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Everyone who has worked in retail knows that for every good customer, you get 2 horrible ones pulling up in the parking lot. It's a law. Like gravity.

But some people are so rude, so annoying, and so malicious, it's like they're on a quest to make as many workers miserable as possible. And sometimes they succeed.

When someone like that ruins your day, there's only one thing you can do. Vent online. I mean, you can't punch the jerk or anything—you're still in uniform. Pull off a stunt that damages the reputation of the company you're working for and you're out the door.

Bored Panda has compiled a list of these stories to show you that people in retail really deserve our respect; they go through these situations every day. For more similar experiences, check out our older pieces here and here.

#2

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pusheen buttercup
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Glory hounding. Trying to do the right thing for the sake of appearances whether it kills anyone or not

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In our piece on some of the most ridiculous customer demands ever, we mentioned one study that's relevant here as well.

Turns out, people treat retail workers worse when they're looking for bargains than if they were less price-conscious. The University of British Columbia (UBC) Sauder School of Business paper, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2017, looked at several factors to determine how customers treated employees.

One variable researchers analyzed was the words customers used when speaking to customer service workers.

"When shoppers focus only on paying the lowest price, they become less attuned to understanding the human needs of others, or even recognizing them," Johannes Boegershausen, a UBC Sauder Ph.D. student who co-authored the study, said in a press release.

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Sum Guy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would use that even if my father didn't die... you got served and I wasn't rude to you... smiling is nice, but you can't expect someone to be smiling the whole day

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Researchers also analyzed customers' feelings towards the employees by showing them pictures of a flight attendant in the Ryanair (bargain) uniform, the Lufthansa (luxury) uniform, and a neutral uniform. Customers viewed the Lufthansa and neutral flight attendants as equally human, but they saw the Ryanair flight attendant in a poorer light.

"We simply varied the brand, and found that people ascribed lower capabilities for experiencing emotions and feelings to the Ryanair flight attendant," Boegershausen explained, adding that this subtle dehumanization can take many forms and is not necessarily intentional.

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Another experiment had participants communicating in a live chat with a rude customer service representative. They were then offered the chance to punish the employee through a complaint. The researchers found participants were 18 percent more likely to give a rating that would lead to disciplinary actions against the employee when shoppers were adopting a price-conscious mentality than when they were not.

The researchers say the findings could help owners and management of discount stores, as the problem could affect their employee retention—previous research has shown that employees who experience rude and inconsiderate customer behaviors report higher levels of emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, and burnout.

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Judging from these posts, retail employees deal with a lot of dumb stuff. At least they're strong enough to laugh from their misery.

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Ripley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine being so small-minded that you have a meltdown over what fried potatoes are called.

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Sum Guy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get it... the mind is a stupid thing and will often do something like this

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pusheen buttercup
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ohhhh I've been there. I really have. There is genetic variation within every race... You can't say "you're not caucasian, because your nose is too big". I don't appreciate idiots who think they know your race better than you

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#14

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Ripley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd say that lady is definitely going to miss her flight once the "grade-school educated" security person is through with her.

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pusheen buttercup
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's so sad... Even if you don't like lgbt, you could at least be civil enough. Surely there is some area between best buddies and worst enemies. I know this because I met people who believe i am going to hell, but they're still my friends :)

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#23

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Steven Daniels
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mixed paint in a hardware store for years and I can confirm that, YES, they can indeed be that dumb

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Arctic Fox Lover
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, I'm confused... She wants this employee to mix two different paint colors so she can paint stripes with the two colors individually, but she asked that they get mixed so she doesn't have to pay for two separate gallons? But she thinks that somehow the two colors will still be individual? Am I getting this right??

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JennyLaRue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She's probably got a tin of tartan paint kicking about somewhere

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Ali Dimashkieh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She must have watched a Bugs Bunny cartoon doing it and though it was a home improvement program.

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DrBronxx
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is an old prank. A customer asking for striped paint, or the new employee being sent to the warehouse for striped paint, tartan paint, or a long "weight".

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MandaPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Little did they know, this is actually three four year olds in a trench coat

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BG Rey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just do it, and wish to be a fly on the wall when the spouse/friend/roomie tells them it literally looks like s**t and the customer tells them the plan! Don’t let them paint over you...

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Damon Hill
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, they are that dumb. Had a customer want camo paint (which if you don't know, comes in a kit with 3 cans of spray paint and some leaf templates). He honestly thought it came in one can and you just mash the button and it comes out CAMO. The terrifying thing is these people breed and vote.

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Sebastian Melmoth
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Yes, hi...I need these colours mixed, my son wants his room painted in a checkerboard style and I only want to use one can of paint...”

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Robert Bois le Duc
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Hey, I wanted orange & green stripes, but the paint is brown on my wall !"

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SONO ARIMA
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so when we gave your kids striped tooth paste they grew up and expected ....

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Orange Juice
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I also would like my milk and orange juice mixed in the same jug so I can have orange juice for breakfast and milk for lunch.

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A. Jones
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cartoon logic for paint doesn't apply to IRL logic for paint. :\

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Debrina Blackmoon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, yeah-the paint separates when they open the can. Or dip the brush.

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Random Anon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh boy will she be disappointed. I would really record the conversation for when she comes back demanding a refund or compensation or something unreasonable.

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Jaguarundi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would have had to excuse myself so that I didn't laugh in her face.

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Sheila Stamey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes you can. I had a client in 1995 at my computer store who told me I was "behind the times" because I couldn't build her a computer that would read her mind and write documents for her. Not voice input, I suggested that, not ocr, but actually telepathy with a device she had seen in a magazine. Headphones.

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Daniel Atkins
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Must think you can buy it packaged like goober grape the peanut butter an jelly combo.

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Terilee Bruyere
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would love to call this fake on the grounds that people cannot be that stupid, but I worked in a humane society shelter for years and had someone freak out on me because they could not adopt a female pitbull unaltered (they wanted to breed her to their male). Hon...the reason there are SO many dogs in shelters is partially due to backyard breeding.

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Mary Peace
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is making me so confused. I used to think I was intelligent. What is happening?

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#31

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Lunar Bicycle
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I worked in a garden center, a really friendly customer laughed and told me he had just embarrassed himself at another garden center by asking employees there, “Do you have chlamydia?” He said they just stared at him for a moment, so he followed up with, “Do you know where I can find chlamydia?” He then realized that he meant to say “clematis” and immediately turned around and left. I helped him find our clematis, and, as he was leaving, said, “At least you didn’t say you were having trouble finding the clitoris!”

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#33

I Played Your Music For My Friends, So Give Me $400 Or I Will Sue! (X-Post - Clients From Hell)

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Ripley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh no, I want to see them take it to small claims . . . I want to see how far it will fly when it's thrown out.

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#35

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok, we'll rename this fee to education-fee and raise it by 50%. The lesson you've learned is that you don't pretend to be rich when you haven't got a dime to spare.

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#38

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mulk
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's like: "make me appear first on google search when somebody search for [goddam words which have nothing to do with the customer's business]"

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Vorknkx
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Have you had one of those cases when you can't remember a password, ask for a reset, and when you type in the new password, it says that you can't use the old one :D

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