When I used to work at Blockbuster, I noticed a little girl, toddler age, clearly stealing every type of candy that we had. She had stuffed fourteen things down her pants by the time she and her mother walked up to me with the movie to check out. 

The kid’s pants are literally SAGGING. The manager walks up and points at the kid:

Manager: “Umm…?”

The mom just shrugged, like this was normal.

Manager: “You’re kidding, right? She has to take them out.”

Mom: “They’re all melted and inside her pants now. You can’t sell them, that would be gross, so she might as well have them.”

Manager: “Thanks for admitting that they’re not in a sellable state, thanks to the actions of your child, that you were more than aware of, it seems. You break it, you bought it.”

Mom: *Suddenly changing tack.* “No, no, they’re fine!” *To her toddler.* “Sweetie, put them all back where you found them, yeah? It was a fun game, but it’s over now, yeah? Put them back?”

The toddler just burbles along incoherently. My manager remains standing there, obviously not willing to let the mom leave without paying for them.

Eventually, the customer allowed me to ring her out, all the candy included, while she stood there steaming. My manager has even stepped in to help bag.

Manager: *As he hands the bag to the customer after she’s paid.* “Mmmm, toddler melted whoppers. Enjoy!”

Back when Blockbuster existed, and I worked there:

Customer: “I wanna watch that Salu movie. What is it about?”

Me: “Sorry, sir, did you say Salu?”

Customer: “Yeah. What is it about?”

Me: “Can you spell that for me?”

Customer: “S-A-L-U.”

Me: “Is that a foreign film?”

Customer: “I don’t think so?”

Me: “Did you see it here?”

Customer: “Oh. It’s on the new releases wall; it’s got a severed foot on it.” 

It was Saw. The way the font looks it kind of looks like SALU, but I mean, it had a saw and severed foot on it…

I worked at the BIG movie rental store. Before they got rid of late fines, it was my job to call customers and tell them about late movies. I had an account with one of the big, really popular older Disney movies (think like Cinderella) checked out.

I called the customer, and he claimed:

Customer: “I don’t have any kids, so why would I rent that?”

I called every few days and kept getting the same thing. Then the guy started threatening to have me and my boss [Store Manager] fired for harassment and even arrested. So we stopped calling for a bit.

I called him back a few weeks later to remind him that the movie was still on the account. He said, and I quote:

Customer: “My daughter checked the movie out. She took it to school, but she’s on spring break. I’ll return it on Monday when she goes back to school.”

Me: “Thanks.”

Come Monday, he returned the movie. Of course, his fine was HUGE.

Customer: “Can you do anything about the fine?”

Me: “That decision is up to the manager.”

Our store manager was awesome. His usual response was to cut the fine in half. Don’t want to lose a customer, but don’t want them to think they can keep stuff forever with no consequences. We just wanted the movie back. Also, the Disney movies back then couldn’t be easily replaced because they were only available at certain times (they got put in a vault for years at a time).

He happened to be in the store at that time, and I went to get him. He came out and said:

Store Manager: “Usually, I would help you, but since you tried to get me and my best employee fired and arrested because you were LYING, I’m not going to do anything.”

And he walked away. The customer paid the fine. When the store manager went back to the office, he called his boss, the District Manager, and let him know what had happened.

The customer called the District Manager the next day to complain. The District Manager’s response was:

District Manager: “Not sure what you want from me. I wouldn’t have been that nice.”

The customer ended up being one of our regular customers. His family of five (yes, he had three kids) was in the store all the time.

I had a terribly uptight, power-hungry manager who refused to listen and hated me for standing up to her. She wrote me up because she didn’t realize you could reverse an order in the system, she wrote me up for a mistake another manager made, and she wrote me up for not coming to a 9 AM meeting after closing until 2 AM the night before, meaning that attendance was illegal for kids my age in my state at that time.

In the final year of high school, I put in my two-week notice that my last day of work would be December 15^th. I didn’t want to handle the Christmas rush; I wanted to see my friends on New Year’s Eve, and it was a terrible job.

On December 15^th, I go to drop off my uniform shirt and pick up my last paycheck. On my way out of the office area, I notice the schedule: my name is scheduled to work eight to ten hours a day for most of the Christmas break. The whole week preceding Christmas. Christmas Eve until 2 AM. Christmas Day. The intervening week. New Year’s Eve until 2 AM, and New Year’s Day.

The following conversation ensued:

Me: “Hey, [Manager], you know I’m not working here anymore, right?”

Manager: “If your name is on the schedule, you have to work, you know that.”

Me: “I don’t work here anymore.”

Manager: “Your name wasn’t in the holiday time off folder, so you got put on the schedule. Next time, request off earlier.”

Me: “I don’t work here anymore.”

Manager: “If you’re going to walk out on your shift, you’re REQUIRED to find someone to cover for you.”

At this point, a customer is eavesdropping while pretending to browse the “recently returned but not yet shelved” cart of movies. I address him.

Me: “Excuse me! Sir? Are you available to cover my shift on Christmas Eve?”

Manager: “He doesn’t work here!”

Me: “NEITHER DO I!”

I wish I could say I threw my uniform shirt at her, and everyone clapped, but she followed me to my car, berating me.

She then called my parents on Christmas Eve and told my mother she failed to raise a worthwhile child, and I had to file formal complaints. 

After that, she was put on leave, and the assistant manager had to cover New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, with all the drama about the general manager being too stupid to know that I had already quit, there was nobody else scheduled to work on New Year’s Eve.

Former Blockbuster employee here (yeah, that just aged me!). I worked in a pretty dangerous neighborhood, but even then, nothing like this had ever happened before, or ever did again…

There was a woman who not only absolutely refused to pay her late fees (which were legitimate), but she became so enraged that she threw her stack of tapes at me, hitting me in the face. She then marched around the store and knocked every cassette, DVD, and coverbox that she could reach off of the shelves (some with her hands, some by swinging her purse), while shouting obscenities.

My manager got on the phone and called the police. When Angry Lady finished trashing the store, she demanded to know of us both:

Angry Lady: “Which cars out there are yours?!”

When we refused to say, she spit at us and knocked all of the candy/shelf talkers/etc. off the counters, and began stomping on them.

I don’t know if it was divine intervention, or luck, or what, but as Ms. Angry Lady was spitting and stomping on the candy, another woman walked into the store. This woman just happened to be my next-door neighbor… and a police officer.

Officer Neighbor approached Ms. Angry Lady and identified herself as a police officer.

Officer Neighbor: “I’m a police officer. What’s the problem here?”

Angry Lady: “OH YEAH?! WHERE’S YOUR F****** BADGE, B****?!”

She swung her purse at Officer Neighbor, then attempted to flee. Officer Neighbor grabbed Angry Lady before she could reach the door, and a scuffle ensued. In a blink, Officer Neighbor kicked Angry Lady’s legs out from under her, and she went down like a sack of bricks. While she held Angry Lady down:

Officer Neighbor Lady: “Go grab my purse!”

I did so, and out of which she pulled a pair of handcuffs. As the cuffs locked around her wrists, it was then that Angry Lady finally realized what trouble she was in. She began to sob and wail loudly.

Angry Lady: “I’ll make nice! I’ll pay the fee! Please let me go!”

Two uniformed officers eventually arrived and hauled Angry Lady away, screaming and crying like a lunatic.

Oh, and the late fee she owed? $12.