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When you’re fresh out of college and looking for ways to gain work experience, just about any position will do. Often, one of the most common places to turn to is customer service. Unfortunately, it comes together with nightmarish customers, their nonsense demands, and huge emotional pressure. Whether you worked there yourself or know a friend who has, we’ve all heard at least one horror story.

This Twitter user asked people who work in the service or food industry to reply with the weirdest/rudest experiences they’ve ever dealt with. From ordering something made up, getting furious when it’s not what they expected, to downright insulting the people serving them, more than 14.4K shared their terrible customer interactions.

Bored Panda has collected some of the most ridiculous tweets from this viral thread. Forget the saying "the customer is always right", some of these comments will make your head spin. Scroll down and check them out yourself!

If you have ever worked in customer service in the food industry, you know that it’s a thankless job. Especially if you encounter a rude customer who flips out when you ask them the simplest questions. So even if you deal with clients on a regular basis and already know the nooks and crannies of the job, some of them can be so irrational that it’s difficult to know how to react.

The author of this tweet @phantomparades shared her own experience. Three years ago, she was dealing with a customer that had an attitude with how she folded the clothes. The buyer asked her to stop and @phantomparades assumed that “she would fold them herself like she said she would. Instead, she asked ‘are you gonna help me?’”

The author was left feeling confused and reminded the customer that she specifically asked her to stop folding. Then the woman “got super heated and said ‘Oh no. Get me a manager. I am NOT dealing with this attitude.‘” This story only shows that some customers get mad for no real reason and it’s the worker who has to take it all in. Sometimes it’s hard to manage your feelings and remain calm. And even the widely known American smile might not be able to save you in intense situations like these.

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In fact, research shows that faking emotional expressions all day long drains your personal resources and can take an emotional and physical toll once you head home. We’re not talking about smiling at the customers because they are genuinely kind and respectful. We’re talking about the ones that make you feel stressed and anxious while talking to them. 

 “When [employees] put on that happy face but don’t really feel it—that’s when we start to have problems,” lead researcher David Wagner, Ph.D. of Singapore Management University, explained to the Huffington Post. They observed 78 bus drivers who worked in the U.S. over the course of two weeks. Drivers answered surveys before and after their shifts and also right before going to sleep. 

#4

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TangoJulietPapa Report

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

look being cheerful in the uk at ANY time is a punishable offence so I am not surprised.

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Mainly the questions were about the quality of their sleep, their mood during and after work, and whether they had to fake their emotions while dealing with the customers that day. Research showed how emotionally draining it is to wear a fake smile. Those drivers that felt the need to put on a “mask” were more likely to suffer from insomnia than those who didn’t. “Emotional acting was also linked to reports of feeling anxious or distressed, and also increased the likelihood of feeling emotionally exhausted at the end of the day. These people even reported more family conflict at home.”

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Now let’s talk about the very common saying “The customer is always right.” This phrase is often attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s department store in London (though some think it was originated by John Wanamaker or Marshall Field—it was a popular mentality among the business magnates at that time). Businesses often use it to make the customers feel special and ensure them that they will get high-quality service.

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LH25
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My 20 year old niece gets hit on by customers, she's a cashier. Most in their 30's and 40's. It's just gross. We've talked about her wearing a ring on her left hand, but that probably wouldn't discourage the worst of them. Guys, she's being nice to you because that's her job.

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However, these days more and more companies are turning away from this point of view. According to Alexander Kjerulf, the author of the Chief Happiness Officer Blog, this belief ironically leads to bad customer service and there are a few reasons why. First, it makes employees feel unappreciated. Companies should trust their workers over unreasonable customers because doing otherwise could cause resentment among employees.

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

left handedness is clearly the sign of Satan, gingers got no souls etc....

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Also, it gives annoying customers an unfair advantage. If a business is using this slogan, “abusive customers can demand just about anything – they’re right by definition, aren’t they? This makes the employees’ job that much harder when trying to rein them in.” This also means that such clients will get better treatment than they actually deserve, and that just seems wrong. 

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

Magic Mike: A male stripper teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.

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

Yeesh we should arrest those people for assault. Who would even treat servers that way?

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ColeLowry Report

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

Can we please develop a minimum human decency requirement for breathing already? I swear, some people go out of their way to just be the most awful and detrimental individuals in existence, and somehow we just let it happen...

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So if you ever end up in a situation where a customer is being rude to you, try to remain calm and don’t take it personally. It sounds hard but remember—they are probably not angry at you. Maybe they have some issues at home or work that keeps building up and even the smallest inconvenience can throw them off. Take a few minutes to yourself, talk to your co-workers and try not to let the stress linger inside of you after the situation is resolved.

#21

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

What a disgusting human being! Who would even think to do something like that? We had a guy who defecate in the fitting rooms once a week till he was caught, but he said that he did it for the sexual gratification. He liked to imagine the clerks cleaning up his feces as he masturbated.

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

The very short time I made coffee drinks, I had several customers telling me how to make a proper coffee "The Italian Way". I am Italian and grew up there, most of my life was spent drinking coffee (Caffelatte, cappuccino, macchiato, etc.). My accent is not as pronounced now, but back then I sounded like Supermario or Father Guido Sarducci (for those old enough to remember). It never occurred to these people that maybe, just maybe, I knew how to make Italian coffee better than they learned during their 2 weeks vacation in Italy.

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withaYKIE Report

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katywatchestv Report

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

"Sorry but god has forbidden me from telling people that, he's tired of all the recognition and wants a break"

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2005mychem Report

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

So it was actually drinkable instead of Starbucks "coffee".

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

suprisingly people do not knwo this because they order them cooked at restaurants.

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

Should have walked in on the proposal and ask the girlfriend if she also finds it annoying when he unexpectedly unhooks her bra.

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#30

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

Crazy bitch, you stole someone else's food! Not our fault! Repeat as needed.

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#33

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ShadowHaiku Report

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

Whats the difference between pickles and extra pickles? Are the extra pickles super dramatic?

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Somecallmejon Report

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

ohmigod!!!!!!! how dare u brush my feet? sir...they r filthy n i have been asked to clean trash......n shoes like those come under trash

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

I hope you at least had the decency to say here comes the airplane.

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

Should have told him you only sell them as flatpacks and sell him some MDF boards and a jig saw.

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

I begin to understand why the 2nd amendment is so vital in the US. Combined with "Stand your ground" it's a good way to deal with customers.

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