Customer: “There are too many children in this store! I am this close to asking to talk to your manager about it!”

Me: “But… this is Disneyland Paris.”

I work in a theme park.

Guest: *Showing me her phone* “We need to redeem these tickets, please.”

Me: “Absolutely, ma’am, but you’ve pulled up the wrong ones. Those are your [Mouse Park] tickets, not your [Wizard Park] tickets.”

Guest: “Yes, I know. So, can you print them for us?”

Me: “I can’t print those tickets, no. I can’t print [Mouse Park] tickets, but if you have your confirmation email for your [Wizard Park] tickets, I can print those for you.”

Guest: “I don’t understand.”

Me: “The tickets you’ve shown me are for [Mouse Park]. We are at [Wizard Park]. [Mouse Park] tickets are not good for admission at [Wizard Park].”

Guest: “This isn’t [Wizard Park]?”

Me: “Yes, this is [Wizard Park].”

Guest: “So why can’t you print my tickets?”

Me: “Because those are not tickets for [Wizard Park].”

Guest: “I don’t understand.”

Me: “[Wizard Park] and [Mouse Park] are two completely different places, run by two completely separate companies. To go into [Wizard Park], you need tickets for [Wizard Park], and those are tickets for [Mouse Park].”

Guest: “There are two [Wizard Park]s?”

Me: “Wizard Park has two separate theme parks, yes. [Wizard Park] Studios and [Other Park].”

Guest: “So, which one does this ticket get me into?”

Me: “Neither. Were you planning by chance on going to [Mouse Park]’s Hollywood Studios?”

Guest: “No, we want [Wizard Park]. We went to the [Wizard Park] website and bought these tickets specifically so we could go to [Wizard Park].”

Me: “Ma’am, you cannot buy [Mouse Park] tickets on the [Wizard Park] website. If you can pull up your confirmation email from [Wizard Park], I’ll be more than happy to print them for you. But those tickets you’ve shown me can only be used at [Mouse Park].”

Guest: “I don’t understand.”

Insert half a dozen or so more circles before, out of desperation, I pull out some comparisons we mostly save for making fun of this type of guest in the break room.

Me: “Ma’am, would you go to Burger King with a coupon for a Big Mac and expect them to give it to you?”

Guest: “No, that would be stupid. I’m not stupid.”

Me: “I’m not saying you are, ma’am, but what I am saying is that you are at Burger King and those are a coupon for a Big Mac.”

Guest: “This isn’t a coupon! These are tickets to [Wizard Park]!”

Me: “They are not, ma’am. They are tickets to [Mouse Park].”

Guest: “I don’t understand!”

Me: “Ma’am, would you place an order on Walmart’s website and then go to Target and expect them to have your order?”

Guest: “Of course not; I’m not stupid!”

Me: “Again, I’m not saying you are, but I am saying that you are at Target and you placed an order on Walmart’s website.”

Guest: “We are not at Target! What the h*** is wrong with you? I just want my tickets so we can go to [Wizard Park]! We want to see Toy Story Land!”

Me: “Ma’am, we do not have that land here; that’s at [Mouse Park].”

She turns to her husband, who has been just as confused the whole way through.

Guest: “What do we do? She’s not listening, and I don’t understand a word she’s saying.”

Guest’s Husband: “Me, neither. Just buy more tickets, I guess, and we’ll figure it out later.”

I try to suggest again that they’re looking for [Mouse Park]’s Hollywood Studios, but they insist they are not and that they are not stupid. They buy tickets for [Wizard Park], talking about how they want to see Woody and Buzz Lightyear the whole way through. I’ve given up and don’t say anything to correct them.

As I hand her the tickets:

Guest: “So, which way do we go to get to Toy Story Land?”

Me: *Pointing back toward the way out* “That way, and go to [Mouse Park].”

They both stare in silence for several seconds. Then, she snatches the tickets and stomps away with one parting shot.

Guest: “I’m not stupid!“

This story brought to mind this event. This was back in the early 1990s when cell phones were just starting to become a thing and were still very expensive.

I used to work in a theme park in Southern Texas. I was in the Catering department, which hired from within. You had to prove your worth to work in Catering as there were many high-profile events and guests attending said events. There were various locations around the park where Catering stored things such as glassware, flatware, dinnerware, etc., for quick access instead of using the onsite warehouse. 

I was tasked to go to the second floor one of the two-story buildings in the park with a pallet jack to get some dinnerware and flatware for a major event we were setting up for (think concert, golf tourney, and the like). I got in the elevator with the dinnerware and flatware and hit the button for the first floor. The elevator started to go down, and then the power went out and it stopped partway down.

I tried calling on the emergency phone, but it was dead, and I banged on the walls and doors to no avail.

I was stuck in the elevator for about six hours before someone finally discovered that the elevator was not working and someone was stuck inside. 

When I finally got out of the elevator, my supervisor yelled at me for not calling on the emergency phone to get help. I told my supervisor to pick up the phone and tell me if she could call out, which she could not.

I never got an apology for getting yelled at for what happened. All I know is that all heck broke loose when it was discovered that someone had flipped the circuit breaker for the elevator the moment it started going down. A few people lost their jobs, and afterward, all breaker boxes in the park were equipped with locking doors to prevent such things from happening in the future.

Related:
For Every Weird Thing At Your Workplace, There’s A Story Like This

I work at the ticket counter for a large theme park in Florida. The very first customer of the day is waiting at the counter when we open. She presents to us a collection of bills, mostly small, and all very worn; it’s just enough for a day pass.

Customer: *Beyond excited* “I can’t believe I’m finally here! I’ve been saving up for years to be here!”

Me: “Oh, wow!”

Customer: “I’m sooooo excited!”

Me: “I’m so happy to hear that. Have you traveled far to be here?”

Customer: “Oklahoma! We drove all night, and I should be tired, but I’m so excited!”

Me: “Oh, wow… Would you look at that? Oklahoma is the state of the… uh… month! You qualify for every discount ever!”

Customer: “Wait… what?”

Me: “So, that’s… [just under half the price she was about to pay].”

Customer: “But… how?”

Me: “Magic! Enjoy your day! I hope it’s everything you’ve dreamed of!”

It makes my day to be able to do things like that once in a while!

I’m working at a restaurant in a theme park. A lady approaches the counter.

Customer: “Gimme a family burger meal. I don’t need the fourth burger, so take that off and reduce the price.”

Me: “That’s a package deal. It comes with four burgers. There’s no changing anything except for drink upgrades.”

Customer: *Glares* “I want a souvenir bottle instead of the fourth meal.”

Me: “You can upgrade to a souvenir bottle for $10, but I still have to give you everything.”

Customer: “I don’t want a fourth burger. Take that price off.”

Me: “The price cannot be changed no matter what. You’ll still be paying that price even if I take that burger away.”

Customer: *Glaring at me with wide eyes* “Change the price!”

Me: “Listen. To. Me. The family burger meal is a package deal. You get everything that you see on the poster. Nothing can be taken off of the order, and the price is set on that price. The only exception is when you upgrade to souvenir bottles. Then, the price will be higher. Except for that, nothing can be changed. No one can change it. Not even Chuck Norris.”

She starts hitting the counter with her fist.

Customer: “I just want three burgers! How hard is it for you?”

Me: “Okay. Three burgers will be [higher price].”

Customer: “What the f***?! Why is it more?!”

She took in a double-lungful of air and just screamed at the top of her vocal range — no words, just a rage-filled scream — before storming off.