Working retail is a hectic and endless stream of customer interactions that balance on a knife's edge, with any one of them threatening to teeter off into a full-blown customer meltdown with possibly little to no cause. It's a way of living that leaves you emotionally drained and completely exasperated, while weekends end up giving you just enough time to self-isolate and prepare for your next shift. Meanwhile, despite claiming to have the customer's best interest at heart, upper management mak…

"After all, I was just following orders."

Many a misguided middle manager has had the idea of hosting meetings at a time that is convenient for everyone: say during lunch hour when everyone is on break, so won't have any meetings scheduled… except that break is unpaid and, well, when are people supposed to eat their actual lunch when there's suddenly a meeting jammed in there. No matter how fun they try to make it sound, “zazzing” it up and naming it something they think is cool, like “Power Hour Lunch Sync,” the reality remains the sa…

Not every customer support worker is reading off of a script. That didn't stop this customer from insisting that one worker was doing that, though! Sure, when you call a customer service helpline, you'll have to answer a bunch of standard questions. You might have to tell them your age and address and maybe answer a few security questions. Some customers just have zero time for this, though. Even though answering all of the necessary questions probably takes about a minute, a lot of people get…

Getting slower internet speeds than you're paying for is quite a gear-grinding, to say the least—especially when you're paying through the nose for the highest possible speeds and still just receiving the lower speed 80% of the time. The internet service providers (ISPs) basically figure that we won't notice the difference, and to be fair, most of us wouldn't. That or they don't actually have the infrastructure to support and deliver the speeds they're selling, so they throttle speeds, especial…

It doesn't hurt to be nice or at least kind to people who are just doing their job. Oftentimes, your complaint with their service will have more to do with the organization and its cost-saving policies rather than with the individual themself. And this is important to remember because a lot of people—well, they don't think about it at all. Customer service agents are no strangers to verbal mistreatment from customers. Don't get it wrong; customer service agents can be prone to being just as mis…

There's a whole lot you can get yourselves worked up about in this world… and salads aren't generally one of them. It's really not all that big of a deal to pay for food that you've taken, especially when it's a couple of leaves of lettuce. The vibes you usually get from salad lovers are chill and wholesome, though there is absolutely room for overlap in that group for people who seem to give off those vibes when they're really just masking how woefully entitled they are. It's hard to believe t…

This is something that comes up now and again that anyone offering specialized services to clients will certainly resonate with. It's amazing how often a person or an organization will pay for services, products, and the expertise that comes along with them, only to refuse to accept the advice that they're paying for. And with ego-fueled hubris, they suddenly decide that they know what's best. The old adages might tell us that “The customer knows best” and that "The customer is always right in…

It's always important to be weary when money is involved, and the fact that everyone has heard a tale or two about a scamming or dishonest mechanic adds to their apprehension when facing a service bill. The problem with thinking everyone is trying to get one over on you all the time is that you'll blame everyone for everything and find yourself constantly at odds. Typically, these types of demands from customers are a way of avoiding footing the bill or in the hopes that you might knock somethi…

It's important to remember in any circumstances where you want to circumvent security and gain entrance to somewhere that you're going to need to get out as well… and the same thing applies when you're trying to get back into somewhere you've gotten out of. Anyone who ever snuck out as a teenager knows exactly how this goes: getting out is pretty easy, but getting back into your room in the wee hours of the morning without waking anyone is exceedingly more difficult. Mom, if you're reading this…

It's particularly perplexing how some people manage to survive in this world when they're living in such a peculiar version of it. Of course, you seem to encounter people like this all the time when you're working in retail or the service industry. I suppose it's a “monkeys with typewriters” type of situation; by sheer chance, if you meet enough people in a day, you're bound to bump into a few with unique understandings and perspectives of the world. Still, you'll continually be surprised by so…

What is it about arts and crafts stores that attract the most feral and angry human beings? It's the type of hobby that's supposed to be chill and relaxing… like isn't that the entire point? Why else would you spend your free time knitting scarves and crocheting hats? It's not as if the hobby gives the thrill of high-octane adrenaline-fueled excitement—although, when you think of it, adrenaline sports and hobbies usually are populated by the most chilled people, so maybe there's something to th…

"That was two months ago and he never replied to that email. Today, he called back."

Requesting time off from work is kind of a weird ritual. While you're technically “asking” for time off, that time is, is usually less of a “want” and more of a “need”—even though your employer will treat it like the former. It's not as if you can ask your cousin to reschedule their wedding just for you or your entire family to reschedule their family reunion. Still, lots of businesses have periods of high trade where they're exceedingly strict about granting any time off—or there during holida…

Dealing with an endless stream of customer complaints is no way to live your life... Repeatedly pushing that boulder of someone else's problems up to the tip of the hill only for it to roll down again every time the ungrateful person on the other end of the line hangs up. The futility and thanklessness of your efforts is only rewarded by statistics on a screen that you hope are high enough to keep your micromanaging supervisor off your back. Of course, the beauricratic inertia that customers fa…

Some organization's customer service departments are appalling for information to call into. Every time you call in, you're starting from scratch, telling the same story and documenting the same requests until you have the entire thing rehearsed down to a science. I've personally encountered this a few times in the last couple of years and it feels like it's only increasing in frequency with the rise of reliance on automated “AI” customer service systems.. After getting stranded in Houston last…