(I’m looking after the self checkouts)
Customer: How do I pay by card?
Me: Just press the button that says cards.
(The customer’s finger hovers over the button for a second before moving)
Me: You just pressed cash…

I work on the Tier 2 Support Desk for a large medical company. This is a ticket that I have received (more than once) from our Tier 1 Support Desk

**** called and reported there is no network connection in his PC.
He doesn’t have Internet access. (the site doesn’t have internet acccess, never has)

Troubleshooting steps taken:
Ping PC … no reply(time out)
Asked him to unplug/in network cable ….the same
Asked him to restart PC …. The same

(I’m two months into my first retail job at a nation-wide chain. I’m a cashier. When I have to card someone for alcohol or cold medicine, the entire register locks up: I can’t move forward with the transaction until I’ve either entered their birth date, scanned their ID card, or taken the item back. Today, and older woman approaches my register. One of her last items is a bottle of wine, so I scan it and say, )

Me: Okay, so I’m going to need to see your ID.

Her: Excuse me?

Me: I have to see your ID. For the wine? (I think she didn’t hear me.)

Her: Is this a joke?

Me: Uh, no, ma’am.

Her: Do you want to know how old I am?

Me: Well–

Her: I’m SIXTY-SIX YEARS OLD.

She actually leans across the register towards me, she’s so mad. I lean away.

Her: I could be somebody’s grandmother!

Me: Ma’am, I have to put your birthdate into the machine. Look, the register won’t let me do anything else until I do.

Her: This is rediculous!

Me: I’m sorry.

Her: No, this is a real joke!

(She shoves her ID towards me; thinking it would be faster, I scan it into the machine rather than typing it.)

Her: NO! No, no, no, I did NOT WANT MY DATA COLLECTED!

Me: I’m sorry, I–thought it would be faster–

Her: Take it out!

Me: I can’t unscan your ID…

Her: Just take it out! I don’t want my data collected!

(I void the wine entirely, and instantly know that was a mistake.)

Me: Okay, so you just won’t get the wine then, your total is–

Her: I want the wine! I just don’t want to have to show my ID when I could be somebody’s grandmother!

Me: … okay, then I’m going to need to see your ID again.

Her: I’m NEVER shopping at [store name] again!

Me: Okay, have a nice day.

I work in a grocery store, but we have limited time non-grocery items available all year round. Currently, we have Frozen and Star Wars themed children’s items. Just as I was walking to the back of the store to stock the meat, a customer with a slight accent comes up to me:

Customer: Hello, I’ve been looking for your Frozen pellows and tents. I can’t find them anywhere.

Me: Pellows?

Customer: Yes, the Frozen pellows and tents. They were in your ad for this week.

I start walking to the back with the customer, going toward the freezer. I don’t know why it didn’t click with me that she wasn’t talking about a food item, but when I heard “Frozen” I automatically assumed what she needed was in the frozen section of the store.

Me: Is…is it a produce item? I’m sorry I don’t really know what you’re talking about.

Customer: The pellows! The Frozen pellows and tents!

As we neared the non-grocery section of the store, I see all the Frozen themed items and it dawned on me that she was saying “pillows.”

Me: Oh! I’m so sorry, I know what you’re talking about. Let me go check in the back to see if we have any of the Frozen ones.

I checked in the back, and we had the tents, but no more pillows.

Me: So we do have the tents but it looks like we’re out of all of our pillows.

Customer: But I need pellows! What am I going to do with a tent but no pellows!?

Me: I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re out of the pillows.

She finally took two of the Frozen tents and walked away muttering “what am I supposed to do with no pillows?”

(I’m part of a team that answers the phones for all of the locations in the company and directs the calls to the appropriate people.)

Me: *answers the phone with my usual greeting* How may I help you?

Caller: I need to talk to [name]!

Me: Okay, certainly. Just one moment and I’ll get you over to him. (Note that the particular person this guy wanted is one of our cold-call transfers, meaning that we just put the callers directly through the line without paging the person first.)

Caller: And I better not get his voicemail again! I just called and got it and I won’t talk to a machine! *the caller is getting more irate with every word*

Me: Uh, I’m sorry about that sir. I can try calling him myself to see if he’s in. (While we normally don’t do that, I’m trying to deescalate the situation.)

Caller: You do that, sweetheart!

Me: *I bristle at being called ‘sweetheart’ but try to get the requested person; I get his voicemail, however, so switch back to the caller* I’m sorry, sir. I’m getting his voicemail also. It is the lunch hour, so he may not be at his desk. If it’s urgent I can see if someone–

Caller: You’d better get someone on the phone for me!! I need to talk to someone right now and I won’t talk to a DAMNED MACHINE!!

Me: Just one moment, sir, and I’ll see if I can get someone for you. *I put him on hold and take a deep breath before I start trying everyone in the department the caller needs. No one is answering, until I get the new woman in the department* I am really sorry, [new woman]. I’ve got a guy on the line wanting to talk to [name] and he’s really angry because he got his voicemail and wants to talk to someone right this moment. He won’t tell me what he needs so urgently, though.

New Woman: *I can practically hear her rolling her eyes* That’s fine, put him through. I’ll deal with him.

Me: Thanks. You’re a saint. *I transfer the guy over and breath a sigh of relief*

Coworker: All that over getting someone’s voicemail? During the lunch hour? Jeez. I heard him yelling all the way over here.

Me: Yep. I sure love the things people choose to get mad over.