Almost certainly, at some point, those working shift work, or in other jobs where timesheets need to be kept, have been told by some manager not to “bother” reporting time that they worked over their shift because it's “inconvenient” for them to report it. Sometimes, this comes in the form of being told that it needs to be at least 15 minutes to be reported and counted for anything, but that's not really true—at all. If anything, if their system can't handle menial minutes overtime, then they s…

We thought the titular contests of the “Hunger Games” series were just some SciFi hoopla, yet here is this eerily similar real-world equivalent: competing for the privilege of working so that you can continue to support your own survival. In fact, “Hunger Games” is a fitting name given the fact that the arena for this real-world analog was in a restaurant. Everyone who has ever worked in the service industry or retail knows that customer reviews are a total grab bag, you can do nothing exceptio…

Some people assume the worst of others, declaring everyone else to be lazy, foolish, or otherwise plotting and scheming something nefarious. But let's be honest, they're probably doing so to deflect from their own shortcomings—which are probably the exact same things they're accusing others of. Having one of these people as your boss or employer is, of course, going to ensure you a terrible time during every moment you're at work, with constant accusations of slacking, skiving, and even stealin…

There's a lot to complain about in this world—if you go looking for it… but who wants to live their life like that anyway? You're far better off putting that time and energy towards something productive and just getting on with it rather than falling into that line of thinking. Regardless, you're determined to find something to take issue with… the size of your toast probably isn't one of them worth worrying about—there are plenty of other things that should take priority on the list Who knows.…

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…

Some people just don't respond well to rejection, even when that rejection comes in the perceived form of an employee handing in their notice even if they've never treated the employee well or cared much for them in the first place. Anyone who has been around the block a couple of times in their career will know how this goes. They'll say it's about betrayal and the fact that you're leaving your ream high and dry with a touch of “How could you do this to us,” this might be followed by silent tr…

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…

The arrogant customer in our next story who tried to swindle his customer service rep over the phone, money-grubbing for an extra $200 credit on his Internet bill. But for the working man struggling to keep his cool over the phone, this customer presented a particularly satisfying opportunity for malicious compliance that only comes once every blue moon.

Some people have a tendency of taking really low stakes situations way too far, making things that have no business being stressful very stressful indeed. When you work in customer service these situations will usually present themselves in the form of people making audacious demands and being impolite for no reason—sometimes even having meltdowns in the lobby of your restaurant or store. All that being said… Burritos are a serious business, so it's no surprise that people take situations like…

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…

Cool as a cucumber

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…

We've all been there, standing at the front of the line at the coffee shop and the blue-haired barista with an eyebrow piercing lethargically whips the iPad around towards you before saying, 'It's just going to ask a few questions'. We don't want to tip 35% but with the next customer in line breathing down our neck and the angry cashier in front of us, the peer pressure can be insurmountable.

The tipping culture these days is something that has definitely gotten out of hand. Setting aside the ridiculous expectations that people should be tipped for even the smallest of services, even hardworking waiters and servers should be getting their money from their employers, and not have to rely on tips from customers. Still, this is how things are, and a large percentage of waiters' income is in fact, from tips. Which is why this Reddit story is so infuriating. OP went out to dinner with th…

At a certain point, ordering a specific dish without the vital components that make it that specific dish in the first place becomes pretty pointless. For example, if you order a cheeseburger without cheese, it's just a hamburger; and if you order eggs benedict without hollandaise sauce , that's just poached eggs on a bun; and if you order a Ceasar salad without anchovies, you're just going to get a few lettuce leaves and croutons on a plate.

After working in customer service, there are some experiences that will stick with you long after. These experiences will mostly be the exceptional ones that stand out even from every other bizarre daily interaction.