When you deal with customers, no matter how big or small your operation is, there's the inevitable risk that, at some point, you'll stray across an unreasonable one. It's incredibly likely that your experience with this someone with culminate with them blaming you for problems and unhappiness of their own making while gesturing wildly in a manner reminiscent of a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man—just to be sure they've gotten their point across. If the experience doesn't end in an…

Anyone who has worked retail or otherwise dealt with customers knows all too well that customers generally will try anything and everything to get their way. This includes (but is not limited to) quoting irrelevant pieces of legislation, being generally aggressive, hurling insults, demanding a manager, and name-dropping the owner (or some other executive.) In the case of name-dropping, if you actually bother to bother the person whose name is being dropped, they'll usually have no idea who the…

Some companies have stupid rules, there's just no way about it. Like Gamestop buying a game back for a miniscule percentage of the price they turn around and sell it for… or being told that “You have to wear pants at Target.”

We've said it once, and we'll say it a thousand times: When making a demand from an underpaid retail worker who would probably rather be somewhere—no, anywhere else than standing here listening to you, you'd better choose your words wisely. You might end up with exactly what you wished for—just… not quite how you pictured it. (The monkey's paw curls .) That's what happened in this classic case of malicious compliance, which was shared to the popular Reddit sub of the same name by Redditor u/Lai…

It's important for all you perfectionists out there to remember that not everything always has to be exact. Sometimes it's ok, better even (for everyone involved) if you just leave things to a little bit of healthy approximation. Sometimes the best answer is the one that is delivered quickly. Although, engineers, surgeons, and scientists need not heed this advice—you guys just keep doing your thing. This is the logical purpose behind measuring rice by the cup, water by the gallon, and crickets…

Be careful what you wish for! If what you desire is urgent medical assistance (for a non-urgent injury) from someone who isn't qualified or even capable of providing that assistance. The real truth of the matter is that this family felt entitled to receive attention from this customer service representative simply because they were a customer service representative — and that's what they're there for, right? To justify your need to feel important. I don't know if I can really stand by this coll…

In contrast to the other interactions we see posted online by customer service persons, this one is pretty innocuous. It does a great job of providing insight into the sheer number of bizarre interactions you have — week in and week out — when you work in a public-facing role. Not all of them are Karens losing their marbles over the slightest inconvenience — but they will still leave you scratching your head and wondering what in gods name you have just witnessed. I used to sell bikes, and some…

It's important not to succumb to the sweet nectar of hubris. When we begin to think too much of ourselves, we invite the certainty that we will be made fool of.

It's no great secret that people tend to get worked up about things that really just aren't worth it. Sure, waiting for an unexpectedly long amount of time for your food can be frustrating, and by the time it arrives it's usually cold, but you're forced to begrudgingly eat it in the state that it's in because your hunger has reached unbearable levels. People tend to get irrational when they're hungry but going as far as to attack a delivery driver over a late delivery is downright insane, espec…

You should probably treat your coworkers with a little respect, even if they work at a different location than they do.

It's only natural for a customer service rep to try and save you from a grave error. In most situations, they would have no requirement to do so, but ensuring that they have a happy customer receiving the desired product will make their job easier in the long run, no matter how altruistic they intend to be, by correcting a response. There's nothing worse than being contacted by an angry customer insisting that they didn't order exactly what they ordered and received. In this situation, people c…

This guy was fired from a store he didn't even work at after an enraged Karen insisted on his termination. He posted to Reddit's popular r/IDontWorkHereLady in order to share his story. Thanks to retrogressive policies like “The customer is always right" we have conditioned all of these entitled people in the world to think that they can get everything their way. The sad thing is that they are often completely right and they have this worldview reinforced time and time again by constant arse ki…

When this disgruntled customer left a 1-star review describing their poor experience at a cafe, the owner set out to put the story straight with this thorough and scathing response. "It's missing "f- you" at the end," commented user North-Ad-5058. “It’s pretty heavily implied," replied user Appropriate_Town6385. “This is a great example of telling someone to go fuck yourself in the politest way possible,” offered user Stephen501.

When this patient walked up to the receptionist to try and make an appointment they were told that appointments could be made over the phone only, so they whipped out their phone and called the doctor's office right in front of the receptionist. Bureaucracies are an inertant force and dealing with them can be like dredging sludge off the ocean floor. Their entire existence serves to slow penetration and discourage inquiries from advancing any further than they need to. In favor of the reception…

This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit by Redditor “I was once mystery-shopped at a Petsmart by someone who asked for help finding food and toys for her guinea pig," shared Rainyqueer1. "We had a great interaction, talked about guinea pig needs, nutrition, etc.” "80% on my mystery shop score because I forgot to ask the GP’s name. My bad I guess, but…wow, I’m glad my retail days are over. I just don’t care what your rodent’s name is." “I got fired from bb [Best Buy] years ago fo…

One Fish, Two Fish, Less-Fish-For-You Fish