(I am a female customer service rep for a distributor. For most of the products we sell, we don’t list brand names on our website. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main reasons is that for the overwhelming majority of our customers, a screw is a screw or tubing is tubing, and there’s no brand loyalty involved. With a few exceptions, like power tools, you also can’t search by a manufacturer’s name or brand on our website, but customer service reps can find those internally if someone really wants something from XYZ brand.)

Caller: I’m looking for (name brand coolant), the model I got from their website is (part number).

Me: Sure, bear with me a moment. (I get a match in our internal system). We have that in gallons, individually for (price) or a 6 pack for (price).

Caller: Okay, thanks. I’ll place the order online.

Me: Did you want our part number for that, so you can find it later?

Caller: Nah, you’re a girl, and if you could find it, I’m sure a guy like me will have no problem pulling it up. (hangs up)

(I suppose I’ll never know, but I’m going to guess a different rep got a call 10 min later asking to find that same product again…)

(At age 16 and after having taken driver’s ed and done all my hours behind the wheel, my dad takes me to the RMV to take my driving test. The examiner is a very tall muscular female police officer, at least four inches taller than my dad, making her at least 6 feet tall and very intimidating to wimpy little me. She examines my learner’s permit before we get in the car.)

Examiner: [My Last Name]? Are you related to Mike [My Last Name]?
Me: I don’t know which one he is, but I know he must be one of my cousins.
(My grandfather and his siblings made up a new last name when they started school, so we’re all related and there are a LOT of us.)
Examiner: *glares* I don’t LIKE Mike [My Last Name].
Me: *whimpers*

(She glared at me the whole test, except when she was glaring at my dad, but I managed to pass anyway. I still have no idea what my cousin did, but when I met him at a family reunion a year or so later, he was definitely not one of the brighter bulbs on the chandelier so I can only imagine!)

The customer during COVID lockdown who called and called and harassed us to hurry up and get a tech out to extend his gas line to his deck so he could BBQ.

Obviously NOT an emergency, but once things started to open up we finally were able to go out and do it for him.

The very next day he proceeded to sheer off the gas connection with a shovel, and the gas company had to do an emergency shut off of gas to his house till we could go back and fix it.

I’m at a store in the parking lot. I see a pregnant woman struggling with two full carts, one full of food, the other one is full of baby stuff. I decide to ask if I can help her.

Me: Excuse me, ma’am, do you need help?”

Pregnant woman : (looks relieved) Yes, thank you! My husband stayed in the car!

I help her load her things into her car, and then a man comes out of the driver’s seat, looking furious.

Man: Were you just talkign to my wife?

Me: I was, indeed. She needed help.

Man: She didn’t need any help! She’s just fat and lazy!

Woman: SHUT UP! I’ve had enough from you! This “fat” is your baby, which you have done nothing to help or support, and I went through Walmart with two carts full of stuff for you and the baby! No one asked if they could help except for this man here! I’m done with you! Sir, can I have your number?

I happily gave her my number and glared at her husband. A few days later, I got a call from her, saying she’d filed for divorce and wanted to take me out to dinner. I accepted, and now we’re good friends, and I introduced her to a couple of my single friends!

While at self-checkout I hear an error message I’ve never heard before but can’t make out from background noise. The clerk quickly comes over.

Clerk: Oh, you got the water. *hits some keys* there you go.
Me: What was the issue?
Clerk: The product code is for a 6-pack, the store also sells them as single bottles, but hasn’t added it to the product list. So the machine throws an error and we put it in manually.
Me: But this is even one of the prizes in your yearly sweepstakes. You must be punching that in all the time!
Clerk: *sighs* yep. Have a nice day.