'What Are These Trees Made Of?' The Dumbest Questions Customers Have Ever Asked Employees.
"Service with a smile" is one thing. Service without laughing in a dumb customer's face... That's another.
This is based on an AskReddit thread. Link on the last page.
1/34. A lady came into the store and asked us if we sold "adult toys". This is a toy store. We don't sell those here.
-rottytops
2/34. I work at a hotel. A client walks in: "If I book a room, does it include the bed?" No sir, we only provide you with a chair so you can sit down and wait until check out time.
-rggrd
3/34. I worked at Victoria's Secret and a customer came in to return her wedding lingerie. She said she "only wore it once". There were markings in the panty area and an empty condom wrapper in the bag.
-PotatoMuffinMafia
4/34. Working at a small coffee shop that roasted their own beans/had their own brand. "Do you sell Starbucks here?" "No ma'am we roast our own coffee." "Well, that's just bad business!" Okay?
-NoDoThis
5/34. I went to dinner once at a Chinese restaurant in Missouri and a woman at the table next to ours yelled at the waiter: "Where is the other sauce?! We are supposed to get Sweet and Sour Sauce, but we only got one!"
-DeniseDeNephew
6/34. I work at an Italian place. We call our Italian menu items by Italian names with English descriptions. I get a lot of questions, but I don't mind because I get paid to talk about food.
The conversation sort of went a bit Abbott and Costello. It's not that the person asked a dumb question, but they kept asking it.
"Pollo e penne?" "Oh, that's chicken and pasta with..." "Does it have meat in it?" (continued...)
Keep reading on the next page...
"The chicken pasta? Yes, pollo is Italian for chicken." "Can I get the chicken but not the pollo?" "Pollo is just Italian for chicken, if you want the chicken, it's really good..." "No, I like chicken but I don't want pollo."
-trebuchetfight
7/34. I work at a hotel and I had a guest call and ask me if it was normal that his room did not have a bathroom. He said he would need to be moved to one which did.
I informed him that of course that all of our rooms have bathrooms, and asked if he had checked the doors in the room. He had not.
-RepletesMaryJane
8/34. Customer screaming: "MY NEW CAR'S BACK WIPER DOESN'T WORK!!!"
I calmly walk outside to take a look at the back window.
"Sir, you don't have a back wiper blade."
-Proxy12345
9/34. Back when I did tech support, I received a call from a customer with a peculiar keyboard problem.
It seemed that he was having trouble with the shift key. When he typed a letter with the shift key pressed it gave him the upper case letter, but when he typed a number, it didn't do that. Didn't do what? Type the upper case number...
I had to break it to him gently.
-donut2099
10/34. "Why are you watering down my coffee?" - Guy who ordered an Iced Americano.
-ricehatwarrior
11/34. This happened at one of the main shops in one of London's biggest museums.
Woman: "Does this room go all the way to the back wall over there?" She pointed a finger out towards the end of the shop-floor, past all the shelves and merchandise. (continued...)
Keep reading on the next page...
"That white wall at the end of the room? Yes."
"That is part of the room too?"
"Yes. This room contains all of itself."
"Thank you."
".... what the f*ck just happened?"
-ParrotChild
12/34. Worked on a Christmas tree farm over winter break in college. One time I had a lady ask me, "so, what are these trees made out of?"
-PM_ME_CRAFT_BEER
13/34. I'm a cashier at a grocery store, and one time I had a lady ask me if I could "tell everyone else to let her go first."
Like, she expected me to force everyone who had been patiently waiting in line to let her cut them. It wasn't like she only had 1 or 2 items either; her cart was packed.
-Arii797ros
14/34. Ran a lawn mowing service. New customer asks about the process. "Do you come to my house to mow it?" No. We pick it up and haul it to our special mowing center then bring it back.
-RichardStrauss123
15/34. I was a UPS driver
Customer: What's in the package?
Me: No idea. You ordered it.
-Bayarearedneck
16/34. "Yes, I understand I haven't paid my credit card bill in 3 months. But why can't I use my card?"
..."Because you haven't paid your bill in 3 months."
Rinse and repeat.
-nolooselips
17/34. "How do they get the mashed potatoes inside the french fries?"
-lusilab
18/34. I work at a gas station.
Customer: "Hey, the bathroom door is locked. Can I get a key?"
"There's no key, if it's locked there's someone in there"
"How does it know?"
"How does... what... know... what?" (continued...)
Keep reading on the next page...
Customer: "How does the bathroom know someone is in there?"
"People.... people go in and then they lock the door while they're using it."
5 second pause.
"Ohhhh!"
-SenorBeef
19/34. Worked as a pharmacy tech in the US, once had an older customer ask me why medicine was cheaper with insurance than without. He didn't understand the concept of insurance and kept saying "that's very odd, I'll have to look into this..."
-lacedwithlilacs
20/34. I work at a drive-thru and a guy asked if he could have his food to go...
-I_Stand_Correct
21/34. I currently work at Jimmy Johns. The same man comes in at least once a month and asks us if we have apple pies. When we tell him no, he becomes irate and questions us.
-ZilaneZaldron
22/34. "Can you aerate that for me?" He wanted me to stir his apple juice. Technically his word choice was applicable, I guess, but wtf, dude?
He had a straw ready in his hand and he could damn well have aerated that juice himself. I admit it took me 2 seconds of staring at his serious face before I reached for a straw, unwrapped it, and stirred his drink. I did it all without breaking eye contact with him, and he was satisfied.
-becauseusoft
23/34. A customer walks into our tiny bike shop jammed packed full of bikes. Bikes are hanging in the window, off the ceiling on the walls, all over the floor. There is not a square foot of space in the shop that is not occupied by a bike or various parts of one.
"This is the bike shop right?" Yes.
"Do you guys sell bikes or fix them?" Both.
"If I brought my canoe in could you fix that?" (continue...)
Keep reading on the next page...
I asked him: Is canoe the name of your bike or is it a boat?
"It's just a canoe for the lake. Do you guys fix them?"
...We're a bike shop.
"Yeah. But...
-Fink_Kedat
24/34. Working as a tech support manager for a dial-up company in the mid-1990s. A customer called to ask why his email wasn't working, and made me stay on the phone with him while he walked through it to prove it.
Lo and behold it didn't work. He wasn't online. Why? It was dial-up and he was talking to me on his one phone line.
-CrazyOtto87
25/34. "Where can I find the Kentucky jelly?" Eventually I figured out he was looking for KY Jelly.
-Eatsandyoungman
26/34. A customer once asked me if I was sure I wasn't pregnant. I had to inform her that I am just fat.
-gotsa-87
27/34. Customer: Where's the sugar?
Me: What?
Customer: I ordered sweet corn, this is just corn.
-literalmirmaid
28/34. I had a customer ask whether i was thinking of being transgender just because I'm a man whose hair is long.
-Storytellerbobfan
29/34. I was working at callcenter, trying to get people to pay their old bills. Naturally some responded angrily.
"So this is what you do all day? You just call people who haven't paid their bills?"
"Yes."
"So if I paid my bills, idiots like you would be out of a job?" (continued...)
Keep reading on the next page...
"If everybody paid their bills, then yes."
"Ha ha! Good. You just f*cked up by telling me this. I'm going to pay my bills right away. When you're unemployed then see how you like getting calls about your bills!"
The futility of eradicating a job that relies on the existence of poor people by making me poor escaped this genius.
-Lon-Abel-Kelly
30/34. Customer: "How do I use this?" He holds up a candle.
Me: "Oh, it's just a candle."
Customer: "But how do you use it? Do I have to light it?"
Me: Tries to act like he's answering a normal question.
-leopoldhendricks
31/34. What's the difference between a wired mouse and a wireless mouse?
-DeathisLaughing
32/34. When you get hired at Disneyland, other Cast Members warn you that people will ask you, "When is the 3 o'clock parade?"
You assume they are joking and exaggerating, but then it actually happens, and you have to tell the Guest that it is at 3 o'clock without a trace of sarcasm or exasperation.
-TheFriendlyCM
33/34. Are these donuts sugar free? Nope! They're deep fried and glazed.
-poochymane
34/34. CPA here. I had a client and his very cute new wife come in to drop off their tax returns. He asked, "Can I claim my wife as a dependent?"
I started to reply, "No, but . . ."
He blurts out, "What good is being married if you can't get a tax deduction for your wife?"
I stayed very quiet while mentally listing the reasons. She was less than pleased.
-Gavroche15
There are few things more annoying than when you are seeking advice and someone responds with a boring platitude that helps no one. Believe it or not, if you choose to provide advice, it needs to be specific to the situation and shouldn't be dressed up in trite phrasing. Does saying, "Keep your head up" actually contribute anything if that's all you have to say when someone comes to you in search of a listening ear?
But this goes deeper than just advice, to be fair. Some of us are sick of greedy corporations that stress the importance of being a "family" while refusing to pay proper wages. Still more of us are tired of people using certain language when other language can suffice.
After Redditor BensReddits asked the online community, "What is a phrase you absolutely hate hearing?" people shared their stories.
"At any sort of conference..."
At any sort of conference/gathering/presentation:
"How're you all doing today?!? C'mon, I know you can answer louder than that! HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING TODAY?!"
Instant resentment every time.
I second that resentment.
I attended a conference once where the main speaker did this several times in the span of thirty minutes as he announced different initiatives.
Such a headache.
"At my work..."
At my work upper management has started using the word "activate" a lot. As in, "We are working on plans to activate underutilized spaces." And, "Let's activate a few other teams on this." It just sounds silly to me and like they are trying too hard to avoid using simple, perfectly adequate language.
I'll take your "activate" and give you...
..."utilize." WHY?
What is wrong with the word "use"?
"I was born in Australia..."
"Your English is so good!"
Thank you, I was born in Australia and English is literally my first language. My standard response these days is, "Oh thank you, yours too!"
This one is especially annoying...
...if you're not alabaster white.
I repeat:
Also annoying if you're not alabaster white.
"Someone saying to a teenager..."
Someone saying to a teenager, "These are the best years of your life!" I am in my mid-40s now and most people my age remember high school as horrible and awkward. The more appropriate thing to say is, "Hang in there kid! I promise life gets better. Just get through adolescence the best you can."
High school sucked.
My life vastly improved in my 20s. Let's not convince teenagers that they have nothing to look forward to after high school's over and done with.
"That's nothing..."
"That's nothing... " when I tell them something only for them to turn it onto a competition and say something worse that happened to them.
Ah, yes.
The chronic one-upper.
Loathe them.
"I've heard it from people..."
"When you have your own children you'll understand."
I've heard it from people who don't understand that I want nothing more than my own family but being pregnant will kill me, and when I bring up adoption as a valid way of having children they'll buckle down on that phrase as to say adopted kids are not the same. It's disheartening to hear as a formal foster child and has reinforced my beliefs that no one really saw me as enough. Why would you say that to someone? All kids are the same and those without kids shouldn't be dismissed.
"I lost my daughter..."
"God has a plan" or "It happened for a reason."
I lost my daughter when I was 36 weeks in because of a sudden placental abruption followed by a uterine rupture, lost 2.2 litres of blood. I can't carry again without risking the child or myself. And I had to listen to a variety of phrases that made me want to hit those people. Those two were the worst. Followed by "You can try again" or "Did you get the child baptized?" (got this one only once though).
"Who on earth..."
"When are you going to have kids?"
Who on earth are you to not only insist I should stop and redirect my whole life for kids, but then put me on the spot and make up a timetable to change my whole life? Not everyone wants kids.
Now that you've learned a thing or two...
...you could say that all of the responses here are an exceptional opportunity to improve your social skills.
Have some of your own stories to share? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!
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| Image by freestocks-photos from Pixabay |
Dating is difficult––and truth be told, I don't know how anyone can do it right now, what with a pandemic going on and all. Just the thought stresses me out. Dating is especially hard for people who defy expectations in a heteronormative society. Take bisexuals, for example.
Bisexuals have been open about their struggles maintaining relationships with both men and women, even having to lie about their sexuality if they want to date certain people.
"I feel like if I end up in a straight relationship, I'll look like I was just experimenting all these years, but if I end up in a gay relationship people will say I was never actually bisexual," one man told the BBC in 2019. "Then if I don't have a monogamous relationship people will say I'm just greedy."
Indeed, the pressure to be either gay or straight can be a lot to navigate. After Redditor Trevor-on-Reddit asked the online community, "Bisexual people who have dated both genders, what are some notable differences you've learned about dating both men and women?" bisexuals spoke candidly about their experiences. Take note: You might learn something new.
People Share Their Funniest 'This Person Clearly Doesn't Know How The World Works' Experiences
We all know someone who really cannot figure out even the most basic thing without copious amounts of help. But when you meet someone who is completely and totally past all help, how do you even begin to try to help them get along?
Most of the time, they will just be flustered, or they won't listen. And you have to just stand Idly by and watch them fail.
u/FryingPanZ asked:
What is your "This person has no idea how the real world works" moment?
Here were some of those stories.
The Boot, Not The Camp
When I was in boot camp, some kid put his letter addressed to 'mom' with no address attatched.
I was gonna say that its not that stupid for a very young kid to do that, but then I realized you said boot camp and not summer camp.
Don't Steal Dangerous Chemicals
A student working part time at my laboratory at a University came into my office and asked "so what all can I eat in the refrigerator, I didn't know I was supposed to bring my own lunch". I looked at him, stunned and replied "nothing, that food is what people brought for their own lunch, but you can use my grub hub to order". He DID NOT UNDERSTAND. It took 4 tries to get him to realize he can't just eat someone else's lunch.
Same student: I walked into the lab room and told him I made a full pot of coffee in the office and he could help himself. Him: "a pot of coffee? What's that?" He never used a coffee maker other than a Kuerig before and didn't even know it was a thing.
He was fired a month later for stealing chloroform.
No Ma'am, Like, REAL Bears
At a national park, the park ranger says "stay on the trails, there are bears in the area."
One lady says "isn't that dangerous? Why aren't they in their cages?"
"Ma'am, we're not a zoo."
These people are lucky to make it out of bed every day.
Sleeping On The Job
I lived with some Japanese exchange students during the final summer of college. They were really nice girls, but one of them (Mari) (~19 years old) obviously had no idea how anything worked. She spoke the best English and I was tutoring some of the other girls, while they helped me with my Japanese.
But Mari would constantly call me to come to get her because she thought we had free buses (all the buses). After all, we were students. That wasn't the issue. I could deal with that. It was a whole new culture. She was learning.
But what happened that made me realize Mari could not be left on her own was when she ended up in Eloy, Arizona. Which was ~400 miles and five hours from where we were. She had been talking to some guy on campus, he said he was visiting family in Arizona, and she said "I want to go."
He just took her with him, and she went without even telling us. She had just assumed the guy would take her back, but he said he couldn't because he was staying in Arizona. So I had to arrange a ticket, get her on the bus via the phone, and then pick her up two hours away because she missed her second bus by napping.
How...? What...? Huh...?
Had a friend who was in some uncredited scam online college for her master's degree in medical billing or something. She was on a loan program that was sending her about $5k every 3 months directly to her via check in the mail.
This was her only source of income. She kept calling it a grant that didn't need to be paid back. She was flat broke as a joke for 2 months but then the check would come in and she would be living the good life for a few weeks before being poor again.
We tried to do an intervention and show her the insane interest rate that would be back dated as soon as her "school" was done but she didn't want anyone to bust her free money dreams.
She just kept talking about all the money she would eventually be making billing insurance companies...turns out she wasn't even logging in to the online college or even attempting to get this degree.
She thought the money was free, the degree was automatic and the job was guaranteed. Some people are beyond help.
Such Brilliant. So Money. Wow
My boss told me about a friend of his, who told him af a "life hack". She would get her bills in the mail, NOT pay them, and then wait a couple of months to pay. Then she would cry so the debt collectors would feel bad and waive the fees for not paying on time. That was her "brilliant life hack"
Himbo Rights Activist
The other day, my 18yo brother-in-law got married to his highschool sweetheart in a parking garage so that they can live off campus at college together.
Girlfriend's, now wife, mother is an ordained minister. His parents, my in-laws, were very upset and he couldn't understand why because "it's just a fake marriage for school". Oh no, sweet boy. You are MARRIED. I just laughed and laughed. I love him dearly. He is a dumb*ss.
And yet somehow they are there to add these stories to our dull, dull days.
Daddy's Boy
A dude (18 yo) in boot camp got a letter from home and I can see he is agitated. Being 22 and concerned for his well-being, I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. (I'm thinking a Dear John letter or the Mom and Dad divorcing letter.)
He dead *ss told me that his younger brother got a Mercedes for his birthday and that he was pissed bc he "only got a BMW". Can't remember what I said, but I knew boot camp was gonna knock down. (It did.)
Who Pays Your Bills?
When my roommate, who never once paid for rent or groceries or anything, turned down the only job offer they have ever gotten, in front of me, TWICE.
They were so desperate they called him twice, offering good pay, during covid, and he had the gaul to say no in front of me. His excuse was "nah I'm sure there's something better. $20 an hour is garbage in this city" -_-
Just Read ONE Parenting Book
I worked for a clueless couple who had no idea how to raise a kid. He wore the same outfit everyday for a month until I gently suggested that he needs new clothes. His parents asked me "Where can we get baby clothes?" This was slightly hilarious given that they lived above a Target and next to a baby boutique.
I had to have the same conversation once the child was old enough for solid foods. I was asked "Where can we get baby food?" I had to explain that most grocery stores carry a baby aisle, or that she can mash up her own fruits at home for the baby. This family decided that sour cream would be a great first food for their baby!
I'll mention that this was a wealthy family who went on vacation at least 2-3 times a month. By far the weirdest thing they did was try and drop off Grandma at daycare along with the baby.
Stories like this make you feel like the most well-equipped, with it person alive, right?
We're all well aware of the weird, horrible, predatory things men do when attracted to women. But what about when women are the culprits?
Though it seems that, statistically, men are problematic at a WAY higher rate than women, there are certainly times where the person bringing the creepy vibes is, indeed, the woman.
Some men of Reddit gathered to share the most bizarre and uncomfortable things a woman has ever said.
AidenTheGamer14 asked, "Men of Reddit, what is the creepiest thing a girl has ever said or done to you?"
For some, it was the stalkers.
The cryptic behavior and frightening detective work of ex-lovers can be unparalleled.
Some Light Sleuthing
"Found out my address from the phone book, this was the 90s, sat outside my house for multiple nights, all night just watching my house, I live in the middle of the woods miles outside of town."
"We only had one date and agreed to leave it at that. I found out sometime later what she had been doing."
-- crooky50-dc
Plot Twist
"Girl I was dating asked if I had changed the locks since breaking up with my ex months prior. I'm like 'No, but she wasn't a crazy person so I never worried about it.' She says if I don't change the locks she ain't comfortable sleeping over, so I change the locks."
"This ex sends me an angry text the next day 'So you changed your locks huh? Real nice a**hole.' So she had been coming over this whole time and doing who knows what."
-- Joey42601
She Stopped at Nothing
"She kept writing me letters at every address I lived at during that five-year period. If she didn't have the address she'd send them care of my parents. The most memorable is the one where she told me she was married and 'he's a great guy but he's not you.' "
"Once not long after I'd moved to a new address I came home and found a box of cookies she'd FedExed to me. Eventually I moved to a new state. I knew from her return addresses that she lived and worked there, and was worried we'd run into each other but realized that was pretty unlikely."
"Then after less than a year, she found me through a blog I was keeping and left a message on my voicemail demanding we meet. I posted a message to her on my blog telling her to stop harrassing me or I'd call the police (up to that point I'd been ignoring her, hoping she'd take the hint). That night she called, I repeated my threat to bring the authorities in, and I haven't heard from her since."
-- JedLeland
Others dealt with the creepiness on the internet. With so many avenues of communication all around us, uncomfortable comments can come from all directions.
Phony Warnings
"Someone I considered a friend started to grow feelings for me, but when she found out I had a girlfriend and I didn't feel the same for her she found out who my girlfriend was somehow. She then DM'd her and tried to tell her that I was cheating on her with her."
"Luckily I was with her when she got that DM so I could explain the situation and then we blocked her. Next day she DM'd her again from an alt account."
Worst Kind of Pen Pal
"I started a new job, and I shared a small office with a woman my age (and a couple other people). She was kinda cute but also weird and super naïve (she grew up in a very rural area). She'd flirt with me a lot, but I wasn't interested."
"So she started sending me emails."
"They were super long, detailing her whole day. And she sent them to me every day. I never responded. Then one day she sent me this long email confessing her love. I replied with the (very obvious) reasons why it wouldn't work and asked her to stop sending me emails every day. She didn't."
"They kept coming. This went on for months. I asked her in person and online to stop, but I still got these email memoirs every day. Eventually I had another female office mate who was her friend have a talk with her. Finally the emails stopped."
-- RPShep
That's A Lot of Passwords
"I've had a girl create about 50 different Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram accounts all to try to get me to friend her. I've never met this woman in person and yet every few weeks I'll get a handful of friend requests from her"
-- keldog361
Terminal Catfish
"Met this girl online and talked to her a bit. I did started to like her."
"Later found out that the pic she showed me of herself was actually a pic of her friend who had passed away due to cancer."
-- Immortal1h1
Poor Host
In my early 20's I was at a party and the hosting woman full-on tried to reach down my pants to grab my business."
"Strange, yes, what made it creepy is that we were right in front of her mother, who was cheering her on."
-- BauranGaruda
Breaking Out the Scroll
"After 6 months from our breakup, my ex called me because she wanted to see me. It seemed strange to me but I accepted. When we met she was friendly and all..."
"Then at a certain point she pulls a sheet in which there was written a list of all men she fu**ed after our relationship and she read it all to me, with accurate description of every sexual intercourse. Well it was an awkward moment."
-- Omoi_
Getaway Vehicle
"I was going to head home after a night out and a I was getting into my taxi a girl jumped in after me. I asked what they were doing and she said 'I'm coming home with you.' "
"Nope. Taxi driver helped me and she got out the car eventually when I shot down her advances."
-- Stuf404
Again, it's important to read this thread and remember that this is a bias sample, solely focused on the incidents where a woman did act creepy.
But, yes, it happens out there.
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