Starting a small business is a scary thing, putting it all on the line to try and create a successful business, which will see you solely reaping possibly unlimited benefits—if you can make it that far. But, hey, you take on all of the risks, you get all of the rewards; that's fundamentally how we've decided things should work in this world… and when it works well for someone, you're not going to see them complaining. However, taking on the risk means taking on the risk. Which is something a lo…

In retail, the number of customers who are convinced they know better than you is endless… Better than you when it comes to the products, better than you in terms of your store's policies, and better than you when it comes to the legalities under which you're trading. Having access to all the information with little understanding has emboldened people into thinking that they're experts after a few Google searches, even on impressively technical subjects. Of course, the rehearsed script often ru…

Cool as a cucumber

One barista is confused and annoyed by the rules their manager is making up. They took to r/mildlyinfuriating to share the story. But commenters informed them that they might be looking at things all wrong. Their issue revolves around making custom drinks for the patrons of their coffee shop. Some chains embrace the custom drink trend, including all of the Tiktok drinks with names like “Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Chocolate Chai Latte”

There's no stopping customers from being their own worst enemies. They'll do that all on their own, with no help necessary, even from people who actually want to help them. Customer service representatives are no strangers to weird questions. People in the tech world are constantly having to remind people to plug in their electronics before getting upset that they're not working. Or for those working in food service, people love to ask questions like, “Is the chicken pot pie vegetarian?" It alm…

The grocery store is a lawless place.

Dodgy off-book leave policies are something that you just come to expect after a while of working in the restaurant or retail world. From the first time you go to book leave and are met with the strong insinuation that maybe you shouldn't be taking any leave at all, giving you reasons of being too busy or too understaffed to possibly afford to be a “man down," you're going to be feeling that old resigned feeling of knowing that this is going to be that kind of place. The reality is that you're…

It's a little humiliating when you can't reach something on a high shelf. So much so that short folks have been climbing onto countertops, using broomsticks to destabilize out-of-reach items, and standing on swivel chairs for centuries just to avoid asking for help. But if there's no broomstick in sight and no counters to climb, who can we look to?

This person is often exasperated by their chatty boss . She never lets them get a word in edgewise! There are all kinds of conversation styles in the world. Many of us have groups of friends or family members who talk so fast and jump from topic to topic. If you can't interrupt anyone , you just won't ever get a chance to speak. However, when you bring someone new into that same group of people, they might find it off-putting that people are talking over each other. Some people have no toleranc…

There are a few moments in every person's life where they're given the opportunity to do the right thing. Unbeknownst to sleeper-agent good Samaritans, these moments are usually veiled with the guise of self-serving outcomes, the ‘finders keepers’ principal, or, in the case of the guy in our next story, accidentally earning $3,000 cash.

These days we all think that everyone's out to get us and—to be fair, well… we're not always wrong and some people are. There are plenty of entitled and selfish people in this world, who won't hesitate to twist any situation to their benefit and gain, carefully manipulating their way into getting the upper hand—no matter the circumstances. And yet, it's still important to remember that there are still honest folk out there; folk who want to do the right thing for the simple good and honest fact…

We should have the expectation as a society that it's ok to deny someone service for being impolite to staff. This might actually teach people to be respectful and treat other people with common decency rather than with abject entitlement. Of course, as with anything else, there are grey areas and blurred lines and you might just end up talking to some egotistical service manager who is having a bad day. Still, professional courtesy should prevail even if they're not giving you the same. This c…

Even if you're a level-headed worker, sometimes the stressors of the workplace can get to you. Boiling over with rage and brimming with thoughts of sabotage, there are some service industry jobs where the work is doable until the customers rear their ugly heads. Enduring the pig-headedness of customers– or in this case, passengers –can take a toll on a worker's patience and perhaps, their mercy.

At certain times in your life—particularly when things have gone sideways—it's important to take ownership of the fact that your own actions and decisions are the things that got you there. Unfortunately, most of us struggle with this and, as a matter of self-preservation, will seek to displace blame towards anyone or anything that we can point a finger at. Sometimes, this displacement is plausible, reasonable even, but at other times, it can get unreasonably ridiculous… Tell me again, Carl, ab…

While all customer service is tough due to the challenging task of dealing with the unpredictable members of the public, delivery drivers have it particularly rough, owing to the fact that they have to consistently interact with these same people whose absurd entitlement is amplified by the proximity of their homes. If you thought that Karen was a doozy to deal with at the customer service desk at Home Depot, just wait until you see how she treats the poor bloke who has to deliver something rig…

Some people weren't ever taught that they can't always have things their way—and it shows… These days, being a preferred platinum, premium, premier, or bumbercrum-level customer really doesn't mean much of anything. Companies don't even really go through much to disguise this, either. Back in the day, if you did enough business with a company to achieve bundersnoot-level status, they'd give you actual upgrades and treatment that meant something. These days, you'll be lucky to get a pen, but it'…