(My sister is partly deaf, so she speaks. She doesn’t know any sign language. We are at a teenage retail store in the mall shopping for her best friend’s party. A saleslady approaches us. There is another customer nearby.)

Saleslady: “Hi, welcome to [Store]. Are you finding everything all right?”

Sister: “Sorry, I have some hearing loss. What was that?”

Customer: *starts signing*

Sister: “Oh, I don’t know sign language. Sorry.”

Saleslady: “What? You don’t sign?”

Me: “Yeah, we didn’t know about her hearing until later.”

Saleslady: “What? Isn’t that a requirement? How can you be deaf and not sign? They need to make you sign.”

Customer: “Sweet Jesus. I thought only patrons did this. Now I know that the employee is not always right either.”

(I’m a university student struggling through my busiest day of the week on little sleep when I decide to get some lunch. I stop at a cafe on campus, planning on getting some soup since it’s cold outside.)

Cafe Worker: “I’m afraid we’re out of soup today.”

Me: “Oh, um, I guess I’ll have [sandwich], then.”

(I go to pay and realize I don’t have very much money on me, which adds to my already growing stress levels.)

Me: *exhausted and near tears* “I’m so sorry; I was only planning on getting soup so I’m short money for the sandwich. I can run back to my dorm; I think I have time.”

Cafe Worker: *shakes head and smiles* “So that’s one small soup. Your total is [total]. Have a great day.”

(I’ve since graduated but I haven’t forgotten the small act of kindness that helped an exhausted and very stressed out student get through the rest of that day.)

(I answer my mobile phone.)

Caller: “Hello, I’m [Caller] from [Not my Mobile Phone Provider].”

Me: *guessing what she wants to sell me* “Hello! But I don’t think we have anything to discuss, as I don’t have a mobile phone.”

Caller: “You… don’t have… a mobile phone?”

Me: *understanding what I said* “Well, yes, I mean I do have a mobile phone, but it is paid for by the company I work for so I have no say in which provider I use.”

Caller: “Ah! Then, indeed, we have nothing to discuss. Have a nice day!”

(I have been shopping in a store I used to work in several years back. I’m at the checkout with a cashier who is new according to their name badge.)

Cashier: “Oh, no. It isn’t working. Nothing is working!”

Me: “Maybe get a manager down to look at it?”

Cashier: “NO! Why do you want a manager? I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Me: “I know that. But a manager will know what to do and can restart it if need be.”

Cashier: “But it won’t work. It just won’t work!”

(The guy starts shaking and ends up on the floor rocking back and forward. The other cashiers are staring, not knowing what to do.)

Me: “Get a manager down, and you — call for an ambulance. I think he’s—”

Cashier: “NO! How could you do this! You don’t know what it’s like! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

(At this point the guy is shouting at the top of his lungs and isn’t taking breaths anymore. He finally collapses as manager arrives to see what all the shouting is for. A customer ended up calling an ambulance because the staff had no idea what to do. After he’s taken away the manager takes my purchases and apologises.)

Manager: “Sorry about that, [My Name]. He’s pulled that trick three times over the past month. He’ll be let go if he’s not careful.”

Me: “Trick? He just had a full on panic attack. Do you have idea what those are like? You need to put him somewhere less stressful.”

Manager: *grinning* “A psychiatric ward?”

(I gave him the coldest stare I could muster and walked out before finishing my purchase. I tried finding out where they guy was to tell him not to bother going back if it’s that stressful for him, but I eventually gave up. I heard a couple weeks later, from a friend who still works there, that he was indeed let go after another incident on the checkout. Mental health is something serious, and I’m sorry that poor guy had to work in such a poisonous environment. The management are awful there, but even that surprised me to hear a manager joking about the mental health of a worker he has a duty of care to.)

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(I answer phones for a mobile boat repair service. Business is going so well we add a second line. Apparently the person who owned the line before us, I will call him Mr. Williams, never paid his bills and we are getting collection calls for him continually. Usually the collection companies are understanding and stop calling… except one.)

Me: “Hello, how may I help you?”

Caller: “Yes, I am looking for Mr. Williams.”

Me: “Sir, I recognize your voice. I have told you three times every day for at least three weeks, there is no one employed by that name here and I do not know anyone by that name. Please stop calling us.”

Caller: “Listen, we just want to talk to him. Let him know we called.”

Me: “I can’t give someone I don’t know your message.”

(This goes on for over a month. Finally, I change tactics.)

Caller: “Hello, may I speak to Mr. Williams?”

Me: “There is no one here by that name.”

Caller: “Can I leave a message for him?”

Me: “Sure, if I can leave a message for Shirley.”

Caller: “Who is Shirley?”

Me: “Well, I figure if you want me to take messages for someone I don’t know then you can take messages for someone you don’t know.”

Caller: “I don’t—”

Me: *interrupting* “—tell that tramp that she better stay away from my man and—”

(Caller hung up. Every time he called and started asking for Mr. Williams I started in on some weird message for a random person . Every time he tried to say something I started with another message for someone. He finally got the message and stopped calling after only three days of this.)