Two customers are waiting at my till a young man and an old lady. The man puts stew beef and vegetables on the till.
Old lady: I bet I know what you’re getting up to tonight.
Young man goes red and I don’t realise why until he puts a bumper pack of condoms on the till, the old lady went very red and apologised but luckily the man laughed and the three of us all had a bit of a giggle
(I work at a coffee shop that is inside a store. I’m also a full-time student, so I only work part time. This story takes place just after I have finished college for summer.)
Me: “Hi there. What can I get for you?”
Customer: “Two lattes, please.”
Me: “No problem. Coming right up.”
(I proceed to make her coffees and set them on a tray for her. While making the coffees, we have been talking away to each other, and she seems to be a nice customer.)
Customer: “What are these?”
Me: “Those are your coffees; two lattes, right?”
Customer: “Yes, but I wanted them to go.”
(This happens all the time — customers not saying they’re taking them out but expecting us to know.)
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry. I mustn’t have heard you. I’ll just pour them into takeaway cups.”
(While I’m pouring the first one into the takeaway cup…)
Customer: “They look smaller than usual; are you sure those are large?”
Me: “Large? Sorry, these are just regular. Again, I mustn’t have heard you say large.”
(I steam more milk to add to the lattes I already made to make them large.)
Customer: “I’m in quite often; I assumed you would remember.”
(I have been working at this coffee shop for over two years and do remember a good few regular customers and their orders, but I know that I’ve never served her before.)
Me: “I do apologize; my brain must be working slower than usual today.”
Customer: “That’s all right. You teenagers stay up way too late and are always tired the next day.”
Me: “That must be it.”
Customer: “Now, which one had the hazelnut syrup in it?”
Me: “…”
(It turned out she was an employee in the store that the coffee shop is a part of, and started about three months ago. She worked during the week, and since I was only working weekends at that point, I had never served her. Moral of the story: just because you’re a regular customer, you shouldn’t expect every employee to remember what your order is.)
(It’s a quiet evening and I am the only staff member on the shop floor. I am a 19-year-old female. Two middle-aged male customers walk into the store. They browse for a bit and then bring a DVD and some snacks to the counter.)
Me: “Good evening. How are you both?”
Customer: “Hi. Just these, please.”
(The customer places the items on the desk, and I ring them through while making general conversation. The transaction goes normally, until this…)
Customer: “So, did it hurt when you got your nipples pierced?”
Me: “Um…”
(I have my nose, ears, and navel pierced, but no other piercings, so I am not sure how to reply to this.)
Customer: “Oh, my God… Nose! I meant, did it hurt when you got your nose pierced?!”
Me: *relieved and trying not to laugh* “Oh! Yes, it did a little, but it wasn’t too bad.”
(I finish the transaction, somehow managing not to dissolve into laughter, and the customers leave the store. At this point, I can no longer keep it in, and burst into laughter, just as my supervisor walks onto the shop floor. I explain to him what just took place.)
Supervisor: “He was probably just trying his hardest not to stare at your chest, and that ended up being a Freudian slip!”
(I’ve just finished a very long shift at the convenience store I work at and forgot to pick up some bits before we closed. I go to a supermarket where their uniforms are similar to ours — green and black. I’m reading a label on some cat food down an aisle that is in view of the tills. However, my back is to the tills; my store’s logo is printed across the back of my jacket.)
Customer: “EXCUSE ME! I have been waiting at this till for ten minutes!”
Me: “Oh, I think there’s someone down the next aisle…”
Customer: “What?! How dare you?! I’m going to get you fired for this! I’ve been waiting and waiting; you need to come serve me now or your manager will hear about this!”
Me: “I don’t work here, you idiot.”
Customer: *literally screaming at this point* “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! WHERE’S YOUR MANAGER NOW?!”
(The employee down the next aisle is now trying to come to my aid, but the customer won’t listen.)
Me: “Probably at home, considering we finished twenty minutes ago! I don’t work here; look!” *turns so she can see my back* “I work at [My Store] and you’re in [This Store]! I have just done a ten-hour shift dealing with idiots like you. I am tired and hungry, so don’t start shouting at me because you’re a dumba** who can’t read the back of a jacket!”
(I stormed off after that to continue with my shopping. When I got to the till, the employee told me that the lady had demanded to see the manager, told him what happened, and demanded I was fired. The manager felt so sorry for me he told the employee to let me pick out a chocolate bar for free.)
(working the front desk of a hotel, the heating decides to break on the 3rd floor at 11pm on a Sunday night give out all our electric heaters including my own I brought from home for the reception desk)
Guest (dressed in coats, scarves and hats)- this is ridiculous we are freezing you have done nothing for us!
me- I apologise ma’am we are trying to fix the heating but you have got a heater in your room currently (my heater…)
Guest- (grabs my arm) feel how cold my hands are they are like ice this is not acceptable
me (in my skirt and white shirt absolutely freezing)- I do apologise that you are cold but we are doing everything we can to rectify the problem, but if you could let go of my arm id appreciate it.
Guest- No I wont let go till you acknowledge how cold I am in that room.
Me- I then hold her arm to which she looks at me in shock as I am ice cold as I say (id be more than happy to take the heater back if it isn’t helping at all…) she lets go of me and walks of without another word..
