(I’m taking orders and money in the drive-thru booth during a rush. A customer pulls up to the window.) Me: “Hi, your total is $6.54.” Customer: *glaring* “I’m mad at you!” Me:...

Customer: “I want to return this knife! The lady I bought this from put this sticky stuff around the blade.” Me: “Ma’am, all of our knives have the protective seal to keep you from getting...

Customer: “…and I’d like extra tomatoes on my sandwich, please.” Me: “All right, that’ll be.” Customer: “Why is it so expensive?!” Me: “Well ma’am, you asked for cheese, bacon, and...

(Note: 1-1-2 is Germany’s version of 9-1-1.) Me: “1-1-2, what’s your emergency?” Caller: “Oh my god! Help me! Help me!” Me: “Calm down, please. Can you tell me what happened, if someone is hurt...

Customer: “Where are all of your baked goods?!” Me: “We’re going to be closing here in about five minutes, and we usually don’t bring out any fresh baked goods at this time–” Customer: “Well, in...

(Grocery Store | Victoria, BC, Canada) (At a large chain grocery store, we have run out of room in the back room. We’ve placed five or six pallets of pop up near our exit, and to keep people away from them we have placed caution tape around them. A...

(Police | Wyoming, USA) (We’ve had to close down a road due to a car crash in a snow storm. Fire trucks and ambulances are there with lights flashing to block the road. I’m at one side of the street directing traffic.) Driver: *slows down looking at...

(Candy Stand | Adelaide, Australia) (A customer and his four-year old daughter are checking out.) Me: “Would you like anything else?” (The customer looks at the lollipop stand on the counter, then looks down at his daughter.) Customer, to child:...

(Movie Theater | Denver, CO, USA) (I’m working the box office and a woman storms up to the counter, holding a copy of a popular satire newspaper.) Customer: “Have you seen this?” Me: “Yeah, I read it all the time.” Customer: “How can they get away...

(Bakery | Sydney, Australia) Customer: “Hi, I’d like to buy a lemon and lime pie please.” Me: “I’m sorry miss, we don’t sell those. We never have.” Customer: “But I was so sure. Let me just check.” *pulls out phone and dials* “Hi, darling…yes, I...