You would think that adults know how to behave themselves when out in public, but when some people step foot inside a store, they lose all their manners and morals. These poor workers had to put up with some monsters who took the form of a customer.
(Content has been edited for clarity.)
If The Lifeguard At The Bottom Of The Slide Hadn’t Spotted Her, She Could Have Drowned
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“I work in a water park. We have a minimum height requirement for many of our slides, and most of the time the parents might get a little annoyed and the child might be upset, but they accept it and move on.
Not this time.
The dad came up with his son wanting to ride our tallest slide, and his son was short by about two inches. He went into a rage when I told him that his son wasn’t tall enough, and went on about all the money he spent to get in there. At this point, I blew the signal for supervisor on my whistle. The dad continued his tirade and started insulting me, swearing at me, saying that I’m going nowhere in my life and that I’ll be working there my entire life. It was all I could do not to cry. He kept puffing his chest out like a teenager and moving forwards, so eventually, my back was to the slide with only a couple inches of ground left.
Just as my supervisor rounded the last flight of stairs, the man decided it would be a good idea to give me a shove. I lost my balance and fell backward, head first, into the slide. I hit the slide with my head so hard that I blacked out and only woke up about 10 seconds later when I hit the water at the bottom. I was obviously disoriented, and the guard at the bottom jumped in for me and grabbed me. The staff was concerned about my neck, so I got the fun experience of being put on the spinal board and having an ambulance come to pick me up. I had a concussion but nothing worse than that, thank goodness.
The man was arrested with assault and tried to counter sue the water park. He lost. I didn’t get any money but did get a nice promotion. I still work there, but not running the slides anymore. Now I’m just a lifeguard.”
His Robbery Plan Had One Major Flaw
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“I was working at a gas station a few years back on the graveyard shift. It was around 1 a.m. when a heavy guy walked into the store with a brown bag on his head. He came up to the counter and showed me the brick he had in his hand. He said that if I didn’t give him the money in the register, he would beat me to death with the brick. Now, I am a big dude, so I started to smile at him. This set him off and he chucked the brick at me, but it flew right past me, to the side. He then ran out of the store as I called the cops and the manager. I ended up getting fired for not giving him the money.”
No One Wanted To Serve That Snooty, Old Woman For Obvious Reasons
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“I work at a Baskin Robbins and we had a ‘regular’ who was never devastatingly mean, but a most unwanted visitor every time she came in. She was an old woman who looked like Dolores Umbridge. She ordered the same thing every time and would make snide comments about how her daughter would never work here because that’s where poor people work and the like. Her daughter was actually working in a Pizza Hut. She was just generally annoying to be around.
One day, she ordered her usual shake (jamoca almond fudge with Oreos blended in), but she didn’t like it. I made it again, but she still didn’t like it. I made it a third time. She took a sip, looked me in the eye, tilted the cup, and poured it on the ground. Without breaking eye contact, she threw the cup at me, yelling that I was dumb for not being able to make a simple shake. She does this with a line of people waiting behind her. I was the only worker there as it was the early shift. Luckily, one of the people behind her was a police officer, so it was handled.”
The Girls’ Behavior Was So Bad, They Even Turned Their Male Companion Against Them
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“Just last week at the restaurant where I work, I was serving a table of three people (two girls and one guy). I had already taken out the food to the girls and was bringing out the curry dish that the guy had ordered when I slipped. My shoes are flats that have next to no grip, one slid on the floor, I stumbled, and his food was on the floor.
Of course, I apologized right away and said the chef would make him another immediately. The dish he’d ordered was also one of the easiest things on the menu to prepare, and I knew the chef could have another one ready in about two minutes. The guy said that was fine, and that he understood that accidents happen. I was thanking my good luck that I’d gotten a friendly customer.
And then one of the girls said that if we were re-making his, we’d have to re-make all of theirs because they weren’t going to sit around ‘for half an hour’ and let their food get cold while they waited for us to make another dish for the guy. I started explaining that the new dish would only take two minutes, and the guy started saying that they could go ahead and start eating without him when the two girls flung their ceramic plates loaded with hot noodles and sauce at me. One missed and shattered the glass cover on the table next to them, the other struck me in the forehead. I had a bruise from the plate, mild burns on my face and chest from the hot food, and my nicest (and most expensive) white work shirt is potentially ruined from being hit with a full serving of noodles.
The guy got furious with them and shouted a lot about how stupid they were. He was also nice enough to shout for my boss right away, call an ambulance, help me up, and make sure I wasn’t seriously injured. He even offered to pay for all the damage that the two girls had done. My boss refused that offer after listening to what happened, insisting that the guy had done nothing wrong and that the girl were the ones who would have to pay.
Those girls got banned from the restaurant and had to pay a fair bit for all the damage they did. They’re also paying my salary during this week off for recovery. The guy got his replacement meal free, and my boss told him to come back anytime (without the girls) and we’d give him a nice discount on future meals.”
She Said Her New Color Made Her “Look Like A Mexican”
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“I was a hairstylist at a salon when this lady in her late-60s came in. She was very well to do and asked for a color touch up. She said she wanted to go a shade darker than she had, so I picked out a medium blonde and when she left, she was happy.
That was around 3 p.m. A few hours later, she called up and said she didn’t like the color and wanted to know if she could come in at 8 p.m. I told her she could come in first thing in the morning since we close at 8:30 p.m. She said ok, but at 8 p.m., she came in, wasted, while I was finishing up someone’s highlights. She started screaming at me, telling me I made her look like ‘an effing Mexican’ and that her husband told her she can’t come home until she gets her hair fixed because he doesn’t want an ‘effing Mexican living in his house.’
She told me earlier that day that her husband was blind. I was seven months pregnant at the time. She pushed me up against the wall and told me I’d better fix her hair, right now, or her son-in-law, who is a well-known lawyer in Houston, was going to sue me. She was acting so crazy that the other stylist was freaking out and the guy that was in her chair got up and told her to get lost and leave me alone, or he was going to call the police.
She got in his face and started yelling at him. Then she went over to my client and told her that her hair color was beautiful and that she wanted to be the same color. My client’s hair was darker than the lady’s and it was still blonde. Everyone kept trying to tell her that her hair was blonde, not black. Then I explained to her that I wasn’t going to fix her hair because I was an ‘effing Mexican’ and I wasn’t sure she would want a Mexican touching her hair.
Anyway, I ended up fixing her hair and she thanked me. At the end of the night, I sat in my car crying for an hour. I regret not calling the police on the bimbo. I also wish I was able to thank the guy that stood up to her for me.”
Her Attitude And Name Calling Screwed Her Son Out Of A New Game
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“I was a store manager for Gamestop. Their return policy is pretty basic, no cash or credit back on a new game once it’s been opened.
A 14-year-old kid approached the counter with one of those crappy movie-based games they had bought from another location the previous day. His mom was speaking for him. ‘We bought this and he didn’t like it, so I want my money back.’
Me: ‘Ok, ma’am, I’m sorry but our return policy on new games is no refunds once the seal has been broken.’
Mom: ‘That’s stupid, how do you know if it’s a good game, then?’
Me: ‘Well, that’s one of the reasons we’re more lenient on our used product, if you purchase a used copy and don’t like it, we’ll gladly give you your money back.’
Mom: ‘Well, I want my money back now.’
While the mom and I were arguing, the kid has been browsing, picked up a copy of ‘Battlefield 2’ and was tugging her arm, telling her he’d just switch it out for something else. Now, this is still not within policy, but the kid didn’t do anything wrong, and I approved of his decision this time, even if his mom was ticking me off.
Me: ‘Ma’am, I’d be more than happy to say switch it out for another game?’
Mom: ‘Well, WE don’t want anything in your store, we want our money!’
Kid: ‘No, no, Mom, I want this game.’
Me: ‘Ma’am, I’m offering you more than I have to, I’d be more than happy to switch it for that game he has.’
Mom: ‘WE DON’T WANT ANYTHING HERE!’
Kid: ‘Mom, I want this game!’
Mom: ‘Fine! Fine! Give it to that fat whale and let’s get out of this crap store!’
Me: ‘Ma’am, what did you say?’
Mom: Smirking, ‘Nothing, here, he wants this.’
Me: ‘Get out of my store. Now.'”
She Couldn’t Believe Someone Would Ask Something So Rude
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“I started working in retail a bit my senior year of high school and continued that line of work for some time afterward. I once had a customer, who I was ringing up, rudely asked me if I had gone to high school and said I was probably a dropout. This was near the end of a transaction. I gave an exaggerated shrug, gave a dumb smile, and crossed my eyes as I handed her her bag.”
She Did Not Set A Great Example For Her Granddaughter
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“Where I used to work, a grandmother came in with her granddaughter to purchase a bathing suit.
They came up to purchase a green striped swimsuit the young girl already had on. The price was $18.99.
The grandmother swore it was on sale, so I had an employee check the price on the other suits just in case that suit had gotten missed in the markdown. It was not on sale. When I told the lady this, she flipped her lid.
She paid for it anyway because her granddaughter was already wearing it, and I wasn’t about to be nice and tell her it didn’t matter if the granddaughter was wearing it and she could go take it off.
As she was leaving, she stopped, turned and looked at me and said, ‘I do not wish you well in life.’ I was completely and utterly baffled that someone would go so far to say something so cruel over a $19 bathing suit for a grandchild.”
He Did Something So Thoughtful, But She Just Treated Him Like Dirt
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“A young woman walked into the cinema I worked at and, as always, I was at the ticket office and I sold her tickets.
She proceeded to the ‘candy bar’ and ordered a cup of coffee (black, not too hot). She then forked out what looked like what was left of her change to pay and started heading into the cinema. After I offered to take the cup in for her, she responded, ‘That would be great!’
I decided to upgrade her cup to a mug, the larger of the two containers we offer, as we were almost out of cups (we only had about two cups left). I made her coffee and headed up the stairs to give it to her.
I handed it over to her and she stared at me like I’d just murdered her first-born. She practically shrieked, ‘DID I NOT ORDER A CUP?’
I was shocked, but rolled with it, and said pleasantly, ‘I upgraded your coffee for free.’
She replied, ‘I ORDERED A CUP AND THAT’S WHAT I BETTER GET, MAKE ANOTHER ONE!’
So I grudgingly made her another coffee and delivered it upstairs to the snide remark, ‘Looks like you finally did it right!’
Now, I know she ordered the cup and I’m obliged to carry out her order, but for goodness sake, is a free upgrade, not a GOOD THING?”
She Thought She Was Entitled To Speak To Any Of The Workers As She Pleased
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“I work in retail as loss prevention. Naturally, I have a bit more room to act like a callous abrasive jerk if needed. So, in came this lady and her daughter, I think nothing of them. I was just at customer service doing my thing and she saw some shoes on the counter. She asked, ‘Have those been taken recently? Did someone want them?’
I said, ‘I have no clue. If you want it, take it.’
She said, ‘That’s not what I asked you. BOY.’
I repeated the same thing.
‘BOY, THAT IS NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU!’
I got tired of her crap. There was a long line full of people hanging around, so I decided to embarrass her in front of everyone.
I said, ‘Ma’am, I’m going to assume you are at least moderately smarter than your 12-year-old daughter. Let me make it easy for you. Read my vest. It says LOSS PREVENTION. Yeah? See that? Good for you! You did it all by yourself! Now, look, lady, I don’t care if you want these shoes. If you want a price check, I honestly don’t care what you do, but you will NOT catch an attitude with me solely because you don’t know how to word questions properly. So, kindly take your ugly shoes and get out of my face.’
The people in line clapped and nodded; I apologized for the scene and most, if not all, told me I was justified. My boss was right there and had watched the whole thing; he thought it was hilarious. I regret doing it, but man. I’ve lost faith in humanity because of it. I can’t help but go off on stupid people. I’d rather say something instead of being meek and saying nothing.”
The Worst Call He Ever Got Had Him Questioning His Worth In Life
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“I used to be a call center monkey for a cell phone company.
I’ve had customers threaten to kill me; curse me, my mother, my family, and my (non-existent) cat. None of those bothered me.
The meanest customer I have ever had the pleasure of speaking to was a lady who was probably in her mid-to-late-30s.
Back in the day, we had this promo going on. If your minutes or text usage for the month reached a certain figure, you would get points. You could then redeem those points for a day/weekend/week of free texts/calls. This was in a country that does not have unlimited plans, so it was a big deal. Important to note: when you redeemed your points, the free whatever would kick in at midnight of that same day and could only be used the next day. You had to either go to the website or call us to sign up for it, and it was advertised EVERYWHERE. We were obligated to tell you that when you redeemed your points.
Anyway, this lady got free texts for the weekend, which is awesome. She either forgot or neglected to care about the midnight thing. From 5 p.m. to midnight, this lady sent 3,000 texts. I am sure some of those were duplicates, just for the heck of it because it’s free, but the number was still 3,000 texts. And she got charged for them. So she called us up and was understandably upset because it was one monster of a bill. She demanded that we reverse the charges or give her a refund. I was unable to do this since the terms of the promotion were clearly stated everywhere, not even in small print. I tried to explain this, offered a free texting package for her next billing cycle, whatever I could actually do in order to help. Yeah, no.
For the entire duration of our conversation, she spoke to me in this condescending, uppity tone of voice, spelling out words slowly (you know what I mean), and insisting that I was the stupidest person in the entire world for not getting what she wanted. She mocked me for being in customer support and asked me if I couldn’t get a ‘real’ job. I don’t know why this conversations hit me so hard, I think it was mostly the way she spoke to me rather than the actual things said. It was like I was a cockroach on the bottom of her shoe, not even worthy of her time.
It ended up being a 35-minute conversation, and my supervisor had to eventually take the call. I was close to tears while speaking to her. We ended up bringing up her text log and HAND COUNTING every text she sent before midnight. She got a refund for those because that’s how my company worked.”
She Claimed She Had “African Royalty In Her Blood,” But She Was Just A Royal Pain
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“I work for RAC Acceptance, a tertiary financing option for furniture sales, in-house at a client retail store. The worst meeting I ever had happened two weeks into my employment.
A woman came in and was denied by our client credit program and GAFCO (Great American Finance Company), so she wound up at my desk. We went over our program, explained to her she will build her credit with us, and she agreed to get a quote. Two hours later, she finally finished shopping, so we started the quote process. Turns out, her total came up to $6,000 worth of merchandise. My company set a limit at $3,000 per agreement.
I told her this and she fumed, ‘You trying to tell me I’m too poor to afford this crap?’
‘No ma’am, it’s simply that we cannot host agreements for anything exceeding three grand.’
This is where it gets fun.
She proceeded to go off on me about how she can prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that she has African Royalty in her blood. Twenty minutes of her screaming at me about her heritage, she got it in her head that I called her the N word while I was trying to calm her down. She went nuts.
She picked up random items on my desk and chucked them. The client store manager comes running up with our in-house security team. All the while, she was brandishing a stapler she’d nabbed from my desk. She saw the guards and went into full ‘you-can’t-touch-me-I’m-royalty’ rant. The guards furrowed their eyebrows, said they didn’t care and attempted to get her out. As they were about to take her by the shoulders, she jumped back and screamed bloody murder. Then she turned to me and slammed the business end of that stapler down on the back of my hand twice in quick succession. She managed four more slams on the desk before a security guard tackled her to the ground and placed her in a hold. I was standing there, in horror/awe/disbelief as to what just happened.”
When Someone Finally Stood Up To Her, She Had No Idea What To Do
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“The worst I’ve ever had was a customer tell me he was going ‘tear this mother effing store apart,’ if he didn’t get his way. I looked him in the eyes, looked down at his grandson standing by his pant leg who couldn’t have been older than 4 years old, then looked back in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and calmed down enough to finish the transaction and get out of my store.
I’ve been witness to some other greats, too.
A lady walked in and slammed her phone, hard, on the table in front of me and my manager. He said, ‘How can we help you?’
She yelled, ‘You can fix this phone. I have been here three times and this piece o’ crap doesn’t work!’
He pointed at the door and just said, ‘Leave.’
Her face drooped, ‘What?’
‘Leave, and never come back.’
‘I pay my phone bill here.’
‘Not anymore, you don’t. Leave or I’ll call security.’
We ended up having to call security on her. They came and told her she wasn’t welcome in our store anymore. She sat outside of our store for nearly an hour talking to a security guard. She has not been in the store since.”