(I am on the way to work when I stop off at our new, large shopping centre. There are a few free-standing stalls around and as I walk past one, I notice a young man struggling to carry far too many flat cardboard boxes at once. Unsurprisingly, he drops them and proceeds to try pick them all up again to no avail. And no one bothers to help him. I proceed to help him pick them all up when this exchange happens.)

Young Man: “Thank you very much; I couldn’t do this by myself.”

Me: “You’re welcome; I’m afraid I’m going to have to get off to work now, but please take care and don’t overwork yourself.”

(I then begin to hurry off as I am worried about being late. The next thing I know, I hear yelling behind me, and I turn around to find a young girl running up to me.)

Young Girl: “Here! For helping my colleague!”

(She handed me a free bubble tea passion fruit drink, and a little voucher card completely stamped full so I could get another free drink next time I went to their stall. Just shows that a little kindness can go a long way!)

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(I’ve been pinching pennies for months. My house in a town three hours away has been listed for sale for five months and I’m living in a tiny rental room near my new job, so I’m paying for my house, taxes, bills, plus a rental, and finances are tight. I found out a few days before that my transmission needs to be fixed for $2700 or replaced for $3500. This bill will cripple my finances at this time. I am at a dealership service department.)

Me: “I’m here to drop off my car for an inspection; I’m really really hoping it’s covered under warranty. Can you call me if the bill is going to go over $100?”

Serviceman: “Yes, we sure can. If the repair turns out to be under warranty then the inspection is covered, too. If not then the inspection fee is less than $100 for sure.”

(Six hours later…)

Serviceman: “Hi there, has your car had any work on it in the past on the transmission?”

Me: “Yes, there was a fix to the axle or something in January. I’m sorry; I don’t remember all the details anymore, though.”

Serviceman: “Did you pay for that work? Where did you get it done?”

Me: “In [Other Auto Repair Shop].”

Serviceman: “Well, they used the wrong part and that fix would have been covered under your warranty, so I’m going to cover this whole mess under your warranty so it won’t cost you anything else.”

(He couldn’t have been nicer about it! I’ll be taking them some freshly-baked treats when I get my car back later this week!)

(My boyfriend, best friend, and I have been at the mall hanging out as we don’t get to very often between school, distance, and work. We enter a well-known department store just to browse, and though we are being goofy, we are by no means destructive — always replacing merchandise we move and re-hanging things we knock over.)

Employee: *coming up behind us as we look through the electronics* “If you all aren’t going to buy anything, then you need to leave, and since you don’t look like you’re going to buy anything you need to leave.”

Best Friend: “What?”

Boyfriend: “What did we do wrong? Are we not allowed to browse your store?”

Employee: “You all just need to leave. And you’d better be careful what you do on the cameras.” *indicates my boyfriend* “Especially you.”

(Although angry and upset at the situation, we decide to leave and she follows us to the door. My boyfriend is especially upset.)

Boyfriend: “Are we not allowed to browse your store?”

Employee: “You teenagers can find something better to do than [Department Store].”

(As I have never been kicked out of a store before, I am very upset and we decide to just go to the grocery store for ice cream. The kicker? We’re all seniors in college and were genuinely planning to buy something.)

(I have just finished a short consultation with an employee, right next to the door to what I assume is the back area. I am wearing a T-shirt with a stylized praying mantis on it, and the mantis looks vaguely like it is about to hug someone and then eat their face.)

Employee #1: “…so I’d definitely recommend this or this food for your fish.”

Employee #2: *walks out of back area and sees me* “Dude, your shirt is scary.”

Employee #1: *shooing motion* “Dude! Be polite to the customers!”

Me: “Sure is! Thanks!”

(I work at a well-known craft and hobby chain. It’s been a busy week at our branch, and the district manager is visiting to see how the store manager is handling things. I’m busy checking some counts while the district manager talks to the store manager over in my department. I’m fresh out of college, I’ve only worked at this job for two months, and I’ve never been in charge of an entire department before this. I’m responsible for making sure everything is stocked, organized, and in the right place. I’m already a little bit nervous when the district manager (a physically-imposing 50-something man) calls me over by name.)

Me: “Yes, that’s me.”

District Manager: “I understand this is your department now?”

Me: “It is. I’ve had it for about a month.”

District Manager: “Hmm. Well, I’m going to ask you a question about it, okay? And we’ll see whether you know the answer.”

Me: “Okay…”

District Manager: “Follow me.”

(He leads me down one of the aisles and points.)

District Manager: *sternly* “What’s going on with this right here?”

(I look where he’s pointing, and it’s an empty hook that previously held some items that were on clearance. I can’t see anything wrong with it, but I freeze up anyway and look back at him for clarification, only to see him cracking up.)

Me: “It’s—”

District Manager: “It’s okay! I just wanted to mess with you! I just wanted to say what a good job you’re doing. I was telling your boss it looks great over here.”

Me: “Thank you…?”

District Manager: “I want you to feel comfortable with me, okay? That’s why I do that.”

Me: “…”

(Because giving the new kid a heart attack during a high-stress week is a GREAT way to make her feel comfortable with you. Good going, dude.)