(I work in a popular toy store. We are having a rather busy evening, and I am walking back to my section after assisting someone. I see a customer looking around as though trying to find something, so I offer to help. I’m a male.)

Me: “Did you need help with something?”

Customer: “Yes, I need to find a baseball glove for my son.”

Me: “Oh, it’s right this way.”

(I begin to usher the customer to the sporting section, and I see my female coworker walking towards us with a baseball glove.)

Coworker: “Here you are, ma’am. We only carry this type of baseball glove.”

Me: *to the customer* “Oh, you already had someone assisting you? Why didn’t you say so?”

Coworker: “Well, you’re a guy. I figured you would know where they are.”

Me: “I assure you that all of the workers here are capable enough to find a simple baseball glove.”

(We’re a toy store with a sizable book section. A customer comes in with one of our bags and a book to return with her receipt. I take the receipt and the book and start doing her return when she picks up another bag from a competing book store.)

Customer: “So, I bought this from [Competing Book Store] and I don’t have a receipt, but it’s so far away… Can I return this here?”

Me: “Um… No, ma’am, I’m sorry. We don’t even sell this book.”

Customer: “Oh, well. Worth a try!”

(I finished her return and she went off with her things. I’m baffled she actually thought it would work.)

(I’m a cashier at a small toy store. It’s a quiet day and we haven’t had many customers. A father and son come up with a few different puzzles and a Princess Luna toy. I offer the usual polite greetings and smile honestly.)

Me: “Oh, a puzzle. You must be a very smart boy.”

Little Boy: “Yes, I am!”

Me: “Is the pony also for you?”

(The little boy becomes rather sad and breaks eye contact. The father has a worried look on his face. I take out my keys and Pinkie Pie keychain I got as a birthday present.)

Me: “Pinkie Pie is my favorite because she makes me smile. Who’s your favorite?”

Little Boy: *happy again* “Princess Luna, she protects others from nightmares.”

(I finish ringing up their purchase and they leave. A few days later the father returns.)

Father: “Hi, I was here a few days ago with my son.”

Me: “Little boy with the My Little Pony toy? Yes, I remember. What can I do for you?”

Father: “My son was sad because some school bullies tore apart his MLP notebook, so I brought him here to cheer him up. He doesn’t tell strangers he like Ponies, but you were so nice to him, he was back to his old self.”

Me: “Glad I could help, but honestly I don’t see the problem with boys liking toys targeted at a young female demographic. I personally enjoyed Transformers when I was his age, and still do.”

(The kid and his parents come often to say hi, and I later found out they live in the building across from mine, so I’m almost always their go-to babysitter.)

(I work at a popular toy store in my town, and the new collection of Star Wars toys just came out. The store is very busy today and we have run out of stock for a few items. Due to their pretty high price, we didn’t expect them to sell as quickly. Most people who want them are understanding, but there’s one customer who has become a regular, and a very unpopular one, at that. She always targets the new employees, it seems, never attacking the same employee twice. Sadly, I end up on that shift.)

Customer: “Do you have any more of the [out of stock toy]?”

Me: “I’m sorry. We ran out about an hour ago. We have another store in [City about four minutes away], or we will be getting a new shipment in tonight and you could pick it up tomorrow.”

Customer: “How dare you refuse me service?! It’s because I’m black, isn’t it?!”

Me: “No, ma’am, I would not discriminate. The item is out of stock at this store. Again, you can—”

Customer: “You racist b****! How dare you?! I am going to get you fired!”

Me: “I do not see how I am—”

Customer: “Don’t you back talk me! Respect your elders, you racist b****!”

(I’m in a bit of a panic, not really sure what I am supposed to do or say. I reach for my walkie-talkie. I quickly realize that was a bad idea.)

Customer: “DON’T YOU DARE!” *the customer suddenly lunges at me* “DON’T YOU DARE ASSAULT ME WITH YOUR WEAPONS!”

(Luckily, an off duty cop was there to pick up a toy for his son. He pulled the woman off of me and arrested her right there. I was actually the first person attacked by her. I found out later she usually just screamed at the employee to the point of tears. Everyone still jokes about how I was taken down over a child’s toy, and how I ended up with a sprained wrist.)

Since I am a returning employee at our toy store, I notice things that need to be fixed more quickly, as I am used to how the managers want it. I’ll sometimes be walking by with a handful of items and ask an associate who isn’t busy to fix the plush section. It isn’t as if I am pulling them away from tasks; they look really bored.

One day a manager pulls me aside and tells me to maybe tone down on asking associates to do stuff, since I am one of them. I agree and just start working extra hard so I can finish all the tasks without any help.

I apply for a manager position after a few more months with the company, and I get rejected because the managers and supervisors notice I don’t ask for help on tasks and am thus “not a team player.” They don’t believe me when I tell them one of the managers told me I was too bossy. They tell me to take responsibility, and so I do. I take responsibility for my own mental health and future career and quit!

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