(I manage a small video rental chain that is open 365 days a year, including Christmas.)
Customer: “I can’t believe you’re open on Christmas. Who rents movies on Christmas?”
Me: “You’re here…”
Customer: “But I’m renting video games. That’s different!”
This story is included in our Videogame Store roundup.
(I work at a movie rental store. Sometimes we have deaf customers. I know some conversational ASL and can usually communicate with the deaf community just fine. A woman and her daughter walk up with a note and place it on the counter and point to it repeatedly.)
Note: “We’re looking for two movies that came out last Tuesday.”
Me: *in ASL* “Hello, yes, what movies?”
Customer: *to daughter* “Why does he think I’m deaf?”
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry! Usually, our deaf customers write notes to us.”
Customer: “That’s ridiculous! How dare you just assume I’m disabled! It’s ridiculous!”
Me: “I’m terribly sorry. May I ask why you gave me a note instead of asking me verbally?”
Customer: “You’re Asian! How was I supposed to know you knew my language?!”
(My boyfriend and I are at a local video rental store when we overhear a conversation between a couple about what movies to rent.)
Husband: “What about this movie? I heard it was a good movie.” *points to ‘Twilight New Moon’*
Wife: “We’re not renting that.”
Husband: “But we each get to pick one movie.”
Wife: “We’re not renting that! It’s for teenage girls.”
Husband: “We each get a movie. That’s the movie I want.”
Wife: “That movie is for teenage girls. I will not watch that movie! If you rent it, you will be watching it alone. I am not going to watch that!”
Husband: “It’s supposed to be good. I should be able to pick what I want since we each get a movie.”
Wife: “Fine. I’m going to tell everyone you work with that you watch movies for teenage girls!”
(He didn’t get the movie.)
(I work at a video rental store that carries some adult movies in a side/back room. I am busy sorting our dropbox of movies when an older gentleman approaches my male coworker.)
Customer: “These [adult] movies didn’t work.”
Me: “I’m sorry. Did you want to grab a couple others to replace them?”
Customer: “No, you do it for me. These didn’t work.”
(I check the computer system for replacement copies.)
Me: “Well, these are the only copies of these movies, but you can go get two others for free today.”
Customer: “You go find two for me. I want ones that work. You go pick them out.”
Me: “You want me to go get you two replacements?”
Customer: “Yes, you.”
(I go into the back room and chooses two movies for the customer. I then clean the new movies and check out the customer.)
Me, to coworker: *after the customer leaves* “Please tell me you heard what he had me do.”
Coworker: “Did you just go pick out p*rn for him?”
Me: “Yeah. How weird.”
Coworker: *laughing* “I’d just grab the first two I found.”
Me: “I couldn’t! I had to find ones that were a similar theme.”
Coworker: “Awkward.”
Me: “Totally.”
(I am working the counter when a confused-looking customer approaches me.)
Customer: “Do you have any horror movies?”
Me: “Yes, the horror section is over there, past action.”
Customer: “No, no! I mean horror movies.”
Me: “Right, horror movies. Like, scary movies, right?”
Customer: *growing agitated* “No! I mean horror movies!”
(He keeps giving the word slightly suggestive emphasis, so I start to wonder if he’s trying to say something else. He keeps carefully enunciating the whole word, including the last syllable.)
Me: “You are saying ‘horr-OR’ movies, right? Like The Exorcist, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street?”
Customer: “No! Horror movies. You know, adult movies!”
