a mug, greeting cards with my art… things like that.”

Boy: “That was the prize? Who would want that junk?”

Me: *Taken aback* “Well, the winners seemed to be happy with it, and the prizes were advertised so you would know what you were signing up for. What did you think the prize would be?”

Boy: “I dunno… A car or something.”

Me: *Speechless* “A… car? As a giveaway? Why would I give away a car? I’m an artist; I would love to have that kind of money laying around!”

Boy: “How should I know? You advertised that the value would be 25,000 euros!”

I look at the pamphlet, doubting myself.

Me: “It says 25,00 euros…”

Boy: “Eh… well… Your art sucks anyway!”

He rushed off. At least the winners were grateful; one even came by before the end of the convention to thank me again for the prize.

I work in customer service. I’m on a call with an irate woman who keeps on connecting causes and effects that have nothing to do with each other. I listen and make the known listening sounds (uh-huh, ah, yes…), but I get no space to say something in return.

Suddenly, the connection drops. I just know this lady will claim I hung up on her on purpose, but luckily, I have her phone number. I call her back.

Woman: “Eh… hello?”

Me: “Hello, you are speaking with [My Name] from [Company]. We got disconnected, so I figured I would call you back.”

Woman: “We didn’t get disconnected! I was just talking! Why are you interrupting me? Why are you so rude?”

My daughter and I had an APPALLING experience at a very popular bagel and coffee chain in the Netherlands, which I normally love when I have the rare chance to treat myself to something.

I can NEVER get myself something amazing like a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, but yesterday morning, my daughter had a very important meeting about her future, requiring intercity travel. We were out of the house so fast I needed to grab SOMETHING, so I was delighted when we spotted the bagel place.

I have health issues, and my daughter has a post-viral fatigue syndrome so we, unlike seemingly just about everyone else in the city, were wearing masks for our own safety and because we understand asymptomatic transmission — and despite the prevailing opinions, there IS still a health crisis on.

The guy at the counter looked a lot like Hawkeye from “The Avengers,” so our good mood got even better because that’s fun, and he seemed really nice.

Employee: “What would you like?”

Me: “I need to look at the menu first.”

Employee: “Okay.”

Then, he put on a teasing, “you silly person” tone.

Employee: “You know, those masks are no longer needed.”

Me: *Politely* “They’re no longer required by law.”

I thought we could leave it at that or that he might, as has happened before, demand that I list my personal health concerns for him, but no. He rolled his eyes and started laughing.

Employee: “Oh, come on!”

I turned to my daughter.

Me: *Quietly* “Yeah, let’s go somewhere else.”

The employee yelled after us as we walked out.

Employee: “Oh, what? REALLY?! SORRY, OKAY? WHAT THE H***?!”

We just kept walking, so he CHASED US INTO THE STREET, screaming.

Employee: “Hey, you! You… FOOLISH WOMEN! I hope you… I hope you TAKE ANOTHER VACCINE!”

I’m really not sure what that was supposed to mean.

My daughter is painfully shy and autistic, and she has some trauma in her past. This frightened her, so she had to go into her important meeting already far too anxious, so she had a distressing day. (The meeting went great, though.) And I, of course, did not get any breakfast.

I’m trying to figure out how in the world the guy thought mocking, screaming at, and CHASING customers would get them to buy a bagel.

Related:
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 24
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 23
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 22
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 21
An Ugly Side Of Society Has Been Unmasked, Part 20