Usually, immoral irrationality and disrespect towards others go unpunished, making those perpetrating that behavior to be more encouraged since, well, they got away with it already. Occasionally, though, the universe will react in kind and drown them in a karmic ocean of their own making. In these instances, the world feels like it is in balance, with just deserts having been served in ample portions. Working in customer service, you'll seldom get to see this play out, with the irrational getti…

How much trouble is it worth going through to avoid paying for a couple of leaves of lettuce? Is it worth a run-in with the police that could possibly see you arrested and sent to prison, all because you didn't want to pay $9 for your salad after complaining about the toughness of your steak? From there, you'll be forced to plan a daring means of escape. By day, you'll see yourself unwittingly participating in and then dismantling the operations of the corrupt warden running the prison while sp…

Time is one of your most valuable possessions, but not everyone values it the same amount. Take this couple for example: they're chronically late , and aren't about to improve things any time soon. When a couple shared their experience with a double date gone wrong, it sparked a conversation about what it means to be late to every event. Some people will tell you that it's just how they are. They're always late to everything, despite their best efforts. Lateness also bothers some people more th…

When you're planning an extended vacation, any mindful adult considers what they'll do with their pet and what they need to do to prepare their animal for their absence. One Karen recently proved to be the most unprepared pet owner in the vet clinic when she tried to skip the 20 person waiting list after procrastinating too long to make an appointment.

Toxic organizations breed toxic behavior, begetting toxic people. Unfortunately, those that conform to the organization's less-than-ideal ideals tend to do better and prosper, rising far above their deserved rank and encouraging their unfavorable behavior towards others that would ideally be derided. We've seen stories like this before, where an employee is singled out and collectively gaslit by their coworkers on behalf of getting them to conform to bizarre organizational directives. In this c…

One of the (few) benefits of not operating your own business, and instead working for someone else's, is that you take on none of the risks of the business — isn't that the sole reason why businesses and executive management justify keeping so much of the profits?

Often when we see stories online about customer service people, it's regarding the abuse they receive from customers. But, since service industry workers are people too, it should be expected that there are plenty of examples of the worker themselves being unreasonable or entitled. These stories don't fit the popular narrative, so they often don't get upvoted as frequently, getting shared less overall as a result. It's no surprise to anyone that ‘upscale’ trendy establishments can have a bit of…

Everyone wants to think they have all the answers… but sometimes you don't know even half as much as you'd like to think. We would all do our best to listen to other people's thoughts and opinions before assuming that we have the best and only answer. This student and part-time waiter made the asinine assumption that his method for charging guests was superior to the method devised by his coworker. After claiming that her methods were making it more difficult for him, he insisted that they reve…

This guy wanted a well-done steak but ended up getting roasted himself. There's nothing that can make a man feel small like his own mother. Even the toughest of gangsters know not to cross their mamma. When mom lays down the line and says, "Enough is enough," then you had better quit. This Dad was determined to act out the Applebee's scene in Talladega Nights before his mother stepped in. The story was posted by their server, u/Papakeely, to Reddit's r/talesfromyourserver subreddit. The family…

Sometimes, you just aren't good at something, and that's okay; not everyone is going to excel at everything they try, and that's just the way it is. We're all individuals with different skills who might find certain things more or less challenging. Still, it's important that we keep our egos in check and not lash out at others for our own shortcomings—for displaying grace in the midst of one's failings will determine how others will perceive your character. Some people don't seem to get this an…

Working in the service industry is often stressful and traumatic for a number of reasons. On the one hand, you're often treated poorly by clientele, who mostly regard you as subhuman because of your line of work. On the other hand, you're at the mercy of the unrealistic expectations and unethical practices of the small business owner who owns the place, and—let's be honest—these people often shouldn't be allowed to operate a business or have responsibility over the livelihood of others. These o…

In the service industry, it's incredibly important to be polite and courteous to your “guests,” but occasionally, a chance presents itself that can't be ignored.

Being appointed as a leader generally means that you should be doing at least a little bit of leading: sitting on your cell phone while your teenaged workers suffer the onslaught of a rush is not that. It's a sure sign that someone shouldn't have been appointed to the leadership position they are in and is instead a living, breathing example of the “Peter principle.” Other times the issue is worse still, and the person's appointment to their leadership role isn't due to any previous performance…

The service industry offers its workers a myriad of shitty experiences: Terrible customers, terrible employers, terrible coworkers, and an (often) unpredictable income that relies upon strangers' ethics and understanding of their social obligations.

Unfortunately, every one of us has probably experienced foul treatment from someone in a position of authority who just specifically didn't like us for some reason. It might be conscious on their part, or it might be entirely subconscious; maybe you look just a little too much like an old friend who stole their partner; who knows? Whatever the reason, that person just perceived a freshly painted target on your back from the moment they laid eyes on you. Nothing you can do is ever going to chang…

There are times in life when temptation is just too great and leads us toward doing something that we probably shouldn't be doing… Take, for example, serving a customer a calzone containing entire chicken wings (bones and all) after they obstinately and repeatedly request it as a special order. When you've been working in the service industry, retail, or customer service for long enough, you get a growing itch to pull off something like this. With every entitled customer interaction, you can fe…