(I work in a craft store that also does framing orders. We often have customers unsure about our store hours on Sundays, because we open an hour later and close two hours earlier on those days. It is closing time, and we are just getting our last customers out the door, which always takes a little longer on Sundays because of the store closing earlier. I am pulling in our sidewalk displays when a car pulls into the empty parking lot. A young girl, no older than 13, jogs up to the door.)

Me: “I’m sorry. The store is closed now.”

Young Teen: *obviously distressed* “Oh, you’re closed?”

Me: “Yes, I’m so sorry. We open at nine am tomorrow.”

Young Teen: *more distressed now* “But, this framing order says it’s done today for pickup. Is there any way you can let me in?”

Me: “No, I’m really sorry. If it helps, it’s totally fine if you wait until tomorrow morning to pick it up. The order will still be there, since it was already paid for.”

(The teen nods her head, considers for a moment, then jogs back to the car. Not a minute later, we get a phone call. My manager answers and talks to the person on the line for quite a while, and I continue bringing in our sidewalk displays.)

Manager: *over the headset* “Hey, [Framer], I’m sorry, but can you bring this order to the front of the store?”

Framer: *sighs dramatically* “Yeah, I can.” *softer* “Even though we’re closed, and have been for ten minutes.”

(I noticed that the same teen was waiting out at the front of our store, looking nervous and a little upset. I smiled empathetically at her, and she smiled a bit back. It took two people and the young teen to get the massive, heavy frame into the car. Later, my manager told us over the headset that she did it because the mother who called the store — after her daughter told her that we were closed — was so unreasonable that she felt sorry for the teen, who was absolutely polite about the matter. The kicker? The rude mother managed to drive through a pothole, causing the hubcap of one of her tires to fall off.)

(I work alone in a small cafe. We have two bathrooms, one for one man and one for one woman. There is a lock on the inside to insure privacy. A customer comes to the counter.)

Customer: “The bathroom door won’t open!”

Me: “Is it locked?”

Customer: “Locked? I’m never coming back to a place that has to lock the bathrooms!”

Me: “We don’t lock them. They lock from the inside.”

Customer: “Can you unlock it?”

Me: “No! Maybe someone is in there?”

Customer: “That is stupid. Why would someone lock the door? I’m never coming back!”

(Before I can respond, she goes out the door, saying:)

Customer: “They lock the bathrooms up!”

(I work at an ice-skating rink as a trainer, and I also help people who are having trouble free-skating. A girl comes in with her boyfriend, and it’s fairly obvious they’ve never skated before. They’re having a great time laughing and dancing, and even when they fall, they laugh it off and get up. I give them a few tips here and there, but I focus my work on some of the younger kids who are frightened. An hour or so later, as free-skate is ending, the girl approaches me.)

Girl: “Hi. I was just wondering if I could speak to your manager?”

Me: “Oh, of course! Let me go get him.”

Manager: “What can I do for you today?”

Girl: “I just wanted you to know that [My Name] was absolutely amazing! We had a great time, and she was always everywhere at once to help anyone who needed it. Without her, we wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun!”

Manager: “I’m glad to hear that! We don’t get many compliments in this line of work, but they really do help to gauge our performance. [My Name] is only a couple of good reviews away from a bonus!”

Girl: “So, is this one of those places that gives bonuses based on guest feedback?”

Manager: “Yes, it is!”

Girl: “And do you count the feedback based on groups or individuals?”

Manager: “Well, there’s no real way to tell if the people who have come in were part of a group or not, once you write the review down.”

(After a couple of minutes of thinking, the girl and her boyfriend each wrote a review, thanked us, and walked out. Later on that week, my manager got a call from her asking when I would be working next, and on that day she brought in nearly thirty people! My manager gave them a group discount, and they all had a great time. At the end, the girl made each and every one of them write a review for me. I ended up getting that bonus, and a promotion on top of it! If you read this, thank you so much for being so awesome!)

(I work at the customer service desk for a very large grocery and retail store. It has been a busy day full of customers, and it has finally slowed down. Then, I have a woman approach the customer service desk wanting to make a return.)

Customer: “I need to return this; it’s no good.”

Me: “Okay, may I see your receipt? Let’s have a look at the return.”

(I open up the bag with the return. It’s the remnants of a pound of individually-packaged cheese slices.)

Me: “All right… What seems to be the problem?”

Customer: “I can’t get any of it to melt; this cheese is non-meltable!”

(I work in an auto shop. The talk of the town at work is that one of the admins is going to see her boyfriend in person for the first time in months this weekend, and has been laboriously planning every little detail to make things perfect. Discussions lead to a small cluster of mechanics around her, offering their input — totally unsarcastically — about how she should get her nails done.)

Admin: “I want to do black and pink to match my outfit, but I’m having trouble deciding.”

Mechanic #1: “Maybe French tips?”

Admin: “That’s not really my style, though. I’m thinking all black and one pink nail, or all pink and one black. What finish? Do you think I should do matte or not matte?”

Mechanic #2: “I think you should get satin. Or eggshell.”

Mechanic #1: “All pink and one black nail, though. The other way around is too heavy; more pink is more fun!”

(It was definitely one of the more sweet, adorable moments you’ll see in an auto shop.)