Comments (50)

1. 1) I once saw a woman start crying because the cashier wouldn’t accept her expired coupon. First she was screaming, then just had a complete breakdown. I always pick the worst line.

   2) How about Joe Scarborough?

   3) I live in southern California and always thought Baja Fresh would do well nationally. I don’t know how well they’re actually doing, but I know I’ve seen them pop up all over the country in the last decade.

   4) I know a little HTML…probably not your girl for this one. Good luck! I hope a fellow flosser comes through for you!

   posted by Tamara on 6-12-2009 at 2:45 pm

2. I once had a customer who ordered a dozen silver bowls for a wedding that was about 3 months away. I expected them to come in on my next shipment but they didn’t so I called the customer to apologize and told them I would be transferring them from the nearest store that had any in stock. The nearest store happened to be 50 miles away and I did the driving myself, which I told them just so they had a timeframe. I retrieved the bowls and brought them back to my store the following afternoon. When the customers came a few days later, they asked me to honor a promotion that 1) had expired weeks earlier and 2) never applied to the bowls in the first place. When I apologetically said I couldn’t do so, the husband started yelling at me, wanting to know why I “couldn’t just accomodate [them] for once!” Apparently, the 100-mile round trip for something they didn’t need for another 3 months didn’t constitute being accomodated.

   posted by Mother Chat on 6-12-2009 at 2:53 pm

3. 1) My senior year of high school, I worked for FuncoLand. (A video game store.) During the Christmas season, a customer looked at a power glove then left. When she came back in, she wanted to buy it, but someone else had already bought it. I was trying to explain to her that I could see if another location had one when she “wished cancer upon all of us that worked there” and left. That has stuck with me for 11 years now.

   posted by Heather on 6-12-2009 at 2:54 pm

4. Until recently my job was to proofread legal transcripts before they went out to lawyers. Once a lawyer called and asked me to tell her how her client had answered a specific question because there was some confusion over what he’d said. (Obviously she didn’t want to have to buy the whole thing.) The transcript was 200 pages long. I told her I couldn’t do it and she got really huffy. Fortunately, my boss sided with me.

   posted by Jenn on 6-12-2009 at 2:55 pm

5. 3) the man who created “Steak Out” is from Huntsville, AL. After selling the concept nations-wide, he took the money and created a local resturant named “Rosie’s” (he now has two in Huntsville). Great mexican food, open, great service but the kicker is the house specialty drink: a frozen margarita with a swirl of sangria! A couple of these and life after work is MUCH more tolerable.

   posted by Zane on 6-12-2009 at 2:56 pm

6. 1) I’ve worked as an Admitting clerk for a local medical group. I would see patients complain that our sliding doors would slide close too fast, why don’t we have enough doctors and too many patients, but my favorite was if I could go and take a look at the elevator switches (on thwe basement floor) and see if I could make it go any faster. Do I look like an elevator service person?

   2)I would like to know more about people who are involved with anything to do with the Miss America or Universe pageant. It seems the common folk are missing out on such drama in that field.

   3) I’ve always loved In and Out here in Southern California. The idea of them going nationwide is bittersweet. Everyone would be able to enjoy their awesome burgers but then they wouldn’t be such a California staple. I guess we could trade them for White Castle going nationwide.

   posted by Colene on 6-12-2009 at 2:59 pm

7. First, my husband’s name is John White (along with probably a million other people, one of whom is on whatever list raises the red flag at airport check-in, but that’s another story), and he’s also a “can’t-help-but-say-his-full-name” kind of guy.

   1) I worked at tween mecca Limited Too for many happy years. Save for one miserable night when I grabbed a key, opened a mysteriously locked-from-the-inside dressing room door, and spotted what I first thought was a brown leaf. Nope. It was a big pile of poop. The kicker? The culprit used one of our size 6 children’s tees as toilet paper.
   2) How about the guy who invented contact lenses?
   3) Upstate NY–Wegmans grocery store! They’ve started expanding on the east coast, but their reputation as a great grocery, dining experience, bakery, florist, employer, etc., could do well anywhere.
   4) Can’t help you, but that’s awful. Good luck!

   posted by Lindseydl on 6-12-2009 at 3:01 pm

8. 3) In the Northeast US, we miss the Steak N’ Shake restaurants that have existed for so long in the midwest and now all over Florida. Great burgers, fries and shakes! I’d love to have (or own) a franchise of that in New England or elsewhere!

   posted by John W. on 6-12-2009 at 3:05 pm

9. 1.) I used to sell cell phones for a living. I will never forget the day when an elderly, male customer of mine came in the day after the sale and accused me of being a crook. When I asked him what the problem was he told me that the phone didn’t work. Confused, I went through the programming, made sure the phone was activated and didn’t find anything wrong. When I tried calling the store’s number from the cell phone, it instantly rang. The man was befuddled. He told me that he was convinced the phone wasn’t working because he couldn’t hear the dial tone when he “picked up” the phone.

   3.) Taco John’s. Beats Taco Bell any day of the week.

   posted by tambalina on 6-12-2009 at 3:09 pm

10. 1 – I worked at a Burger King for a few years. One of the most unreasonable requests I remember was the customer who always ordered their fries off the fryer… even if they just came out less than a minute ago. (And don’t get me started about the guy whose car went up in flames in the drive-thru, or the folks reading porn at the drive-thru window!)

    2 – Seeing how Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is being released next week, I’d like to see articles on the voice actors; specifically, Frank Welker and/or Peter Cullen.

    3 – I would have said In-N-Out, but Colene beat me to the punch. So, I’m going with another So Cal staple – Tommy’s Hamburgers and Hot Dogs.

    4 – Can’t help you there, sorry! Good luck!

    posted by Steve on 6-12-2009 at 3:23 pm

11. I’ve worked a lot of retail and I have two incidents of terrible customer issues/requests:

    1. Tickle Me Elmo was big in the 90s when I worked for Toys R Us. This was before things were reserved. We had a very strict policy that we couldn’t hold any for anyone. A grandmother came in and tried to bribe me into giving her a Tickle Me Elmo. I refused and she freaked out on me, “It’s my grandson’s birthday in two days, blah, blah, blah.” I should have taken the bribe. To this day, I hate Tickle Me Elmo.

    2. I worked at Lane Bryant and my coworker was kind of idiot. This dude came in and wanted to try on clothes for a “costume” party where the men had to dress as women. We were cool with guys buying women’s clothes if they liked to cross dress, but trying them on was tricky. It seems that this gentleman was not a cross dresser. Rather, he had put on a pair of pantyhose and was masturbating into them. He called the idiot coworker into the changing room and essentially “showed” her what he was doing.

    posted by Meg on 6-12-2009 at 3:39 pm

12. 1) I once saw a co-worker going ballistic on a home depot employee for not having a door stop they used to carry. That was strange.

    3) Baja Fresh. Mexican slow food chain in Nor Cal.

    4) I’ve worked in IT for over 15 years, my recommendation would be to wipe it all out and start over. For what you’re doing (sharing pictures, making NBA predictions) I’d consider using a social networking site like Facebook, its free. Or I’d look into changing my hosting. Your web hosting company should be scanning your content for viruses and should get rid of them. In any case, if you want free advice, feel free to email me.

    posted by Scott on 6-12-2009 at 3:41 pm

13. 3) One word: Wawa. Facebook groups are dedicated to it, and people all over the region vehemently defend it when an out-of-towner dares to mock its name!

    posted by Liz on 6-12-2009 at 3:44 pm

14. @colene You don’t have to worry about In-n-Out going nationwide. They don’t franchise and have very strict standards regarding the ingredients used. It all has to be very fresh and they use a specific type of potatoes for their fries. And that’s why pretty much my first meal every time I go to San Fran is a cheeseburger. I covet In-n-out.

    recaptcha: the occasion

    posted by nikki on 6-12-2009 at 4:01 pm

15. Bad customer behavior + bad management behavior! It’s a two for one!

    When I was in college I worked as a stock-person in the pharmacy section of a Wal-Mart for a short time. When an elderly man sidled up to me one evening and started making conversation, I was polite to him, but went on with my work while I talked.

    Well, I went on with it until he grabbed one of my breasts. When that happened, I told him to stop and beat a hasty retreat.

    Then management told me to go apologize to the customer for running off. I refused and quit on the spot.

    posted by Laura. on 6-12-2009 at 4:16 pm

16. 1) My favorite customer service story is a reverse story. I was trying to contact a company to order some items through 800 number. After working my way through several computer-voice menus and options (press 1, press 2, press 666), I finally reached a live person. I explained that I wanted to place an order… unfortunately, the computer was down!
    2) Actually the Iacocca family has some interesting history that has nothing to do with automakers. They and/or Lee might be a very interesting choice. (Can you say, Yocco’s?)
    3) I prefer local restaurants and would rather not see them turned into a chain. Not all chains do it consistently well, although some have. (BTW, Five Guys is a good substitute for In-n-Out, if you are in a pinch.)
    4) Sorry! Can’t help on this one!

    posted by Hyacinth on 6-12-2009 at 4:17 pm

17. 1) I used to work retail at an “upscale” woman’s clothing store. One day during the holiday rush, we ran out of gift boxes. One woman asked me if I was really sure we were out and couldn’t I “make her one” and when I told her we were really completely out of boxes but she could come back with her receipt in a few days when we got more, she threw the sweater she was holding at my head and walked out.

    posted by Victoria on 6-12-2009 at 4:22 pm

18. 1. at one time about 10 years ago I sold cell phones in a kiosk at a Wal-Mart that didn’t have the greatest clientele. It was the third job I was working at the time. I didn’t care about commission (which wasn’t much) — I just needed hours because I had a baby on the way.

    After people would fill out an app, the last step would be to call in a credit check. It would either come back no deposit, $250 deposit required, or $500 deposit required. People would go nuts on me once they heard I needed 500 clams from them just to set up an account. “Whucchu mean I ain’t got good credit?” After a few weeks of this I wound up trying to steer people away from filling out an app so I wouldn’t have to do the dreaded credit check. “Honestly, our signals aren’t that great right now but we’re working on it . . . This is a two year commitment, maybe you should think it over for a day . . . I shouldn’t tell you this, but the word is that next month there’s some BIG announcement about new plans coming out . . .” I still have nightmares about being cornered in that little booth with some rube yelling at me.

    posted by EV on 6-12-2009 at 4:23 pm

19. 1.) I have told this story on this board before, but I literally had an irate customer wave a cheeseburger around in my face because it was pink in the middle and her son couldn’t eat that. I then pulled out her order slip showing her she ordered it medium and medium is pink in the middle. Needless to say, this did NOT calm her down.

    3.) Liz beat me to it! Wawa! I love it! I also second Lyndesdl on Wegmans!

    posted by Mavis on 6-12-2009 at 4:37 pm

20. When I worked at a bank, we once had to call the police, because a couple decided to have sex right outside the window, actually pressed up against the glass. We had this huge line, and it was terribly awkward. When the police officer arrived, the couple’s strategy was to flip him off. Needless to say, that didn’t go over too well.

    posted by Britt on 6-12-2009 at 4:38 pm

21. i had a customer service “incident” one time while working at wendy’s. i was working window and it started to thunder and lightning as a storm blew in. i knew that the credit card machine might go offline, but i was hoping it wouldn’t. this woman came through and ordered a bunch of food and tried to pay with a card and wouldn’t you know, the satellite link went down. she didn’t have any cash and she was sulking about having to give the food back (because we often handed out the food while the card link goes through). apparently her breaking point was when i told her to give back the frosty too. she eyed me, then eyed the frosty. when she picked it up i had an idea what was about to happen because she had been bitching me out for a few minutes by this time, personally blaming me for the whole mess and telling me what an utter shit i was. so big suprise when she launched the frosty at me- i managed to catch it but at this point i freaked out and started to scream at her about how she couldn’t talk to me like that etc. at this point i walked away and let the manager deal with it before i reached out that window and slapped her. lol

    posted by Sue on 6-12-2009 at 5:03 pm

22. 1) I was a manager at McDonald’s a while back and had a “customer” come in. She actually worked for a different McDonald’s, but if you have your McGoldCard and the most recent paystub, you can still get your discount, but only up to $15 (the total before the discount). She ordered about $25 worth of food, so we told her that we would have to do two separate transactions and she could only get the discount on one. She got very rude to my crew member, and then started demanding the meat for her Big Mac “fresh”. When my crew member explained that it was the middle of the lunch rush and everything was fresh, this girl said, “No. I want it fresh right off the grill.” I stepped in and told her that we could not accomodate her request at this time, and as a McDonald’s employee, she should know better. Her response? “Well, I get it like that at my store.” Good for you, but you still ain’t getting it here. When she realized that we weren’t going to acquiesce, she became even ruder to my crew member (a 16 year old girl at her first job), bordering on abusive. Since I had to put in my password for her discount and verify her information, I made a note of her name and where she worked. Later that day, I called her store manager and reported her behavior. The store manager there said thank you, and don’t worry, she’s fired the next time she comes to work. Made my day!

    2) I second the voice actors! We all know their voices, but nothing about them. The Simpsons would be a good start.

    3) I third Wegmans! I just moved to Rochester a couple years ago, and have fallen in love with the best grocery store in the world. They should be everywhere.

    4) I’m currently studying computer programming, but I don’t have nearly the knowledge to help you out with that. Yet.

    posted by AmyD on 6-12-2009 at 5:07 pm

23. 1. So many years of retail, so many stories. The worst? I worked for a retailer who had a “satisfaction guaranteed” policy that caused us no end of problems. The worst was the gal who wanted to return a car battery she had purchased 6 months ago because she “was not satisfied.” I agreed to refund her the credit she would have gotten towards a new battery, if she was really unhappy. She agreed, then stood at the register quietly waiting. I asked her where the battery was, so we could process her refund. Quote the customer, “I have to give you back the battery? That’s unfair!”
    2. I’d love to see a story on people who work at famous or unusual structures, and how they got into the business. (I once met an elevator engineer for the City of Los Angeles who was responsible for repairing official buildings’ elevators and escalators. Had lots of interesting stories.)

    posted by adifferentdaniel on 6-12-2009 at 5:19 pm

24. 1. I worked my way through college as a front desk clerk at a local hotel. I had a love/hate relationship with that job because when the customers were nice, it could be a lot of fun. But when they were upset about something, look out! I had customers yell at me, curse at me, throw things at me, threaten me, cause disturbances in the lobby, and try to solicit me. And no matter what, it was always my fault when there was a problem with their reservation. It makes me shudder just thinking about how horrible some of the people could be.

    2. I third the vote for voice actors. Also I’d like to hear more about some less well known explorers.

    3. I can’t think of any local restaurants I’d like to see go national, but I can think of some chain restaurants that I’d like to expland their area even more. Like Sonic! And Chick-fil-A!

    posted by Moth on 6-12-2009 at 6:25 pm

25. 1. I worked at a sporting goods store that had a strict “no refunds on bathing suits” policy. A woman came in with a suit, no tags, no receipt, and demanded that I give her a cash refund. When I explained that we could only do store credit, since the bathing suit could not be re-sold, she stuck the crotch of the suit in my face, yelling, “I never wore it! Here, smell it!”
    Good times.

    posted by Shaumarie on 6-12-2009 at 7:04 pm

26. I ran the support department for an internet company way back during the dot-com boom. We got some crazy emails from people. I saved the best. A few favs:

    - “Feel free to respond to my remarks if you want to, it doesn’t really bother me because I don’t give a damn!”

    - “I hope this isn’t as confusing to you as it is to me.”

    - “My web site is useless. Please advise.”

    - “I will explain to the fullest how I got the software. I am a law abiding citizen, and I intend to make everything clear.”

    - “…don’t worry about the service you’re giving. Compared to what I’m used to here in South America you’re ten times better than anyone else.”

    posted by Keith M on 6-12-2009 at 7:27 pm

27. 1. You haven’t heard idiot customers until you’ve been in a 9-1-1 Center. The Mc Nugget crises are just the tip of the ice cube! People will call 911 to find out what time a fireworks show or parade is. I took a call from someone who called _during a tornado_ to complain about a car parked in his yard. If you ever get to visit one of these centers you will see people talking very calmly and politely into their headsets, then hitting the disconnect button and screaming.

    A friend of mine worked at directory assistance and people would call totally unprepared. He’d hear them ask someone else “What’s Jimmy’s last name?” How did they expect to get the number?

    2. Hate to burst so many folks’ bubbles, but Baja Fresh has already spread pretty far. We’ve got them here in Nashville.
    One I miss from my days in Cali is Naugles (are they still around?)
    Sonic needs to spread out more. They’re in the great cities: London (KY) Paris (TN) Rome (GA).

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 6-12-2009 at 9:07 pm

28. 1. I was at a Hollywood Video where my friend worked when a customer came in wanting to rent more movies, but there was a hold on his account for having too many out at one time. He freaked out on the cashier and basically started threatening the guys life, cursing at him, threatening to sue, etc. It was very close to him getting physical. We attempted to call the cops but couldn’t get thru (turned out later that the non-emergency number doesn’t work on cell phones). The whole time the cashier was super calm! When the guy left we went over and told him what a great job he did and that we tried to help out and call the cops, but couldn’t. The real kicker was that my boyfriend works at Blockbuster and recognized the guy, cause he would do the same thing at their store basically throwing a fit till he got what he wanted. Needless to say when my boyfriend told his manager, that guy was banned from their store.

    posted by Haily on 6-12-2009 at 9:13 pm

29. 2)ALEX ( ‘Mo Green’/ Charlie Polniaczek’) ROCCO

    posted by Amy on 6-12-2009 at 9:34 pm

30. Another few for #2… BUD CORT, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN… the *real* Sweeney Todd

    posted by Amy on 6-12-2009 at 9:42 pm

31. One more, Michael ‘BEN LINUS’ Emerson

    posted by Amy on 6-12-2009 at 9:43 pm

32. I worked retail for years. I have so many Rotten Customer stories! The one that still baffles me happened when I worked at a mall bookstore in California. A guy bought a test prep book for the LSAT. When I wished him good luck on the test, he slammed the bagged book on the counter and hissed, “You think I need LUCK to pass this thing? Huh? Is that what you’re saying? That I can’t do this without luck? You think I’m stupid or something?” The harangue lasted for a full minute before he snapped up the book and stomped out of the store.

    posted by Jen in Japan on 6-12-2009 at 11:47 pm

33. 1. I worked many years in customer service but have tried to forget all of the bad experiences.

    3. Rudy’s B-B-Q in Texas. They claim to have “the worst BBQ”, but it’s quiet the opposite! My Pennsylvania bred boyfriend knew he was dating a Texas girl when he offered to treat me to dinner anywhere in the city and I chose Rudy’s. It’s also the one restaurant in San Antonio we’d miss if we ever left Texas. (Click on my name for the link.)

    4. I’m of no help, but good luck fixing it!

    posted by Christi on 6-13-2009 at 12:22 am

34. my friend works at radio shack. he has weird dudes come in looking for stuff like “hey man, i need a lazer powerful enough to burn human flesh? You got something like that?

    posted by kurt on 6-13-2009 at 1:46 am

35. 1. I used to do tech support for a major shipping company (sorry, but I don’t know enough about webpage design to help with #4). I had a guy call in shortly before the driver was due to pick up packages with the news his shipping software wasn’t working. Yes, this IS a major problem, I agree, but yelling “just fix the (expletive) thing” over and over at me, while REFUSING to give ANY information that might help the hapless tech diagnose the problem (”I don’t have time for this (expletive)”, right before slamming his phone down in my ear) does NOT help. One amusing one: very experienced tech next cube over one day mutters “crackhead”. I happen to know he’s on a call, so hope he had the Mute on (he did). After the call, I ask what happened, he explains that his caller had not bothered to back up his address database before *formatting* his hard drive, then couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t access that info.

    3. +1 for In-N-Out. The burgers aren’t spectacular, but the fries are the best around. Potatoes peeled at the restaurant, sliced right before they hit the fryer. Mmmmm.

    WV: “Underwriters demise”. Hmmmm. :-)

    posted by Seanette on 6-13-2009 at 3:48 am

36. 1. I work in the local ER on night shift. One night a man came in complaining of jock itch that he had had for six months. Needless to say this is not high on our list of emergencies. While he was waiting to be seen, a young male patient in the adjacent room went into cardiac arrest. About 20 minutes into trying to revive him, Mr. jock itch walks into the middle of the code, pushing past the dying man’s distraught new wife, and asks how much longer its going to be until the doctor comes to see him because he’s tired of waiting.

    2. I would like to hear more true stories from the homeless in society.

    3. Sonny’s BBQ is really good.

    posted by Chad on 6-13-2009 at 9:40 am

37. 3) @Hyacinth. Five Guys was a charm. I say was. I remember the one of the “originals” in Alexandria. Walking in and seeing the local guys you know hand forming patties and cutting fries in the mill was great. There was something about quality control, and boy has that left the equation after they expanded (can I say over expanded)? Now your order is taken by someone who was picked up at the home depot and made out of a pre-formed/processed patty. So let’s think about quality over quantity for a second and reissue that question Jason…

    posted by MICK on 6-13-2009 at 10:14 am

38. 1. I work in repair for a phone company. Those calls are always interesting. I talked to a lady once who wanted someone out in the middle of the night to get her phone fixed – even though we’d attempted earlier that day. I told her that I could “appreciate the situation she was in.” She started laughing at me and asked if I really knew what the definition of the word appreciate was.

    2. Blaine Kern or the people that make the Mardi Gras floats. When you go through the factory where they make the floats you can tell they have a lot of fun.

    3. Epic-Burger!!! In Chicago. It’s an organic with plant based plastic utensils. Very eco and local friendly. *sigh* Too bad I don’t live in Chicago.

    posted by Crystina on 6-13-2009 at 11:57 am

39. 1. Two big examples come to mind when I think of bad customer behavior:

    A. I work in a pharmacy, and we have a patient who consistently comes in and wants us to fill prescription medications for her when she doesn’t have a prescription. Then she gets extremely offended when we won’t because it’s AGAINST THE LAW for us to do it. Ugh… I cannot stand that woman.

    B. I was on a flight to Orlando and we had to wait to get to our gate because another plane was there. The flight attendants had asked everyone to stay seated until we reached our gate. A woman who was sitting behind me got seriously annoyed because she “had needed to change her baby’s diaper for the past half hour.” Well, half an hour before we were still in the air and she could have changed it. The woman somehow managed to change the diaper while in her seat, and then proceded to throw the unrolled dirty diaper at the flight attendent. When the flight attendent confronted her about it, she and her mother started yelling at the flight attendent and demanded that we go to our gate, which we couldn’t do because there was another plane there. They ended up getting calling security when they reached the gate. Everyone on the flight could not believe her.

    3. Javier’s in Northern Utah. SOOO good!!

    4. Sorry, I can’t help you with that. My brother probably could though. Good luck!

    posted by Janel on 6-13-2009 at 2:03 pm

40. Ted’s Montana Grill. could already be considered a chain, but like someone earlier said about sonic and chic-fil-a, it could be further expanded. Also, Skyline Chili from Cincinnati

    posted by ken on 6-13-2009 at 5:57 pm

41. 1) I worked at the campground kiosk at a national park in Canada and one night a young guy comes up to the kiosk and asks why he’s having such hard time start a campfire. He apparently had been trying for a few days. It had been raining off and on for a few days, so I said it was probably because the wood was wet. Then he asked us for a pamphlet. “You want some paper to start your fire? How about if I give you an old newspaper instead”, I said. He responded with, “No, I want a pamphlet on how to start a fire.” He was really surprised and disappointed that we had nothing of the sort!

    posted by Jaybird on 6-13-2009 at 6:16 pm

42. I was a whitewater raft guide in the early 90’s . Some of the questions I got were outrageous… “does the river come back here?” ( i.e. back to the put-in) or thirty minutes into the trip someone would say “didn’t we just pass that rock?” My all time favorite was when someone would ask “how did you make so much water?”

    posted by steve on 6-14-2009 at 1:49 am

43. I used to work at an Optometrist’s office in college. I answered the phone, “Texas Eye Associates this is Sarah speaking.” The caller said, “Hi Beth, I need to make an appointment.” I replied, “Sure, I’d be happy to do that, but my name is actually Sarah.” She said, “Then why did you say Beth?” Guess she told me.

    posted by Chickadee on 6-14-2009 at 2:01 am

44. I worked customer service and phones for wal-mart right out of high school. We had to answer the phones, “Thank you for calling your 24 hour wal-mart, How may I help you?” One customer demanded to speak to the store manager when I answered “Thanksgiving.”

    posted by Jenn on 6-14-2009 at 2:47 pm

45. Totally agree with Lindseydl about Wegmans expanding. We’re originally from upstate New York but now live in Philadelphia. We drive over to Jersey just to go grocery shopping at Wegmans. It’s that good!

    posted by earwig on 6-14-2009 at 2:48 pm

46. Alas for you fans of Baja Fresh: they attempted to expand into North Texas a while back, but failed miserably due to poor location choice, dirty restaurants, and mediocre food. I’m sure the restaurants in Nor Cal are great, but they failed the jump to Dallas’ hyper-competitive restaurant market.

    posted by Megan on 6-14-2009 at 9:05 pm

47. Bad customers? I used to take portraits at a higher-end portrait studio — lots of kids with parents coming though. We had our share of stories! One couple brought in their 4 month-old baby for a portrait, and as soon as the session started, just disappeared. They came back 20 minutes later with lattes. Then there was the seemingly endless stream of parents who would scream at their kids to smile, threaten to ground them if they didn’t look happy for the picture, etc. And then at the same time, when the kid looks miserable in the picture because the parents have spent the whole photo session berating them, turn around and blame us photogs for substandard pictures. UGH!

    I will also throw my hat in for Wegmans. They are the BOMB!! Great stores, great customer service, and also consistently ranked in the top 100 companies to work for. They know how to do it, and they do it well on all fronts.

    In your shoes re: the blog, I’d just start a whole new one and direct your family to a new URL. That’s about the extent of my know-how to deal with such things goes. Good luck!

    posted by Lisa on 6-15-2009 at 2:34 am

48. I worked in a local movie theater in high school. One night, for a sold out show, a pair of ticket-holding octogenarians arrive 20 minutes late. My boss asks me to usher them to find them seats–not an easy thing to do with a sold out show.

    I’m given a flashlight, but we typically only use these to shine on the floor. Instead, the old lady grabs it from my hand, stands at the front of the theater, shines it in everyone’s faces, and talks loudly to her hard-of-hearing friend for a good 5 minutes before they sit down somewhere. Ugh.

    posted by erak on 6-15-2009 at 3:14 pm

49. 3-Tokyo Joe’s in the Denver metro area is awesome.

    posted by Heaz on 6-16-2009 at 3:42 pm

50. Working at a gas station, I had a small line of customers, and thought it odd that I was smelling cigarette smoke even if the door was closed. (It’s illegal to smoke in public places in my province.) Well, I serve one customer, and he leaves. The next come up to the counter and promptly blows smoke in my face! I calmly told him that sir, smoking in public places in prohibited. He tells me that doesn’t matter and buys a pack of smokes! I only later realized I would have had the right to kick him out.

    posted by Joelle on 6-17-2009 at 10:35 am

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