These retail workers have dealt with the most difficult, neurotic, and negative customers in the world. Some people don't understand what it means to be respectful.
(Content has been edited for clarity.)
Some Starbucks Customers Can Be So Ridiculously Petty Over Their Drinks
“Starbucks: Drive-thru. Lady at the speaker orders a drink, changes her order, I confirm and she drives around. I make the second drink. She screams at me, cussing, and calling me all kinds of names. I apologize and offer a refund plus the proper drink. She cusses at me again, drives around the building, comes back to the window, cusses at me some more, talks about my mother, throws the drink at me and peels off.
Starbucks: Holiday season. The new manager has made it clear that we have to check IDs for credit card purchases; no exceptions. The new manager is two people behind a woman paying with a credit card. I ask for ID but feel stupid because it’s only like $3, and if the manager weren’t standing there I wouldn’t have asked. It doesn’t match. The lady cusses and berates me, and the manager ignores the situation. The lady leaves.
The lady’s mom comes back two hours later. It was her credit card. She asks for a meeting with my manager and me; we sit at a table. The lady proceeds to tell me I’m the lowest form of life on the planet, I should never have been born, and the whole world – nay! – the entire planet would be better off if I just killed myself. Manager apologizes and offers a free drink.”
Maybe She Shouldn’t Have Dropped Her iPhone In The Toilet
“I work at an Apple Store. I do tech support stuff, but I’m not quite a Genius (yet), so I mostly help people with their iPods and iPhones. I get a lot of nutso people, but this one was fairly recent:
I had a nasty (attitude-wise) lady that decided to take her 2-year-old iPhone 3G on a swim. In a toilet. Of course, she tells me that AFTER I take it from her. So I suck it up, trying to be nice to her, even as she’s ranting at me that the phone should still work after being thoroughly soaked. I smile and nod, serve up all the cheesy-happy-Apple-ness that I can stand.
So the phone is screwed, and I have to tell her that we can’t replace it, not even as just as customer service courtesy because it’s accidental damage and it’s two years old. It would just be outside the scope of what any rational person would expect anyway.
She gets so angry and yells at me, ‘Are you doing this to me because I’m black?’
I shake my head, bewildered, ‘Ma’am, that doesn’t make any sense, because I’m black too.’
And then she rolls her eyes and asks, specifically, for one of my white managers.
I had no other words.”
All Of That Grocery Store Drama Was Over a Razor?
“I used to work at a grocery store.
I was about to leave. The manager on duty asked me to stick around because he spotted a shoplifter. As she passed the registers, we walk up to her and asked her to stop. She immediately grabs my manager’s arm and bites down. I pull her off of him, and we walk her upstairs. We sit her down in a chair and tell her we have to fill out a report. While working on that, she pulls out a box knife she had found and slits both of her wrists. After about 30 seconds of bleeding, she stands up and holds out her bloody hands, still holding the knife and starts chasing us. We bolt down the stairs and slam the door shut behind us. We call 911, and while waiting for an ambulance/police to show up, she climbs into the ceiling. We had to evacuate the whole store. The fire department finds her up in the rafters after about 30 minutes. She ends up being ok and goes to jail.
All for a razor. We wouldn’t have even charged her with stealing if she hadn’t gone crazy.”
The Entitlement Some People Have Is Just Astounding!
“I was working the cash register, basically alone because the other girl ringing was slow as heck and was working on a complicated return. There were 15 people in line getting agitated and staring at me, so I was feeling stressed out and trying to hurry things along. A woman comes up buying various little items. I ring her up and she pays in cash. I type it in and the computer tells me how much change to dispense. I toss it into my hand and hold it out towards her. She then proceeds to pull out a crumpled wad of bills and random coins and asks me to add that to the $10 bill she gave me, I guess because she wants different change. This throws me off; I can’t stand here and figure out what change she wants with all these people waiting in line. I politely reply, ‘I’m sorry, there are a lot of people waiting, and I’m not sure what you’re trying to get back in change here. Can I just give you the original change?’ Which was like a dime and a nickel. Not the kind of change that inconveniences people. She stops, gives me the slowest, most derisive grin I’ve ever seen, and says something along the lines of how I work in a store, so she understands that I’m an idiot and can’t figure change out.
The store I work inputs a lot of emphasis on being ridiculously nice to our customers. I can’t say anything back to this lady. I just stared at her with my mouth open, because I couldn’t believe how cruel she was to a complete stranger. I hand her the receipt, and she walks off to join a group of wealthy, waspy looking type older people, and I watch her tell them the story of what an idiot I am because I can’t figure change out. I couldn’t believe how mad I got watching this as I continued to ring up other customers. It’s not the worst customer story, I’ve had a lot meaner, angrier, more disgusting people. This one just sticks in my head because of that slow smile she gave me. I’ve never seen such a ‘You’re worthless’ smile in my entire life.”
She Dealt With Some Interesting Characters At CVS
“I worked as a cashier/photo-tech exclusively during my tenure at CVS in high school. If you wanted film developed, you had the option for one hour service or send out service with Kodak. The Kodak service has next to nothing to do with us. We put the film canister in a bag with the customer’s info and order info on it and then mail the bag to Kodak. A few days later we get the photos back from them and make the sale. A woman came in on my shift asking for her sent out photos. I get three bags for her and ring everything up. She tells me, ‘Oh no, I’m supposed to have four rolls, and this bag doesn’t have any photos in it, just this piece of the film canister.’ According to her, this is all my fault. These photos are irreplaceable because they’re from her daughter’s baby shower and she was the only one with a camera and she was getting me fired for this stuff. Well, I don’t know what happened on the Kodiak side of things, but all I do is seal a bag, so you can deal with my manager. My manager apologizes and gives her all the film for free. Fair enough.
Let me preface this one by saying that I only ever worked the closing shift, I did not know how to start up anything. CVS closed at 10 p.m. when I worked there. The photo department closed an hour before. At 9 p.m., I promptly shut off everything, including the self-serve photo machine as long as there isn’t a line. Some guy comes in at 9:30 p.m. asking to use the self-serve machine. I explain to him that the photo department closes at 9 p.m., but he can come back as soon as we open in the morning. He instantly escalates to yelling at me. I reassure him that this is store policy and I can’t do anything for him. As far as I know, the machine takes 30 minutes to start up, so he can’t even use it before we close. My manager came up to deal with that man and has me wait in the back to diffuse the situation. That jerk turned the machine on for the customer. If it is store policy to shut down the department at 9 p.m., then back me up when I tell that to a customer. Don’t make me look like a jerk for following YOUR rules.
One time, I processed a check from somebody for over $100. The next week, I am called into the manager’s office. This guy went to all the CVS stores in the area and wrote checks for big purchases like this. Every single check bounced or was fraudulent. I was written up for failing to have the manager authorize the check, a policy that was never explained to me.”
He Made A Big Deal Over A Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich?
“I worked in a 24-hour deli. Friday and Saturday nights after 2 a.m. were the thing of nightmares due to bars closing.
One night, after dropping off a (wasted) customer his food, I am beckoned back to his table.
‘Oh waitress, OH WAITRESS!’
‘Yes?’
‘What did I order, waitress?’
‘A Philly cheesesteak.’
‘Oh, yes, a Philly cheesesteak. And tell me, waitress, what is on a Philly cheesesteak?’
‘Well, steak, cheese, and onions.’
‘Onions! Where are my onions?’
‘Right there, on your sandwich, sir.’
He continued to insist there were no onions on his sandwich, even though there were. To appease him, I took the plate back to the kitchen and explained the situation to the cook, but to please just add more onions to the sandwich. The cook looked at it and said, ‘There are onions on it,’ and shoved the plate back at me.
I took it back to the table and told the customer there were onions on it. He denied it and then picked up the sandwich and screamed there were no onions on it and threw it on the table. An onion flew up and hit me in the face.
I grabbed the plate, took it to the kitchen, shoved it at the cook, told him to screw off, stormed past the table who was, ‘Oh Waitressing’ me again, told them to screw off, then threw my apron at the head waiter and told him that I quit.
I sat outside crying and a customer walked up to me and put her face in mine while telling her husband: ‘Oh look! She’s crying,’ but never actually acknowledging me.
Moments later, I was called back in because the customer was trying to leave without paying. I had to go back in and argue with him some more. Suddenly after arguing, he suddenly changed his tune and paid. That’s when I turned around and saw every single male waiter in the place standing behind me in menacing stances.”
A Sports Authority Customer Had Some Angry Demands!
“As a cashier at Home Depot, you always got the people who came up to the regular checkout lanes asking to do returns, insisting that I do one when my register cannot do a return at all. They would always get upset when I would point them all the way down to the end of the store for the return line.
One time, at Sports Authority, a guy called asking for an update on his bike, and the employee who worked in the bike department was gone for the day, so a footwear employee was covering his shift. Well, the employee couldn’t answer the guy’s question, and the guy was getting upset and hung up. I had no knowledge this was going on, so when he called again five minutes later with the same question. I said I would transfer him to someone who could help.
The guy flips out yelling, ‘I ALREADY TALKED TO THAT GUY AND HE COULD NOT HELP. I WANT YOU TO HELP ME.’
Me: Well, sir, I am not familiar with that area, but if you would like I can transfer you to our manager.’
Guy: ‘NO, I WANT YOU TO HELP ME WITH THIS.’
Me: ‘Sir, I can assure you that I wouldn’t be of much help in this area, but I can transfer you to my manager and see if she can help.’ (I’ve got a bunch of people in line at my register so I’m trying to be very calm in front of them)
Guy: ‘I SAID I DONT WANT TO TALK TO THE MANA…’ (I cut him off, put him on hold, and transferred him to the manager at this point, where presumably he yelled at her some more.)
Apparently, that guy asked my manager for the district manager’s phone number so he could complain about the three of us who were involved in it, but nothing ever came of it.”
It Was Vital That She Had Her Broken GPS Fixed!
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“Today is the last day of my job working in a tech department of a computer retailer, and I think I just met one of the craziest people on the planet.
She comes in with a broken GPS and starts spouting about how she’s had nothing but bad service from another branch, and if I don’t do what she wants, she will never shop with us again. Oh no. I say OK, well sorry to hear, and tell her we need to send it off to get repaired. She freaks out, saying that she needs it for her new job because she’s going up north and doesn’t know her way around. We express our sympathies and explain that, unfortunately, it’s procedure to get it sent off, we can’t just swap it, and sometimes it can take up to 10 days. Things start to get real and she starts yelling and abusing us, saying that she’s going to a part of the country she doesn’t know and without a GPS it will be dangerous. She then goes on to say that as a woman, she is scared that without a GPS she will end up on the wrong side of town and get in trouble with bad people, insinuating that without a GPS she will get assaulted. She then elaborates and says that by us not giving her a new GPS we are, ‘sentencing her to death.’
Things carry on that way for a while, going around in circles about how we would rather have her dead than lose a few hundred dollars. It ends with my manager printing her out some maps for her trip and us sending off her GPS.”
Ruining The Life Of The Customer Who Caused Him To Get Fired?
“I was working at a hotel one day, and this crazy woman comes in and demands a parking space in the hotel. All the spots are full, and I tell her she will have to park on the street. She goes nuts. If she has to park on the street, she will get assaulted and killed by mysterious thugs waiting for people to park their cars. I point out that there are plenty of spots directly in front of the hotel, I will watch her park the car if she wants, and she’ll be saving $20.
She goes even more insane and demands to see the manager. The manager’s a stupid woman who says I should have moved one of the other cars out to accommodate her. I don’t have the keys for any of the cars, and they belong to other guests who have paid to have their car there.
Anyway, I end up getting fired. Before I leave, I get that crazy woman’s details. I still have her name, credit card number, workplace number, and address with me, as well as a copy of her signature. Once or twice a week, I sign her up for some spam. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. Sometimes I send spam to her boss as well, from emails that look like they could be from her.
I also know where her son goes to school, and every now and then, I’ll post hurtful comments on his YouTube account, or just call him a bunch of mean names, with a fake Facebook account. I know it’s not his fault but he looks like a jerk and I hate his mom.
Never used her credit card for anything, but was thinking of just putting it online one day.
I like to think that rather than just getting revenge with some big act of screwing her over, I will continually get revenge for the rest of her life. Unless she moves house or something.”
The Customer Didn’t Even Know What Type Of Car It Was!
“Being a store manager for a car audio store for many years, I have had more than my share of retail nightmares. I will always get a laugh out of this one.
A spry, clear-eyed 74-year-old grandmother walks into my shop and wants a new CD player for her car. I ask what kind of car do you drive? ‘A Pontiac Goole,’ she answers. ‘A what?’ ‘A 2006 Pontiac Goole,’ she answers, but a little testy this time. ‘Young man,’ she answers, ‘I assume you are a professional and have experience working in many cars and especially cars made in the US. I happen to drive an American car which is a Pontiac. Are you familiar with that brand?’ I answer yes, I am familiar with every model Pontiac has ever made, and never in 26 years have I ever heard of a Pontiac Goole (pronounced goolie). ‘That’s absurd! How can you call yourself a professional when you have never heard of a Pontiac Goole?’ Now it starts to get real and customers are starting to tune in to what is going down.
Now, grandma is getting angry and I say, ‘Is your car here now?’
‘Certainly, I was hoping to get a new CD player, but you inspire no confidence in your knowledge of vehicles or your customer service.’
I say, ‘Well, can I see your Pontiac Goole for myself?’ Now, this time, a handful of customers want to see this too because they know cars and they have no idea what a Pontiac Goole is either. I ask them to please stand back and let me handle this alone with this customer. Out we go and there in my parking lot a 2006 Pontiac 600LE. Hilarity ensued when I had to show Grandma it was a Pontiac 600LE.
We walked back to the store with tears down our faces from laughing so hard, and then, when we told the rest of the curious customers what happened, they too started laughing with the grandma. She was a peach and bought a new radio and then returned the next day with fresh baked cookies and brownies for the staff. She still drives and stops in every now and then with her Pontiac goole, and we still laugh for a while.”
He Had To Handle Many Disgusting Things At Circuit City…
“I used to work for Circuit City conning people into spending their money on stupid Monster products and high-end TVs. A small selection of stuff:
A woman’s kid pukes all over my department. The woman just takes her kids and walks away, as if it never even happened.
Went into the back one day and the second I opened the door, I could smell a stench worse than death. Went to the men’s room and found out that someone had clogged a toilet, and someone else had used it anyway. Laying down paper towels on the bottom, and then leaving a great big pile of crap on top. No water in the bowl. I’m so glad I had nothing to do with cleaning that mess.
People would try to return things that obviously weren’t returnable. People would throw things at cashiers when they didn’t get their way.
I had one guy who asked me about a record player that had been there since before I was hired and we were selling it anyway. I told him how long it had probably been there and that it was broken. He asked if I could give it to him for free.
Black Friday was a nightmare. We worked 3 a.m. to 4 p.m. shifts. People were insane, and the store was a mess beyond recognition at the end of the day. If I had to stay and clean that up, I would have killed someone.
People are pigs. We’d find half-eaten food all the time, almost empty soda bottles stashed behind products and in random places on the floor. I can’t tell you how many times I found old disgusting moldy food.
I got chewed out because I couldn’t take a few hundred dollars off the sticker price of a TV. People thought they were shopping for a used car. We were encouraged to push Monster products because they had a high markup, and people complained when the cheapest cables in the store were $40. I told them to check the internet.
People would call in all the time, almost every day, and be like, ‘Well, I’m looking for a TV but I don’t know what I want, what do you have?’ When I’ve got a wall of 40 different TV sets behind me.
The retail world is disgusting. People, in general, are slobby, sloppy, disgusting, messy creatures, who will do just about anything they can to save a few bucks. I had one guy beg me to give him $50 off a $2,500 TV. Anything to feel like they’re getting a deal.
I reflect on my time with Circuit City as some of the worst, most disgusting, horrid, insightful, educational times of my life when it comes to how people really are, the majority of people. I left when the company finally went belly up, and despite being unemployed since I’ve never considered working for a big box retailer again. I know people will call me an idiot for not taking whatever job I can find, but it’s just not worth going insane for a paycheck to me.”