(I am meeting a friend I haven’t seen in a long time for a brewery tour. I read the website to look up operating hours, product information, and anything else I might need or want to know. There are three men and three women besides us gathered for the tour. The following exchange occurs right before the tour takes off.)

Woman #1: “Babe, let’s go on the tour! It’s free!”

Employee: “Ooh, sorry, guys, but no open-toed shoes on the tour.”

Woman #2: “They’re only flip flops! I wear them all the time. Trust me, I’m not going to trip and fall.”

Employee: “We don’t allow sandals, flip flops, or any open-toed shoes on the tour because of the machinery, and it may be slippery.”

Woman #2: “How come she—” *pointing at me* “—can go, and we can’t?”

Employee: “Because she—” *pointing at me* “—is wearing sneakers.”

Woman #1: “If you didn’t want us wearing flip flops on the tour, you really should post it on your website so we’d know. It’s not fair.”

Employee: “It is on the website. We put in on there to prevent incidents like this from happening. Sorry, but the tour is leaving now.”

(The tour begins, and we walk through the door.)

Me: “I read it on the website, which is why I changed my shoes before I got here. I wanted to be prepared, so I read all about the tour times and such.”

Employee: “I know it’s on the website, but nobody bothers to check before they come. Oh, well.”

(My friend and I ended up having a private tour, since nobody else was allowed to come.)

(I work at an observation deck. On very busy days we have long lines to get up to the deck, and occasionally, lines to get down, as well. A customer stomps her way to the front of the exit line.)

Customer: “I need to get down, now!“

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am. Right now there is a line to exit. It moves quickly, though. We do our best to get everyone up and down as quickly as possible.”

Customer: “You can’t do this. You’re holding me hostage!”

Me: “You are not being held hostage. You came here on your own free will; now you need to join the line with these other folks to exit.”

Customer: “I’ll have you arrested.”

(The customer called 911. We could hear her on the phone with the 911 operator, telling them she was being held hostage, but that nobody was injured, no hazmat, etc. Meanwhile, I called security and the police officer who works in the building. My police officer came before hers did, and she and her son were escorted out of the building. Funnily, I was never arrested.)

(It’s been a long day, and I’m already an hour and a half overtime. I’ve been selling ice creams all day, and in the past few hours we’ve been running out. A woman comes up to our counter.)

Me: “Hi there. How may I help you today?”

Customer: *rudely* “Give me a chocolate.”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, but we’ve sold out of chocolate ice cream today. Is there something I can get you, instead?”

Customer: “Oh, f*** it. Really?!”

Me: “Yes, sorry. As you can see, we’ve had quite a hot, sunny day today, so it’s been very busy. If you could please tone the language down? We do have lots of children around, including the one standing behind you.”

Customer: *slamming her fist on the counter* “Oh, f*** off and get me a chocolate ice cream!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but we are sold out of chocolate ice cream. We do have other flavours, if you’d—”

Customer: *interrupting me* “You’re hiding it from me! Aren’t you!? You a**hole!”

Me: “Sorry, are you going to buy anything today? We are quite busy and there is a hefty queue forming behind you.”

(She stormed off, and my coworker and I were shocked. We talked to our manager, and luckily we were able to find out she was staying at the site, and we kicked her off.)

Related:
Literally Scream For Ice Cream, Part 3
Literally Scream For Ice Cream, Part 2
Literally Scream For Ice Cream

(I work at a small museum in a tower. Visitors have to hike about a mile to the building, and then if they want to go to the top of the building, it’s another ten staircases up. One hot day, a group of five people walk in. One visitor is playing “Eye of the Tiger” loudly on his phone.)

Musical Visitor: “PHEW! We made it! Now who’s pumped for the top of the tower?”

Visitor #1: “Oh, my God. Can you turn the music off now?”

Musical Visitor: “Nope! Got to get pumped!” *sees me laughing* “See? She likes it!”

Me: “Yeah, I like it. You’ve got a lot of steps to go now, so you could use the excitement.”

Musical Visitor: “Okay, let’s go!”

(He starts jogging up the steps. Another person in his group, a young woman, pauses at my chair, shaking her head.)

Visitor #2: “You can make fun of him when he leaves; we won’t mind.”

(I am working on a photo op position during one of this tourist attraction’s special events. A child or about six or seven comes up to have their photo taken.)

Me: “Okay, if you can go and stand in the light for me?”

(The child goes to do so.)

Mother: “No, [Child]! Stay there and listen to the lady; she’s telling you what to do!”

(The child turns back to me, confused.)

Me: “It’s okay! Go and stand just where you were.”

(The child does.)

Mother: “No! Stay there! The lady is telling you what to do!”

(This happens several more times, and the child is clearly growing uncomfortable. I eventually raise my voice, despite her being close enough to have heard before.)

Me: “Don’t worry, [Child]! You were right the first time! Stand just there under the light, like you did!”

(She finally seemed to get the message, took her child’s picture, then walked straight off without an apology or a thank you.)