I was working a stat holiday at a downtown tourist mall where the only day of the year they closed was Christmas day. There was a line that wrapped around the inside of the store and out the door. It was insanely long and intimidating, but we had all the most experienced people on cash and all 3 cashes open, so it was actually moving pretty fast. I was on the 3rd register that was only used for busy days and it was located opposite to the main 2 registers (so I was back to back with the other cashiers and I have to call the next person around from the front of the line). I had just rung up a customer and they had left with their bags. I was looking down putting the receipt paper away when a woman came storming up to me. She laid into me for a full minute about how I was just standing around doing nothing while there was a line up out the door. I'd been in retail for a several years already at that point and was management, so I just let her run her mouth off until she finished ranting. When she finally stopped yelling at me, I smiled and said, "Actually, this cash is open. I had just finished up with a customer and was putting away my copy of the receipt when you walked up. I know the line is very long but it's only about a 20 minute wait. If you could please make your way to the end of the line, I really need to call the next customer in line." I said the whole thing in practically one breath because she was wasting my time and everyone waiting in line.
She had the good sense to look very ashamed of herself as she slunk off to the end of the line.
At a women's clothing store once, which sold clothes in size 5-24, I was told I shouldn't be working there because I made the plus sized customers feel bad about themselves. That actually made me more upset for her, because she obviously wasn't very comfortable in her own skin. It definitely also upset me on a personal level because I don't put a persons value in the size of their clothes. I have friends and family in all shapes and sizes and, apart from worrying about the ones who have weight related health issues, I don't even think about their weight...because it doesn't matter to me.
When I worked as an admin/receptionist at a medical clinic we had a woman go on a tirade about how she needed lunch time appointments when she booked with someone who only worked evenings (which was mentioned every.single.time. someone booked with that person). She left all pissed off after we worked our magic, sucked up to someone else who worked days to take her on their already overbooked schedule and set everything up exactly how she wanted. I was on the bus heading to work the following week and that stupid bitch was talking to her friend about how this place had "a couple of kids" running the clinic. EXCUSE ME?! We were both in our late 20's, married and well educated. We were fucking awesome at our jobs, especially considering that all the scheduling for this large clinic was being done on printed excel spreadsheets with pencil FFS. But yeah....totally our fault she took the first appointment available without listening to anything else that was said.
My husband stood up for someone at a Subway restaurant one day. Something happened with the guy that was at the counter when he walked in. He didn't hear what had happened, just walked in to hear this customer reaming out the poor guy making sandwiches with extremely colourful language. My husband stops the guy as he's walking out and tells him it's completely inappropriate and unnecessary to speak to anyone in that way. The guy starts making excuses for his behaviour and my husband cuts him off and says, "No. There is never any excuse for speaking to another human being that way." Guy stormed out. This makes me extra proud because my husband loathes confrontation.