I’m working the Express lane one night when a group of customers come through my line. The girl sets down a case of water on my register.
Customer “This water is only 80 cents. It says it right on that sign over there. You have to give it to me for 80 cents.”
Me “I have to call my manager over to check it. It’ll just be a moment.”
The CSM comes over and I explain to her what the customer has just told me. The pallet was near the entrance of the store, near where I was stationed so she walked right over to look at it. In the meantime, the customer starts making comments about how it’s our mistake so we have to sell it for her and that the customer is always right.
The CSM comes back over, and radios the other CSM to tell him what’s going on. He told her that they were having the same problem with another customer and told her to go ahead and approve that one for them.
CSM “Okay, so I can give this to you for the 80 cents this one time. Someone’s going to be coming over to fix that sign right away.”
While she overrides the price, 2 of the people in the group go over and pick out two more cases of water and brings them back over. They look at her and tell her that they’re going to buy those for 80 cents as well.
CSM “I’m sorry, but I’m only authorized to sell you the one case for 80 cents.”
Another person in the group “Just take it to another register and buy it.”
CSM “I’m running all of these registers tonight.”
After she walks away, I finish cashing out the original girl and her friends just stand there with the water looking at me.
Customers “So, you’re not going to sell them to us for the 80 cents?”
Me “She just told you I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
They pick up the waters and walk away cussing and saying that it’s our mistake so we were supposed to give it to them.
About 4 minutes later, I finish ringing out everyone in the group and one of the girls from earlier comes over to help him grab his stuff. I apologized for the water again and she looks at me and goes “You should have just sold us the water!” and walked away.

(I work in a high end grocery store. I’m usually in the back room. We use speakers to communicate with other coworkers.)

Coworker: *over speaker* Someone from produce to the front for customer assistance.

(I walk to the front and see a man who is talking to himself about how horrible the customer service is here. My coworker tells me this is the man who needs help.)

Man: Yes I’m looking for [product]. Someone told me it would be yesterday and it wasn’t. Then someone told me it would be here by 12 today. It’s 3:00 so it should be here but I don’t see it on the shelf.

Me: Well let’s go look for it!

(We go over to the shelf to look for the product and I figure out what he’s looking for. It’s not on the shelf which means it’s most likely not in the back room, but I always offer to check. Low and behold it’s not in the back room. I ask my manager what to to because this customer has been pretty irrate already and he said just explain the situation and offer to get the customers info and call him when the product arrives.)

Me: Well it looks like [product] wasn’t shipped. It’s most likely because the supplier was out. So–

Man: *cutting me off* Well I think it’s because you’re too incompetent to order it! *storms off*

Me: *speechless*

Me: Well I guess you don’t want me to call you when it gets here…

(It’s Sunday at a rather large mall that closes at 6pm every Sunday. The power had gone out at around 5:30pm and all of our employees were standing at the front of the store since we could not close the gate due to the power outage. The store is completely dark behind us. Most customers have left the mall but some were still walking around.)
Customer: Hey can i just run in and grab one thing really quick? I’ll be done before 6!
Me: Unfortunately, we don’t have a way to ring anything out right now.
Customer: I’ll be really quick I promise.
Me: The entire Mall doesn’t have power, we don’t have a way to ring you out.
Customer: FINE! (storms off angrily)

(I work at a popular bakery-cafe chain. On Sundays, we close at 8:00.)
(At 7:15, an elderly couple walks in and orders coffees and pastries. They are very polite.)
Wife: You ran out of half & half, but since it’s so close to closing time, could you fill a cup of it? I wouldn’t want you to waste it by filling up the pitcher again.
Coworker: Oh, thank you for letting me know! I’ll do that for you. *fills cup*
Customer: *pours her coffee, adds half & half* Could you please refill the cup? That way I don’t have to bother you again when I go for my second cup of coffee.
(Our coffee is self serve with free refills)
Later, after closing time. My coworker has just finished going around the restaurant making sure no one else is there.
I hear someone sigh loudly from behind me.
Wife: You should have warned me! You knew I was coming back for more coffee!
Coworker: Ma’am, I just checked the restaurant for customers. I didn’t see you.
Wife: Well, you didn’t look! Now make me coffee!
Me: We can’t do that now.
Wife: Sure you can! Just go in the back and pour me a cup!
Me: We make our coffee by the pot. I cannot brew an entire pot just to pour you a cup. It would be a waste.
Wife: You’re lying! You have a Keurig!
Me: *speechless*
Coworker #2: Ma’am, I don’t know where you got the idea that we have a Keurig, but we don’t. We can only brew a full pot.
Wife: Just pour the rest down the drain.
Coworker #1: We CANNOT make coffee now. Please leave.
Wife: *huffs and puffs the entire way out the door* THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Husband: *mouths “I’m sorry”before slowly following*
Coworker #2: That was the most passive aggressive thank you I have ever received…

(I was a barista at a major coffee chain, working the bar at a somewhat slow period- we had a lot of people in the cafe but very few in line. I was making drinks at the espresso bar while chatting with a regular customer when some lady shoves herself in between us and starts yelling. For the record, she’d made no previous attempt to get anyone’s attention, simply stood up from her table and barged over.)

Angry lady: “I order a CHOCOLATE cookie!” *shoves pastry bag in my face*

I look in the bag and it is indeed a solid chocolate cookie.

Me: *confused but polite* “…. this is a chocolate cookie.”

Angry lady: “No this is NOT what I ordered! *continues to rant about how incompetent our staff is*

It took me a minute but I’m pretty used to dealing with customers who don’t make any sense at this point.

Me: “OHHH you want the chocolate chip cookie!”

Angry lady: “YES and I want it NOW. This is ridiculous! I’ve already waited too long for anyone’s help!”

Five years working with people like this and I know exactly how to deal with them- be polite, give them what they want but take as loooong as humanly possible without looking like you’re dragging your feet.

Me: “Well I’m happy to help you with that. I’m making a drink right now but I’ll have someone else get your cookie for you.” *finishes drink I’m making and waits for the cashier to ring up the couple customers in line* “Hey, [coworker]! Can I get a chocolate chip cookie please?”

Coworker: “Sure, did you want that heated?”

Me: *MEGA POLITE* “Ma’am, did you want your cookie heated?”

Angry lady: *about to pass out from the amount of blood rushing to her head* “NO!!!”

I hand her her cookie. She storms off. I smile triumphantly.

Regular customer: “WOOOW, what a b****!”