If you've ever worked in retail, you've probably fantasized about telling off a customer.

Just how long should a customer have to wait for service when they're checking out at a store ? It depends on a lot of factors. For example, if you check out at a store at 6 PM and there are no cashiers to be seen for a minute or two, you might be confused and annoyed. At 2 AM at that same store, you'd probably take it in stride if there were no cashiers , knowing you may have to go find that person and tell them you're ready to pay. The same goes for family stores, or small shops where the sto…

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…

Turning a power-tripping authority's own methods against them b y adhering rigidly to their strict rules—turning the authority they love so much into their own downfall or to be “Hoist with their own petard,” as Shakespeare would have put it. And there's a reason why this theme is so pervasive throughout history and intriguing to us through to the modern day, the poetic justice of someone's own misuse of authority against them by turning their orders into a perfect act of defiance.

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…

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…

“The loud ninja makes noise so people aren't scared. When told to be quiet, he ends up scaring them instead.”

If you're going to claim you're BFFs with the CEO , you'd better be ready to prove it. First of all, has that line ever worked? It seems like some customers can't help but think that saying “I'm friends with the owner!” or “I know the CEO very well!” is a magical pass to getting whatever they want. This customer believes that just because they “know” the CEO, that the employees will suddenly start kissing up to them. That's not how it works, I'm afraid. Second of all, even if the CEO was her fr…

There's drama at the designer purse store ! Fashion trends are constantly changing. What's popular right now will be so off-trend in three years. In ten years, it might be fashionable again! That's why a lot of people like to avoid all that hoopla and buy something timeless. Many designer companies like to tout that their bags and clothes are timeless pieces that are well crafted, and they're happy to ask their customers to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for that designer merchandis…

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…

This is one of the reasons why being a manager is an amazing job. If you've ever worked retail, you know that dealing with irritating customers is par for the course. As a cashier, you'll spend your whole shift ringing people up, and a percentage of them are going to be crabby. So if you become a manager, you get to avoid the cash register more often than not. Along with a nice raise, it's a satisfying feeling to know that you only have to deal with customers when they're asking for a manager .…

This restaurant brought receipts—literally, when serving this freshly-baked smackdown of a belligerent local Karen who left them a scathing review on a community group. The post got “around 300 comments,” prompting the restaurant to reply. They gathered timestamped screenshots of the encounter along with the actual receipts of the Karen's transaction in order to refute her claims and turn the tide of public discourse against her. When you seek to publicly humiliate another person or organizatio…

This deli manager is pretty fed up with her customer's repeated attempts to get free food . Everyone needs to eat, and not everyone can afford to do so. That's why there are food pantries and resources for those who need them. Some people who are having trouble making ends meet go to food pantries to stock up on basics, and then go to the grocery store to buy whatever else they can afford. But this customer seems to want free food from a grocery store… which aren't exactly known for doling out…