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Spooked People Share Their Animal Related Paranormal Experiences

Spooked People Share Their Animal Related Paranormal Experiences

Spooked People Share Their Animal Related Paranormal Experiences

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Have you ever had a strange encounter with wildlife or other animals? These people have and they are sharing their spooky stories with us!

u/rmrgdr asks:

Hey Reddit, have you ever seen a mythological, spirit or ghost animal or a nature spirit or entity, or other spooky occurrences with animals, what's your experience?

The ghost dog

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A couple of years ago I slept over at my sister's house in my baby niece's bedroom. At 02:38 am I was woken up by a small dog getting onto the bed with me and settling itself down to sleep. I reached out to touch it, it was really comforting but then I realised my sister's dog was downstairs and definitely not little. I reached for the dog again but it had vanished. Sister told me my niece woke up every night at about 3am and I've always wondered if it was the little dog.

when's the last time you had your eyes checked?

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My grandma had a Welsh Corgi who lived to be 19. The week after they put him down, the next-door neighbor came over and was surprised that the dog, who was very protective, didn't bark when he knocked on the door. My grandpa told him that they had put the dog to sleep a week ago. The neighbor got really serious and said, "No way. I've seen him every day standing under the big tree in your front yard." We took this as a sign that he was still near us.

The phantom kangaroo

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When I was living in Western NSW, I was out exploring the area when I saw a kangaroo with unusual markings - it had a white face.

A while later I mentioned what I'd seen at the local pub and everyone got quiet then quickly changed the subject. I find out later what I'd describe was considered a bad omen in the local dreamtime, and I totally believe it.

The walking coyote

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One time I was hiking in southern Utah along a sandstone ridge, when I saw a pair of coyotes trotting along an adjacent ridge, maybe a hundred yards away. This could have been a trick of the light, confusing perspective, or me being tired, but I swear one of those guys suddenly stood up on his hind legs, looked around, and sauntered down the opposite side of the ridge and out of sight like a guy going for an evening walk. I just stood there for a few minutes thinking, "That was the weirdest f******* thing I've ever seen."

The hallucination is strong

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In the hours before my dad died, he saw his pet dog from 40 years earlier, our cat that died 4 years earlier and even my pet rabbit that died 4 years ago. He sort of marvelled at it all, "Even the rabbit is jumping around, she probably shouldn't be in here."

That's a scary tradition

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When my grandfather passed away we sat on his front porch later that night and 3 great horned owls flew over our heads. My mom busted up crying saying that when her sister passed away a great horned owl flew over like that, and when my grandmother passed away 2 owls flew over. I'm very curious if when my mother passed away the same will happen for me.

When it's a friendly ghost

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Our black Chow, Padfield, was hit by a car just before Halloween. Halloween night I was listening to a podcast of spooky stories before walking downhill to my studio in the dark. The wind was blowing and clouds were skimming across the moon and the trees were tossing wildly. I got spooked since we lived way out in the country, plus Halloween plus spooky stories. I actually felt then saw Padfield come out of the moving shadows from the place he usually slept and walk me to my studio door. I told him thank you then went inside and told my husband that our dog had just walked with me down the hill. He said, "Sounds like he was making sure you were okay." We miss that sweet dog. He was a good boy.

The shadow people guardian

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I used to live up in New Hampshire and for a brief period of time was having semi-frequent encounters with shadow people. At the time I had a job where I wouldn't leave work until about 1am and I lived in a densely wooded area. For a while it was bad enough that when I'd get home at night I'd be scared to get out of my car and walk to my front door. Then one night I was driving home and as I came around a big bend I looked up and at the edge of the tree line, looking right down at me, was a giant silver stag. When I say silver I truly mean it - not gray, not white - and it even shimmered ever so slightly. He was massive and beautiful and I immediately felt very calm and safe. I closed my eyes for a split second because I knew what I was looking at couldn't be real, and when I looked back he was gone.

I never saw another shadow person after seeing the silver stag and feeling that calmness come over me. Sometimes I wonder if he was some sort of guardian.

The cat man

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I had 5 other people with me at the time it happened. We were camping in southern Ohio at a private camp grounds. It was about 11PM and we were walking to pool that was at the front of the site. When all of a sudden it looked like a large black cat (about the size of a mountain lion) was crossing the road about 60 yards in front of us. As it gets about half way across the road it stands up and walks (like a person) into the woods. We were all about 16 years old and freaked out. But being teenagers we wanted to see if we could spot it. So we all run toward the spot with flash lights, never going into the woods. We never saw anything again and I'd never seen anything like that before. My family has been going to the same place for over 40 years and has never experienced anything of the sort.

When your pet knows...

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When I was a teenager, I went to a two day music festival, and while I was gone my mother decided that was a great time to have the dog I'd had my whole life put down. (She was really old, and I knew it was coming, but I wanted to be with her). So needless to say I was heartbroken, couldn't stop crying, and as I'm laying on my bed I feel this big whomp, just like when she'd decide it was bedtime. I could feel her curled up against my back, all warm, and I heard that huff she'd make when she got comfy. I put my hand behind me and I could feel her fur, and I calmed down and fell asleep. When I woke up, my dog was gone, but there was a big warm dent in the covers, like she'd just left.

Animal senses

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Growing up we had horses. I lived in New England and we had lots of area to ride on a hill near us (the town called it a mountain, but they had delusions of adequacy). One time I was riding and my horse stopped suddenly and refused to move forward, he then moved around the area we were traveling, a little panicky. I looked and could barely make out the remains of an old stone wall and a few rotting posts. I later was talking to our local 'town historian' and he was telling me of the lost smallpox hospital up there (in 17th century New England, if you had smallpox, you were sent to a quarantined area - the 'hospital' - and if you recovered, you could come back). When he described the location, it fit. I took him up there later, and he found fallen stone grave markers where the horse shied. That horse was always nervous around cemeteries.

Old habits die hard

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My cat used to run down the hallway at top speed and jump onto the bed every night when I would tell him it was bedtime. The day after he passed away I turned the kitchen lights off and told the dog it was bed time, then heard the cats collar bell and footsteps run down the hall.

The presence is real!

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My girlfriend and I had just had her boxer put down after a lingering illness. I had a dream a few nights later of her dog coming into the kitchen and then leaving, and of me turning to my girlfriend and saying "did you see that?!" In the dream, she hadn't. I was asleep a few nights later and had a vivid dream of her dog coming into the room and jumping up onto the bed, then lying on my chest. I could feel his weight, and I struggled to come out of sleep so that I could see him. I managed to wrench my eyelids open (it's very hard for me to surface from this type of vivid dream), and i could see his silhouette against the dark of the room, before he slowly faded.

When you can't logically explain what happened

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One morning my girlfriend and I were laying in her bed on a cold morning. We didn't have work or school that day because it had snowed. She lived out in the middle of nowhere, like no neighbor for a mile nowhere. Well I hear someone right outside the window say "get down, they're going to be able to see you if you don't get down." So of course this startled me and I turn around and see a guy and three dogs right outside walking toward the garage door. So I grab my handgun and go to meet them at the door and find out why they were there. So in those 10 seconds I get outside and no one was there. Right outside our window there were shoe prints and paw prints in the fresh snow. I tracked them down the back of the property and after about 100 yards or so there were only paw prints. I looked over to my left 10-15 yards there were very similar paw prints that looked like they had come from the forest towards the house. So I tracked those up to the house and then shoe prints appeared about 25 yards from the house. So I followed them to see if maybe they had gone out the front of the property but there were none. To this day I'm not really sure what happened or what was outside our window.

The zombie cat

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In college, my roommate and I we're walking around town at like 2 am (not drinking, just..weird kids) and we passed a dead cat in the gutter. It was a calico, big brown spot on one side and an orange one on it's face. Rigor mortis had set in, and there was a kind of greasy smear coming from under the head. We guessed it had been mashed by a car.

We walk down to a park, wander around, and come back the same way. A car passes us, and in it's headlights we see a calico cat crossing the road away from us. We get back to the spot where the dead cat was, and it was gone. Same storefront, same street light, same greasy smear in the gutter. No cat.

Kitty in the dryer

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A little over a month ago I had to put my cat down because she was suffering from an illness related to old age. The next day I was making my bed and I lifted up a blanket fresh out of the dryer (nice and warm) and my beloved kitty was under there. I saw her plain as day, blinked, and then she was gone.

The faries in Ireland are brutal!

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Friend is Irish. Her uncle has a sheep farm out in the country. One day he was clearing new grazing areas and came across a fairy circle. He's not the superstitious type so he didn't think twice about destroying it. This is a big no-no in Ireland.

Every single one of his lambs came out stillborn that year. Every. Single. One. He respects the fairies now.

The cat that wanted attention

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During my sleep paralysis episodes i used to see this cat in my room just doing normal cat stuff like scratching my furniture and laying around. I would see him pretty frequently too. One day he was scratching my nightstand, i tried to yell it him but couldn't. I always thought it was weird that i see the same cat everytime i have a sleep paralysis episode.

It could be true

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My dad swears that back in the 70's when he was camping in the BC interior he saw a bigfoot that threw large rocks at their campsite. My dad also did lot of drugs in the 70's.

At least it was a friendly dog ghost

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I've had a few strange animal-related experiences, but one that stands out for me was an encounter I had while staying at an inn. The innkeeper made no mention of any pets upon my arrival (usually innkeepers will warn you if a pet might be wandering into your room), but in the middle of the night I was awoken by the sensation of a dog licking my hand (I slept with my hand hanging over the edge of the bed). I opened my eyes to see a long-haired black dog standing right beside the bed. I love dogs, so it was quite heartwarming to me although unexpected, and I reached my hand further out to pet him. My hand passed right through his face as if he was nothing more than an apparition. The figure quickly faded out completely, and this startled me out of bed.

Things All Guys Do But Would Never Admit To

"Reddit user Miguenzo asked: 'What is something all guys do but will never admit to doing?'"

Four young men sit on a mountainside while laughing and talking
Photo by Matheus Ferrero

Men can be a mystery.

They like to hide as much as they can about themselves.

In truth, the rest of the world already suspects most of whatever behaviors they're trying to bury.

But often, it's so healthy to unburden yourself whenever you can.

Isn't it also comforting to know we aren't alone on this?

You do that? ME TOO!

Redditor Miguenzo wanted all the men out there to make some confessions, so they asked:

"What is something all guys do but will never admit to doing?"

Going to the bathroom sitting down more often than you think.

That's a guy truth I'll admit to.

I like to be comfortable.

Playtime

U Know Flirt GIF by WimbledonGiphy

"I play with my penis more than any other object, by far."

killsafety

"And not even in a sexual way. Sometimes just flopping it from left to right while watching TV."

OneMorePotion

"This is what my wife had a hard time understanding. Just cause I'm messing with it, doesn't mean I'm aroused. I'm just fidgeting and that's my object."

Cigarettelegs

HER

"Imagine your entire life with a girl you just met."

Old_Situation4990

"Did this this weekend. The most beautiful woman working as a barmaid I have ever seen."

"However, I know it's annoying having someone hit on you while working and working in a bar she must get it all the time. so I kept quiet ordered my drinks and didn't bother her. She remembered what I was drinking by the 3rd drink. that was enough for me. LMAO."

EngineersMasterPlan

Think About It

"Daydream about insane scenarios that will never happen where you're the main hero that swoops in to save the day. Common examples include things like thinking you could figure out how to land an entire airplane in an emergency, thinking about 'What happens if there's a robbery and I stop the bad guy,' thinking about saving someone from a burning building, thinking you could save someone's life if there's a random medical emergency, etc."

bbbbbthatsfivebees

Spoons and Forks

"Not sure if this is for all guys, but my BF will never ever admit that he prefers to be the little spoon 😭."

raviolixx

"I’m over a foot taller than my wife, so I often joke that 'she’s my better third.' But I HATE being a big spoon. Nothing makes me happier in my marriage like being a little spoon, curled up, while she runs her fingers through my hair… Just thinking about is releasing the endorphins. We will hit 29 years together in a couple of months, and it not only never gets old, it gets better with age."

ZacInStl

Pick Away

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"Nose picking is more common than anyone will admit."

oldwhitch

"Nose picking is probably the most efficient way to get uncomfortable buggers out of your nose."

AllDressedJalapenos

Ugh. Nose pickers. Stop it. Just stop it!

Whoops

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"Morning pees sometimes go sideways and there's annoying cleaning up to do."

Apprehensive_Sky9062

Sniffed

"Sniff our armpits to be sure they don't stink or we enjoy the smell."

Individual-Option514

"This one is def gender neutral. I've had several girlfriends be embarrassed that I 'caught them' smell-checking themselves. As if they thought it was some secret weird thing they do and nobody else did. LOL."

Zeallust

"When I get nervous I stick my hands under my arms and then I sniff my armpit smell off my fingers and it calms me back down."

Papaya_flight

Inch by Inch

"Measuring their penis. Yeah, some will admit it. But some refuse to admit it."

Just4TheSpamAndEggs

"I don’t need a tape measure to know what disappointment looks like."

flightlessf**kbucket

Haven't done it in a while. At this point, I'm too afraid it's gotten smaller. If that's possible."

Double_Win_9405

"I have honestly never measured my d*ck. Girls I dated did. The numbers really mean nothing to me. I only cared if it was too small. Once girls told me it wasn't, I was satisfied."

esoteric_enigma

I Feel Pretty

"Being friendlier to attractive women."

JoeSchmoe314159

"Attractive women are scarier for many, so a lot of us probably come off as aloof or rude whatever towards them because we just kind of ignore them (actually are just too nervous to address them directly)."

"This isn't such a thing for me now that I'm in my 30s and have a long-time committed partner. No pressure... lol. But I know when I was a younger guy in the dating pool, the very attractive women were terrifying... lol."

bossmcsauce

"Attractive people actually get treated better in most areas of life in general. It’s called Pretty Privilege. Attractive people are trusted more easily, looked up to more, invited to more things, talked to more, can get a raise easier, and obviously can date easier."

Ur_Fav_Step-Redditor

At least once

"If you're single; Having feelings/Attraction to almost every female friend you've got. Doesn't have to be strong feelings. Doesn't have to be romantic. But you've thought about it. At least once. Maybe three times."

TA2556

"Definitely not universal. This stopped happening to me after I started and finished one major relationship."

"You develop a sense for what you actually want -- and how much more valuable friendship can be than any random romance."

"Also, as a straight guy, having uncomplicated friendships with multiple women is a great way to just get out in life, meet people and situations you never would've otherwise, and not bog down your own psyche. Really elevated my 20s."

MRIchalk

Underneath

wicked GIF by Ice CubeGiphy

"Kicking ice cube under the fridge when falls."

Subject-Inflation805

"Gotta feed those shadow critters."

UnRealmCorp

I love the ice cube kick.

I think it's gender universal.

man wearing Nike camouflage t-shirt

Oliver Ragfelt on Unsplash

The Bible advises people to judge not, lest they be judged.

Which seems to have been lost in translation for too many purported adherents to its teachings.

On a secular level, we're told to not judge a book by its cover, but sometimes...

Sometimes it's hard not to get judgy.

Keep reading...Show less
A tin foil hat resting on a chair
Photo by Tom Radetzki on Unsplash

We've all heard our fair share of conspiracy theories, like Big Brother watching us, or the Earth being flat, or birds not being real (seriously, what is that about?).

We've even seen some theories get confirmed over the years, like our mobile devices "always" listening to us, though some remain unconvinced about the purposes behind that fact.

But there are some conspiracy theories out there that are far more unsettling than others, and some people have some very good reasons for why they believe in them and are deeply terrified by them.

Ready to hear some theories, Redditor sublimefan123 asked:

"What's the scariest conspiracy theory you believe is 100% true?"

But Where's the Lie?

"Octopi are aliens, and you can't convince me otherwise."

"Those motherf**kers came from a meteor or something. Their brain development rate compared to all other species is off the charts."

- venom121212

"Right? Name me ONE other motherf**kier that has eight different brainlets hanging out in their thinky-feely tentacles. That s**t's wild."

- PepurrPotts

"Samuel L. Jackson would LOVE this conversation."

- TheBookishAndTheBard

The Mafia Makes the Best Pillows

"The excessive number of mattress stores in cities; often within close proximity to each other. Money laundering fronts for the mafia is a distinct possibility."

- mansonsturtle

"In reality, it's due to a certain type of marketing technique."

"A lot of times, people won't drive to multiple mattress stores. They'll just drive to one. However, if the other mattress store is right next door, they are more likely to check it out and see if they can find something better, comfier, at a better price."

"So you usually see them grouped together. You'll see the same with auto dealerships."

- MaxHannibal

"Says the mafioso!!!! Caught you!"

- RambisRevenge

Educating Future Laborers, Not Individuals

"US education system knowingly underfunded to maintain a large unskilled labor force."

"Originally this made sense as we needed people to work the world's largest breadbasket and mine raw materials. Now those jobs are highly mechanized and automated."

"Combine this with a shift to main US exports being tech- and chem-based, and our intentionally woeful education system is coming back to bite us."

"Students aren't being taught how to be self-sustaining individuals. They're being taught how to memorize, to forget, and to serve."

- 89inerEcho

A Voluntary Trend

"'Throwback Thursday' or '#tbt' just appeared one day out of the blue, with the distinct goal of being a silly internet craze to post pictures from the past and compare it to modern-day photos."

"But I believe it was a project created by three-letter United States federal government organizations to encourage large portions of the population to post weekly photos of their past and present to enhance their aging and genetic algorithms."

"It would be hard to get access to everyone's old photos unless they had physical access to everyone's houses and snuck into each house to make copies of said photos. Why do all that when you could make it a fun new trend and let the people voluntarily give you the photos en masse?"

- yourusernameistaken

Distractions in the Media

"Insane wackjob conspiracies purposefully get propagated to detract from actual shady s**t that goes on."

"What's more? It f**king works."

"If you see someone even mention something that might be a conspiracy, that person is automatically determined to be a lunatic. Dangerous when you consider just how corrupt government, military, and corporations are."

- somethingdarkside45

Let the Women Have Their Pockets

"Big purses... I think that pocket-book companies have strong-armed, bought, or convinced women's clothing companies to make pockets ineffectual so that purses remain relevant."

- roygbpcub

"To add onto this, tech companies have bought into big purses and that's why phones have gotten continuously larger, so they can't fit in pockets no matter what."

"Seriously, though, I think the true reason why pockets for women's pants are so ineffectual is that women's clothing is selling a specific body type (slim) that protruding hips would go against."

"This really needs to be talked about more. Not only does it set a standard for women to have to look a certain way, but it also sends the message that women should ignore their own comfort or needs in order to conform enough to be attractive."

- that_personoverthere

Gut Health and Mental Health

"Food quality is intentionally low to increase the "need" for medication & supplements. Adequate health care is unaffordable to keep the workers in the ACA gap from living long enough to benefit from the social security that they have contributed to for their whole working lives."

- borkydorkyporky

"The food we have been eating in the United States is a huge part of the mental illness going on today."

- TheBozKnight

"I started eating 'cleaner,' and I am not perfect, but I notice such a tremendous change in my energy and overall being for the positive."

- purplehotcheeto

"100%, it is now being accepted and studied that our gut is directly connected to our brain and has a huge impact on mental health."

- SeatLong5131

The Unusual Rich

"I firmly believe rich people (given the few I've interacted with) think way, way differently than normal people. That shouldn't be surprising given the fact that they have enough money and probably power to basically do whatever they want and nobody will stop and say, 'Not enough money in the world that I should let you.'"

"They live with far fewer boundaries than most of us."

- MisanthropeNotAutist

No More Dentist Appointments

"Scientists have found a way to protect our teeth from plaque and cavities years ago but because of the lobbying money, they have been stopped from commercializing it."

- sonia72quebec

Pluto Held a Grudge

"We live in a plutocracy."

- Bad_Inteligence

"That's impossible, Pluto's not even a planet anymore."

- zsero1138

"Why do you think they demoted it to begin with?"

- AlwaysSaysRobot

Passing the Test

"Remember when we redirected that asteroid last year as a test, called DART? Yeah, I don't think that was a test."

"It doesn't matter, though. I'm glad it worked."

- no_onion_no_cry

A Troubling Trade

"That Reagan conspired with the Revolutionary Iranian government to not free US hostages until and unless he was elected in 1980."

"The Iranian hostage crisis was very damaging politically for Carter, who was a very likable and decent man. Americans sitting in Iranian jail cells severely eroded Carter's political position going into the 1980 election, and Reagan knew it."

"The hostages were released on the very day that Reagan took office, 20 Jan. 1981, literally, just MINUTES after he was sworn in. To this day, Iran has offered no formal explanation."

- VibrantPianoNetwork

No Progress

"I wouldn't say 'believe' as it's more highly suspect that it's true:"

"The American political system has one party with two sides. One side placates the populace while making as little change as possible. When people get fed up with that side they vote in the other, who rushes in pro-one percent policy and other things that further consolidate power away from the populace."

"That way we are always taking one step forward but three steps back."

- Patcher404

The Uno Reverse Card

""Questions like this get posted online by Feds so they can aggregate popular or new conspiracies. (This is a sarcastic comment but also... not.)"

- FactualStatue

"I think about this sometimes. Create bulls**t online just to see which groups are the most susceptible, or post stuff like this to get new ideas of what to push."

- V1CTORW0ND00M

They're All We Have...

"No one is secretly in charge from the shadows. The politicians we have are actually the leaders of the world and are genuinely what people voted for."

"There are few things scarier than that."

- m0le

Whether or not we choose to believe in these theories, it's clear why they would be terrifying to those who choose to believe in them.

But also, some of these arguments are pretty compelling, and it's equally understandable how a person could come to believe some of these theories.

Conspiracy theories don't all have to be about bird props and witch hunts, after all.

Shot Through The Heart! These Waiters Witnessed Valentine’s Day Disasters
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Valentine’s Day is a day of love and romance, but not for everyone. For some, Valentine’s Day is a day for broken hearts, breakups and blowups. Workers and patrons at restaurants and bars have a front-row seat to some of the most awkward, abysmal and just plain awful Valentine’s Day moments, where attempts at love don’t always have a fairy tale ending.

Three’s A Crowd

stage door band and crew onlyPhoto by seabass creatives on Unsplash

I used to be a professional musician and the four-piece band I was in got booked for a Valentine’s Day event in a local bar. The guitarist invited his girlfriend down so they could be together on the night. What he hadn't counted on was his WIFE getting the night off work and coming to the show too as a Valentine’s surprise.

Everything was fine for the first set of the night. Then the problems began when both the girlfriend and the wife met in the band room backstage. Most of the band escaped the obvious row that was coming and waited by the bar for the second set. What we saw next was the most outrageous show of a woman’s scorn anyone has ever seen!

The wife ran onstage and began trashing his guitars and all his pedals, leads, and amp. No one dared to stop her. She was rightly angry. Shortly after she left the stage, the girlfriend had her turn, destroying whatever was left of his gear. Between both cheated women, they caused around $2,000 worth of damage to his set up. Needless to say, we played the second set as a three-piece, but it was quite a show!

TheBoyDoneGood

Just Desserts

At the beginning of the evening, a man at our restaurant gave me a ring to bring out to his table with dessert. The couple began arguing before they even ordered and ended up screaming at each other in the restaurant. My manager made me ask the guy, as discreetly as I could, if he still wanted the ring with the dessert. It was that bad.

I didn't want to, but I asked. Big. Mistake. He then started to scream at me that of course he still wanted the ring. He was right, after all, it wasn't my business. So I brought out the ring. She said, "Are you serious?" and left. Then the man screamed at me again when I wouldn't let him chase after her and leave without paying.

In the end, the guy just threw the money on the table with a huge tip, but I think he just gave what he had and left. He had made such an insane scene that we had to give free desserts to the tables next to them to make up for ruining their evening. After the service, I told my manager I was never questioning a client's request again.

Lulastark

One Ring To Fail Them All

There was a couple seated a few places away from us. They sat far enough away so that we couldn't hear the conversation, but it was obvious that they were arguing. The waiter did his spiel on the set tasting menu and handed out a beverage list. The guy orders a bottle of vino for both of them and she interrupts with, "I'm good I'll just have water."

They continued over a very uncomfortable meal, during which he kept asking stuff. She'd respond with increasingly annoyed no's. The waiter returns and notices that appetizers hadn't even been touched yet. He tops off her water and his drink, then asks if everything was tasting alright. He finishes with an, "I'll give you guys some more time to enjoy."

She was now loudly enough that we could understand her now. "I can't keep doing this with you." She angrily forks into her appetizer and finishes just in time for the entree to arrive. The arguing continues, and the guy is looking increasingly nervous. Suddenly, he gets down on one knee. She said, "Oh God, no." He takes her hand to put the ring on it.

She snatches her hand away like he's lava. He still wasn’t reading the signals and said, "Will you do..." She bursts into tears. Everyone in the entire restaurant, who didn’t really understand the context of the situation, sighed an audible "Awww!" She said, "I can't believe you would even ask after what you did. I told you I needed space. I don't even know if I can trust you anymore."

After that, things were kind of a blur. I think she threw a couple of $20s on the table, then ran out. He stayed on the ground, still holding up the ring like he wasn't done proposing yet. The waiter returned with one of those sweet lava cakes topped with a little "She said yes!" thing. It was absolutely excruciating from beginning to end.

Hooked_On_Phone

Wing And A Prayer

A couple comes in and sits down in my section. I walk over just as the lady stands to go to the restroom and grab their drink orders. The lady goes to the bathroom and the gentleman says he knows what they want for appetizers. He orders boneless wings in two sauces. I run off to fetch their drinks and put their order in.

A couple of minutes later I'm returning with their appetizer. By this point, the lady had returned to the table. I set the basket down and she stares at it with surprise. "What's this?" I reply, "It's the appetizer that was ordered. Is it okay?" This woman turns to her partner and proceeds to loudly and thoroughly chew him out. How dare he order wings for an appetizer when he knew she wanted wings for dinner!

She runs on and on about how stupid he was for ordering wings first and I could just see the poor guy curl in on himself and slowly die inside. I stated I would give them a few more minutes and hurried away. The dinner was very tense and awkward after that. They barely spoke to me and I swear didn't utter another word to each other.

I felt so bad for the guy because he ordered wings since she obviously must have made it clear she wanted them and got torn a new one for it.

HopeDeschain19

No Stalling

I went into the bathroom at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day and made an...interesting discovery. Not only was there a man in the woman's washroom, he was down on one knee, sobbing as he proposed to a woman in a bathroom stall. She said no.

Bunyrabit63

Silent Night

person sitting in front of brown wooden tablePhoto by Ant Rozetsky on Unsplash

I witnessed one of the most awkward dates on Valentine's Day from a table that sat across from us. Both the guy and girl were on their phones the entire night, when the waitress came to get their food order neither even looked up at her to order. I was close enough to them where I would be able to hear their conversation.

Not a word was ever said. The girl at one point abruptly stood up and left (me thinking she was going to ditch the guy) but she came back and sat down. Again no exchange of words, not even a " where did you go?" That couple finished before us, and when the bill came they both awkwardly stared at it and didn't touch it.

The waitress came back 10 minutes later to check on them and said something like " I'll come back when you are ready" with the most uncomfortable smile on her face. Finally, the guy just takes the book bill thing and puts his card in. They leave.

SillyPutty2020

Love Hits The Brakes

I've worked in restaurants for 14 years, so you know my worst Valentine's Day story is going to be a doozy. One time, I had a guy ask me to help him bring the ring and champagne after dinner so he could propose to his girlfriend. Being a woman and wanting to witness the romance, I hid around the corner so I could kind of peek at them.

They were lovey-dovey all through dinner and everything seemed good and I fully expected her to say yes when he asked. She didn’t. In fact, the woman did not react well at all. She told him no and that she was planning on breaking up with him. She added the only reason she was on this date with him is that he said he bought her something special for Valentine's Day.

She thought he was going to buy her the car she asked him for, and she was going to dump him next week. Then she said since you didn't get the car, she's dumping him now and she left! The guy was devastated! I felt so bad for him. I will remember her for the rest of my life because how could I not? What a greedy woman.

Fromhelley

Sweet Ending

We had a classic of a couple coming in all dressed up and out for their romantic dinner, but as the meal went on they gradually got tenser and their muttered argument slowly became very loud. Walking back over to refill drinks or take plates seemed to make it even worse, but I couldn't just leave their (very small) table covered in the stuff.

By dessert, WWIII had broken out, and the evening ended with the guy getting a bowl of chocolate cake and ice cream emptied over his head. I still have no idea what they were arguing about, but the poor guy just sort of shoved a load of money on the table and ran out of there after his partner.

Missingthemiddle

Pizza Prognosticator

I used to work at a very local, family-owned, pizza place. It was packed and we only had two counter girls (myself and my girlfriend, whose dad owned the restaurant). We had a special on these really cute heart-shaped pizzas. One couple ordered one of them and my girlfriend brought it out, but got bumped because it was so crowded.

When she dropped the pizza it broke clean in half which I have to admit was super weird because it was sliced into eighths. The girl who ordered the pizza had a zodiac tattoo and was wearing a bunch of crystals. She got up immediately, pointed at the pizza and started yelling about how it was a sign and stormed out of the store after breaking up with him. We think he dodged a bullet.

Can_bee

Flowing With Emotion

A woman was eight months pregnant. A guy brings her in for Valentine's Day and has the mariachi band sing their love song. He pulls out the expected ring and she says yes. Things looked perfect! Only spicy Mexican food is perhaps not the best choice when your eight months pregnant. She hurriedly shuffled to the restroom five times. The fifth, she...didn't quite make it.

It's a tiny community, so I met them years later at a wedding party. I walked up and introduced myself. I mentioned I had met them years ago. "I was there years ago when y'all got engaged. The emotions were just... flowing that night?" The husband laughed until he cried, the poor wife just covered her face in shame.

TheLightningCount1

Living Large

person holding black smartphone in carPhoto by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

I used to work the drive-through at Burger King and I overheard this conversation on Valentine's Day while taking a car's order. Girl: “Get me a #3.” Guy: “It's Valentine's Day baby, you can supersize it!”

MarcOfDeath

Do Or Dine

I was a waiter at The Pasta House. At this time, another server was pregnant and trying to cover as many shifts as possible before she had the baby. In February, she asked if she could work Valentine's Day for me and I said sure. Dinner reservations fell through for my date and me so we decided to see if I could get a table at the restaurant where I worked.

I walked in the door only to see that they were absolutely slammed. The place was FULL of customers. As I came in, my manager said, "Thank God you got my message. She we went into labor and we need you to take tables." I told them I wasn't there to work, but to go on a date. My boss was so mad that I didn't get to work that he fired me. On Valentine's Day!

Icunicu

Dress For Unsuccess

My wife and I were out for Valentine's day and the couple next to us were having a breakup dinner. Oh, and it got worse. They were breaking up right before their impending wedding. She was in an early 90's prom dress. He was in a suit jacket and tie. She was loaded and getting loud about losing the deposit for the reception hall. She finally took a swing at him and the host escorted them both out.

Her poofy dress knocked over a couple of drinks on the way out. What an emotional rollercoaster.

Dc732

Wasted Space

I worked as a hostess at a busy higher-end restaurant. I was working at the front door with my friend. The place was packed and the waitlist was extremely long. A woman came in by herself and was a little upset to have to wait for a table. Since she was only a party of one, we found a space for her at the bar while she waited. It was about an hour wait for a table. While sitting tight for a table, this woman proceeded to get completely wasted.

She kept coming up to us and asking about her table and we kept updating her about the time. While she was standing there, a group of people came in and we sat them right away because they had reservations. She then started yelling at us and dumped her drink on my friend's head. The manager did not kick her out. We still had to accommodate her.

Astuary-Queen

Ex’s and Oh’s

I've seen a doozy or two in my time as wait staff at El Nonno's. The worst one is when my girlfriend came in with my best friend. I thought they were there to surprise me. Nope, this was their way of telling me that they're dating each other now. And I was stuck as their server. But this pales in comparison to when they visited the restaurant the next time.

So my now ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend came in again and had their wires completely crossed. My ex-girlfriend thought she was going to get a marriage proposal, but my ex-friend came to the restaurant to come out of the closet and confess his love for me. Then three was the time my boyfriend and my former boss came in together, and I naively thought this was a surprise.

It turns out they both forgot I worked there and came in to have an affair. My ex-boss was cheating on his wife, and my boyfriend was cheating on me. That restaurant was insane.

ylenoLretsiM

Insult To Injury

man kneeling in front of womanPhoto by Ben White on Unsplash

I was eating in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day and saw this guy kneel to propose. We were all happy for them until the girl said no. She used some lame excuse, something along the lines of, “Mike, I just don’t think that you’re the one, you know? Poor Mike is all sad and gets up to leave. He comes back two minutes later to get his wallet and sees her doing something shocking.

Literally minutes after turning down a proposal, this girl is talking to the waiter at the restaurant and, get this, swapping numbers with him. Mikey grabs some random couples’ drink and throws it on the floor yelling about their year-long relationship ending. He then stormed off and she just grabs the nearest guy and jams her tongue down his throat.

Babybibeluga

A Bad Reaction

As a bartender, I saw a guest in the restaurant throw up on his steak not even a minute after it was placed in front of him. His date kept surprisingly calm for that scenario.

KeysOnATable

Head-Banger

One of our favorite regular customers brought in her boyfriend for the first time and in her excitement, she bumped into a table and knocked someone’s cup off, which isn’t bad but in her haste to pick up the cup she hit her head on the corner of the metal table and cut her forehead open. It looked like a horror movie scene.

We cleaned her up and gave them a stack of free food cards because she’s awesome and we love her.

Courtneymadison

Checking Out

Yesterday in the grocery store I worked at, an angry couple came in right at 11:59 p.m., and tried to buy some booze after midnight. Our machines won’t let us do that after midnight. The couple got angry at each other and kept calling each other names in front of me. Finally, she says: “I’ve had it! I hate you anyway! I’m dumping you!” Guy: “You aren’t hot anyway!” Neither bought anything and scurried off.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

xSevusxBean4y

Not Using His Noodle

So, I had some guy who couldn't understand the concept of ravioli. He kept asking if we served "hollowed out spaghetti" (his words) and stuffed it with lobster. I said no, but we did use pasta. He kept reiterating that he wanted pasta. It finally dawned on me, "Sir, do you think that spaghetti is the Italian word for pasta?"

His date was unimpressed, but I finally get him down for an order of lobster ravioli, even though he still seemed unaware of what he was ordering. After he got his food, ate one of the ravioli, he said to me, like I was the dumbest guy on the planet, "Bro, all you had to do was tell me that they were Boyardee’s. I know what those are."

Shepard_pie

Material Girl

a necklace with a ring on top of itPhoto by Robin Edqvist on Unsplash

I was just getting off of work around 3 p.m. so I headed to do some grocery shopping and I saw a guy looking frantically through his shopping bags so I asked if he needed help with something. He confessed that he had bought a Wal-Mart necklace for his girlfriend because she told him if she didn't get something expensive she would leave him.

He had purchased it, but he had taken his eyes his bags for a moment and when he checked his bags again, the necklace was gone. He told me he had just been laid off and didn't have the heart to tell her no. I felt about an inch tall, helping him try to find a cheap necklace, knowing that no matter how good a guy or how bad a circumstance, some people are so materialistic that someone giving their all is still not enough.

I hate Valentine's day, I wasn't single last night, but boy I feel heartbroken for that guy.

IWasToldYouHadPie

Ring Of Fire

I worked at a fine dining restaurant years ago. A middle-aged guy came up to me, handed me a gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring and asked me to have the pastry chef include it with his companion's dessert. The chef found beautiful blooms to decorate her dessert plate and placed the ring in the middle of one. Her reaction, however, wasn’t what anyone expected.

She saw the ring, took it out of the flower, and placed it on the table. Then, she picked up her fork and started to eat her dessert without saying anything at all. The ring must have been an extravagant apology on his part and she was having none of it. I was tempted to say that if she didn't want the ring, I'd take it off her hands!

Kara_S

A Messy Breakup

I bartend. I'm assuming this couple was on a date. They just ordered their food. In less than 10 minutes of their date, I saw the girl take a drink and throw it on the guy. It hit the people behind him, the walls, and it soaked the floor too. She immediately walked out in tears. The guy's face as he just sat there soaked was indescribable. It was the most movie-like break up I've ever seen happen in real life.

ShadoeCrewsArt

Raw Responses

So the pizza place I work for cuts all the pepperoni pizzas into hearts and we had to make about 450 of those, plus 250 more pizzas, in four hours. Our slogan is “Take and Bake”, so we make the pizzas and you take them and bake them at home. Several times, we had people get their pizzas at the end of the line and go “It’s not cooked.” Deadpan, my coworker looked at them and said “Yes.” to every single one of them.

Also, I took a phone call, and I said “When will you be coming to get your pizza?” and she goes, “Actually I’d like it delivered.” Needless to say, we didn’t deliver it, and she hung up.

Atlas_rl

Sweet Nothings

Last year I worked at a high-end sweets shop. Everything is top-notch as advertised, it was what people were willing to do for it that scared me. Chocolate covered strawberries? $50 per box of four. We couldn't keep them in stock, and more than a few sweaty husbands begged us to make more and throw them in any container we had.

One guy walking in on Valentine's morning offered to pay us double, even without the fancy romantic packaging (we didn't take it). We had also sold a big embroidered heart-shaped box for nearly $100. One guy asked us how much it cost, left, and came back later with his friend. He'd asked him for a loan. To buy V-Day chocolates. Relationships are wild.

Permalink

Abrupt Ending

man standing and holding platePhoto by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

One of my friends is a server at a fancy restaurant in my city. He said that on one Valentine's Day, he walked by a table and heard the boyfriend say, "Well, once again, I'm sorry to disappoint" in a really nasty tone. Things got real awkward and quiet for another 20 minutes, then the couple got their check and quickly walked out.

ChanoMeetGW

Trying To Impress

We had a reservation for a kid’s birthday party on the bus (our restaurant has an old-school bus fitted with retro tables). A preteen couple comes in and the guy gets mad because we told him we couldn’t seat them on the bus due to the reservation. He tried to force his way up after being told repeatedly no. Pretty sure he was trying to impress his date, who watched this all unfold and looked completely mortified.

This One Is Sad...

My friends and I met up at this big food court to hang out. One of my pals got there an hour early and saw this one dude with a bouquet and a giant teddy bear. Almost five hours later we came back to the food court for lunch and the guy was still there with no date. He left shortly after and we watched him make a call, throw the flowers at the ground, pick them back up, and leave.

UnkownAri817

One Man’s Trash...

A few years ago my family and I bought some ice cream and when we went to throw the wrappers in a garbage can on the street, we found a perfectly intact and nice bouquet inside. We got the bouquet out, and we could tell it had been thrown out recently. There was a card but it only had the name of the florist on it. So we took it with us.

We had to meet with my grandma and her boyfriend right after, and they were like ''Why are you bringing us such a nice bouquet out of the blue like that?'' and we were just laughing as we just picked it up from a garbage can. We told them the story and they kept the bouquet for a week.

BlackChimaera

This One Takes The (Cheese)Cake

My wife and I went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch, in a bid to avoid the crowds. Next to us, a dude got down on one knee and proposed (yes, in a Cheesecake Factory). The waitress was filming it, people were watching, she saw the ring and started crying, he smiled, and all looked good. Oh, how wrong we were. When my wife and I left 20 minutes later, she was still crying, covering her face, and he wasn’t smiling anymore.

I couldn’t hear well enough to know what they were talking about, but they kept speaking in low voices. Didn’t look good.

BurrSugar

Forget Me Not

green and red labeled plastic packPhoto by Franki Chamaki on Unsplash

I walked into a grocery store which was pretty packed with frantic-looking Valentine’s Day shoppers. I walked in at the same time as another man with a confused look on his face and I heard him say out loud to himself, “Man, the store is pretty packed for a Friday evening.” Then, we both turn the corner and are met with all of the last minute flower arrangements and Valentine’s cards layout.

I see the man completely freeze and again out loud, he says “Oh.. no... no no no! Today is Valentine’s Day? Oh no!” As he quickly runs to the chocolate section, joining the rest of the panic-stricken dudes with the same looks on their faces. Hope those dudes are all still alive this morning.

Proper_panda748

Location Revealed

I worked a 14-hour shift then wanted to meet up with my boyfriend afterwards to give him his Valentine’s Day gift. He gave me an address and when I showed up, my jaw dropped. I realized it’s a sleazy club (he did not tell me what it was and only gave me an address that I used to call an Uber). So I went inside, balloons and gift in-hand, I found him, dropped off his gift and Uber’d back home alone.

Madcheesediseasse

Bad News And Good News

I had a man who was verbally inappropriate at his wife at my table, and I don’t mean talking over her and being rude. I mean saying things like, “What do you think you’re doing you stupid bimbo?” and, “I’ll give you $36,000 to get out of here right now you piece of slime.” I had four different tables complain about them and we eventually asked them to leave.

I’ve never seen anything like it before, at one point the guy went to the restroom and I went up to the wife and asked if I could help in any way and if she was alright. I’ve never wanted to assault someone in my life more than that piece of garbage. We also had something really good happen when our chef and her girlfriend got engaged at the end of the night! It kind of balanced it out.

Thejabel

“Utter Madness”

I ran the front desk to a hotel solo one Valentine’s Day. It was utter madness. We sold out with reservations, and there was a solid stream of locals coming in expecting to get rooms and then arguments with their disappointed dates when they were informed that we were booked solid. There were complaints from travellers just passing through and an older couple staying for a sports event about "loud amorous noises" emanating from rooms near theirs.

The phones were ringing off the hook from people looking to book Jacuzzi rooms when everyone in the city had been reserved in advance. There was a ridiculously inebriated guy getting dropped off in a taxi expecting to get a room after we'd sold out. He was irate and yelling, "What am I supposed to do now? Go sleep in the streets?"

Someone thought it would be a great idea to dump a trail of glitter and rose petals down an entire hallway leading to their room. And this was just the 3-11 p.m. shift. R.I.P. third shift and the morning housekeepers.

Catona

Table Service

When I was a server/bartender we had a frequent escort come to our restaurant. It was pretty obvious she was an escort as this restaurant was in a wealthy neighborhood and she would be with a different man every time. Once when I served her she said to me I'd make good money if I joined her company. So on Valentine's Day, she came in…

She was wearing big, gold hoop earrings, chest hanging out of a floral dress and fake designer bag. She sat down with an elderly man who I figured was married because he was wearing a wedding band. Anyway, long story short she was doing something inappropriate to the man under the table. The manager kicked her out and she never came back

MPic99

McLove

a mcdonald's sign and a mcdonald's sign on a cloudy dayPhoto by Jonas Augustin on Unsplash

I was in McDonald’s and I see two people at a table having a Valentine’s Day date with a red tablecloth and candles with fancy napkins and their order number card on the table. Honestly, props to them. Looked fun.

Youranoob

Recipe For Disaster

One man, one very angry woman, one very full glass of merlot, and one impeccably white button-up shirt. You can guess what happened.

JimJamSlamBam

Nothing Special

Had a woman come into a fine dining restaurant and tell me she was allergic to allium (garlic, shallots, etc), processed sugar, gluten, and salt. It's a four-course prix fixe menu for $150/person. Her partner had an excellent meal and such a wonderful experience. She essentially had crispy rice, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, pepper rubbed Arctic char, and skipped dessert. She did not have a wonderful experience.

I would have felt bad for her, but we go out of our way to give them the menu ahead of time, call to confirm that you're okay with the reservation and menu, and approve that the $150 price was legit. But she just kept throwing a stink because she must have expected us to create an entirely new menu just for her and it should have been just as amazing as the other food our 250 guests were eating. In the end, I charged her full price and got that 20% tip.

A note for those who don't restaurant often: Don't assume you're special on a holiday where everyone thinks they're special. You're not that special.

RadClima

Faking It

I was at a fast-food place alone on Valentine's Day because I'm a lonely guy. The dude in front of me straight up asked the cashier if the cook could make the best looking burger possible because he forgot he was cooking for his wife and wanted to pass it off at home as though he made it for a romantic dinner. Oh, buddy.

SheZowRaisedByWolves

Skin Deep

We're in the last hour of service, but we've about emptied out. A couple sat at the bar for about 30 minutes before ordering potato skins two minutes before closing and then asked me to remake them twice. They gave me some dirty looks when I put all my 'go home' stuff near them, so I said, "I'm not sure if anyone told you, but it's my Valentine's day too".

Psiloryben

Phone Fail

selective focus photography of person using smartphonePhoto by freestocks on Unsplash

A guy and girl come in. They order food and everything seems all good, then the girl leaves her phone and goes to the bathroom. The guy picks up her phone and starts snooping and the girl comes back and catches him red-handed. She is understandably angry and asks for their food to go. When she gets it she socks him in the chest and leaves. He paid for everything and quietly left immediately after.

SentriCast

Love Requires Patience

I work at a pizza place, where we served heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day. They took twice as long to put in a pan, and nobody was allowed to order ahead of time. Online orders weren’t going through properly so we had some customers waiting for their pizza for a solid 40-50 minutes. Short-staffed on delivery drivers as well. Overall pretty stressful.

Izeec

A Waiting Game

A group sitting at a table next to mine had an absolute meltdown because their food took too long to arrive. Most of them just left and the last few asked if they could just box it up and leave when the food arrived. They got it all on the house.

MistaBarnacles

Breaking The Silence

I was working in an extremely quiet, high end bar a couple of years ago, one couple was sitting in a corner booth having a screaming argument. Very, very awkward.

Delicious_explosions

Don’t Make Eye Contact

I've seen too many Valentine’s Day couples who spend 99% of the time looking at their phones. So sad. So lonely.

Freaknastyxphd

Take The Good With Bad

burger with lettuce and tomato on white ceramic platePhoto by Juan Rojas on Unsplash

I work at a small local Mexican restaurant. I can't think of any disaster that happened at work for Valentine’s Day, but my girlfriend did dump me before I left for work. Then a girl from one of my tables left her number so the universe is looking out for me.

Henred_

Love Hurts

Worst Valentine's Day I ever saw? Easy. I once witnessed a full-blown divorce discussion, in which the woman left and the man finished the last three courses of their tasting menu when she waited for a taxi in our lounge.

NicolBolassy

Valentine’s Lost

My mom has been a waitress for more than 25 years and has worked her fair share of Valentine's Days. She says she's sen a lot of sad stuff, but it's the worst when little old men or women come in and eat alone because their husband or wife had passed recently and they just sit there and cry. My mom will sit down with them and give them hugs.

Irlyneedtopisslmao

What’s The Problem?

I had a brief stint as a waiter in high school. This one couple looks very sweet and loving, with no apparent problems. The girl got down on her knee and asked him to marry her. The man's response was chilling. He started laughing hysterically and explained to her that proposing is a man's job, not a woman's. She was furious.

She started screaming about how inappropriate that was, then got her stuff and stormed out. He looked completely bewildered.

Jacobr1020

Misunderstandings

Her: Man, this is a great steak!

Him: Did you say this is a great date?

Her: ....no

RavesWithHerself