(I and some friends arrive at a beach restaurant. It’s nothing fancy, but actually very modest. A server approaches and starts taking the order for our drinks.)

Me: “Hi. I’ll have a lemonade?”

Server: “We don’t have any lemonade.”

(I am really shocked, because lemonade is one of the most popular drinks probably on Earth.)

Me: “Okay… then… can I have a glass of water?”

Server: “Sure.”

Me: “And some lemons?”

Server: “Sure, I’ll bring some.”

Me: “And do you, by any chance have a little bit of sugar?”

Server: “I can bring you packets or cubes!”

Me: “Whichever you have is fine!”

(I am at the airport, looking to go to a nearby hotel. I was told that there is a complementary shuttle that takes you there but I cannot find it. I am exhausted and decide to take a taxi so I can finally go to bed. I go to the taxi line and get in the next available taxi.)

Driver: “Where to?”

Me: “[Hotel], please.”

Driver:  “Why aren’t you taking the provided shuttle?! It’s so close! You’re making me lose a good fare!”

(He is very rude the whole trip, but I say nothing. Once we arrive at the destination, he aggressively tells me the small amount I owe him. I finally decide to speak up:)

Me: “I realise that you were disappointed when I told you my destination and that after dropping me, you are right back at the queue. If you had not right away attacked me when I told you where I was going, I would have told you however that I was planning to compensate you accordingly. You see, I am on a business trip for [very large IT company]. I have a daily budget that I can use however I wish to cover my travel expenses. Any money not used is considered as bonus for me. I was planning to use the money I had left as a tip that would have easily compensated the amount you would have made for a longer fare, plus giving you the benefit of a short trip back to the station. Now guess what? You’re not getting a penny more than what I owe you for the trip. You have only your terrible service and poor manners to blame for that.”

(The driver turned an angry red, took out my luggage, and drove off without saying a word.)

(I work at a distributor’s warehouse as a pick/pack/ship foreman. Early in the morning, the boss is patrolling the floor and sees a packer just standing at his queue.)

Boss: “Everything okay? You don’t appear to have packed anything yet.”

Packer: “It’s fine.” *adds a book to the box* “I’m just taking a breather.”

Boss: “Fine, just make sure your queue doesn’t get backed up. These shipments need to go out today.”

(My boss walks off to take care of other matters and returns about an hour later. The packer is again just standing at his queue, which now has several more orders.)

Boss: “What are you doing? This is the same order you had when I was here last time.” *looks in the box* “You haven’t even added anything since I left. Get to work!”

(The packer begins to pack items. [Boss] goes to take care of other matters again and returns about another hour later. The packer is again just standing around. The queue is completely backed up. The same order is in front of him, partially packed.)

Boss: “Do you have a problem?”

Packer: “No.”

Boss: “I need workers, not slackers. Look, you have a choice. You can either do your job, or you can go home. At this point, I don’t care which.”

Packer: “Fine, I’m going home.”

(The packer leaves. [Boss] goes to his office and fills out a termination form for the packer. The next day, the packer comes into the warehouse and the boss stops him at the door.)

Boss: “What are you doing here?”

Packer: “I’m going to work.”

Boss: “No, you’re not. You quit yesterday.”

Packer: “No, I didn’t. You said I could go home.”

Boss: “You quit when you left the job site. Go home.”

(The boss shuts the door in his face and walks away. Later, an employee approaches the boss.)

Employee: “Do you know what’s wrong with [Packer]? He’s just standing by the door with his mouth gaping.”

Boss: “I’ll take care of it.” *to the packer* “You have five minutes to leave before I call security on you for trespassing.”

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(After walking back and forth along the mall length thrice, Mom and I decide to grab dinner at the food court. We go to a restaurant known for its chicken. She gets a chicken salad sandwich and I get the restaurant’s deluxe sandwich with colby jack cheese. I take a bite and immediately notice something’s wrong when I taste something spicy.)

Me: *opening the sandwich* “What the heck? I said colby jack not pepper jack!” *to Mom* “Be right back. Let me swap this real quick.”

(I go up to the counter with the sandwich and the receipt that says next to my order “CJ,” meaning colby jack, proving that’s what I initially ordered. I end up with a different cashier than the one who took my order, as she was free first.)

Cashier: “Can I help you?”

Me: “Yes.” *shows her the sandwich and receipt* “I ordered this with colby jack cheese but got pepper jack instead. Could I please exchange this for a new one?”

Cashier: “Oh, absolutely! I’m sorry for the mix up! That was the [Restaurant] deluxe, right?”

Me: “Correct.”

(I try to hand her the incorrect sandwich, but she refuses to take it.)

Cashier: “Oh, no! Go ahead and keep it! It was our mistake.”

Me: “Okay, then. Thank you.”

(Since they’d probably just throw them away anyway, I see no harm in keeping it. My second sandwich comes out, and I decide to check it on the spot just to be safe. Surprisingly, it also has pepper jack cheese.)

Me: “Um, are you guys out of colby jack by some sheer chance? This is also pepper jack.”

Cashier: “Um, I think that’s colby jack.”

(At this point I’m confused and wonder if I was initially mistaken, but I notice a sandwich on the menu board advertised as having pepper jack and the cheese on it looks exactly like the one on both my sandwiches. I point this out to the cashier.)

Cashier: “Um, let me just double check.”

(She takes the second one and goes to the kitchen window. I can’t hear the exchange, but she returns looking a bit flustered.)

Cashier: “I’m so sorry! We’ll have the right one out for you as quickly as possible! I’m sorry for the wait!”

Me: “It’s okay. I’m not starving. I can wait. Just tell them to give me American if they’re out of colby jack.”

(She moves over to another register to continue helping customers while I wait at the counter she was at. She turns to apologize every so often. Being an avid reader of Not Always Right, I jump to a conclusion.)

Me: “How long have you worked here?”

Cashier: “A couple months.”

Me: “Ah, I figured if you’ve worked here long enough you’ve met some customers that’d flip at this situation. Don’t worry, I make it a point to not be one of those customers.”

(She chuckles a little at this, and did seem to be more at ease. My sandwich arrives, and this time it has the right cheese. I thank the cashier and attempt to hand her the second pepper jack sandwich, but she lets me keep it, too. Once I return to the table…)

Mom: “There you are! I was wondering where you were. You were gone for so long I thought someone had stolen you!”

Me: “Nah, it just took them three tries to get the right kind of cheese on it. At least they let me keep the other two. Admittedly, I was tempted to demand a free milkshake or something after the second slip-up…”

Mom: “But you’re not that mean?”

Me: “Nope. Well, I try not to be, anyway.”

(We had a REALLY icy winter one year and as I went up the road I slipped on some black ice and went flying. I could not move at all so my mother had to call an ambulance. The paramedic said my hip looked injured so I was taken to the hospital for x-rays. I am amazed when I see a doctor after very little time.)

Doctor: “Well, your x-ray looks okay, so let’s stand you up and get you walking. It is probably just a bit stiff and bruised.”

(I am bemused as the x-ray technician had said he thought something looked cracked but I did as she said and found I CANNOT take a step without being in agony.)

Doctor: “You look fine. Just go home and rest.”

(With that they send me off. I cannot walk and have to be carried in and spend the night on the sofa in a lot of pain. The next day we receive a call.)

Senior Doctor: “I am so sorry but we need you to come back immediately. On reviewing your x-ray I’ve found you have snapped your hip and need surgery.”

(I was speechless! But I have to admit the stay was one of the best I had had!)