15 Minimum Wage Worker Stories About Letting Customers Get Away With Sh*t

Have some sympathy for the minimum wage workers of America - if you've ever worked retail or fast food (or as an intern, or as any number of other positions that are valued at "the bare minimum the government forces us to pay people"), you know how miserable it is. You're paid the least amount that's legally-permissible, you deal with the least patient and angriest customers nonstop, and you have to deal with bosses who expect you to do the most degrading and soul-sucking work imaginable despite being paid so little you can barely afford rent. When a company pays you minimum wage, they're sending you a message - and that message is "We don't actually value you at all."

So what ends up happening? The people working these crummy jobs don't always "go the distance" - and sometimes, they let customers get away with stuff. Either because it just isn't worth the hassle of dealing with irate customers for the amount of money you're paid, or because maybe the customer was the rare breed who treated you with some modicum of respect and you figure you can let whatever they're doing slide. The point being: be kind to the service workers you interact with - their lives are shitty enough as it is (I used to work at a department store, and let me tell you - I had to LITERALLY CLEAN UP FECES IN NON-BATHROOM SPACES PRETTY FREQUENTLY) and if you're nice to them, they won't bust your chops. Don't believe me? Just listen to a few stories from r/AskReddit.

1. (from HatGuysFriend)

I worked at a hardware store in the garden center making close to minimum wage. We often loaded heavy bags of mulch and dirt for customers in their trucks beds and what not.

We were told that we were not allowed to take tips from customers.

So being the good boy that I was, I turned down a couple tips until one day I loaded up a full customer pickup bed and he handed me a $20.

I told him I can't take that, and he looked me dead the eye and said, "Do they really pay you so much you don't need it?"

I stopped being an idiot that day. Why the fuck I let someone pay me so little and tell me I'm not allowed to make more and I listened is just embarrassing now.

2. (from sweetunfuckedmother)

Worked at an auto parts store. If you weren't a prick, I'd warranty anything. We lose no money on it and it keeps the customer happy. Now, if you were a dick, "oooh yeah I can't do that, you're at 91 days and the warranty expires at 90 days"

3. (from JuPasta)

Used to work at a movie theatre. No one cares if you bring your own snacks, although it's super aggravating if you leave your snack garbage in the theatre instead of taking it out with you. We usually have an hour window where all the theatres are getting out. We tend to have about 10 min per theatre to clean on a busy day. Leaving your garbage in your seats makes everything slower. It's not hard to carry it down to the can.

4. (from Kiana996)

Using the bathroom if you aren't actually a customer. We are the only place open at 3 in the morning. I'm not gonna tell people to go find somewhere else.

5. (from JayEster)

If the item doesn't have a price I let the customer just name it if they're nice. We're suppose to have someone check the price but that usually takes a long ass time as everyone's busy, I save that for assholes.

6. (from lawniedangle)

I worked at an online diaper bag company, and if a bag was returned, I was supposed to find out if it was a defect or the customer's fault to decide how to issue a replacement.

When a frantic hormonal new mom would call me getting ready to rant and put her foot down, i would always interrupt their story and just ask for their address and what type of bag they wanted, and ship it for free.

No way am I being paid enough to get in that argument. I dont care if they were carrying large bricks in the bag. Take a new one!

To be clear: this was the same response, whether people called in upset or not. All I wanted was to get off the phone call and finish work. If you cared enough to call, then you convinced me. I was not interested in arguing eith any moms, regardless of initial demeanor.

7. (from uhhMelvinDoo)

At the movie theater I used to work at, we were only supposed to give free popcorn refills to the people who bought buckets not bags. But sometimes if the person was nice to me and brought a bag up for a refill, I'd just do it. It's easier than explaining why all the time.

8. (from AugustaScarlett)

Years back I worked at a local chain restaurant that had a drive-through. One of the owners would occasionally come through and reiterate that we were to only give one ketchup packet out per order of fries at the drive-through. Our fry orders were huge, and one packet was nowhere near enough, so as soon as he was gone, we'd go back to throwing handfuls of ketchup packets into the bags.

9. (from CunningMan59)

I worked at a deli and had the power to override the price per pound anytime I felt like it. So if a customer was upset I'd give them half off. Or if they had a cool shirt. I didn't really care.

10. (from STFUImBigBoned)

I'd carry coins on me when I worked at McDonald's so if anyone came up to less than a dollar short, I'd cover it for them. I'd feel especially bad declining them if they were with a girlfriend or family or something. I know what it's like to come up short at a fast food place.

11. (from the_xxvii)

At my pizza place we make large pies for slices. Cheese pies only get 14oz of shredded mozz on them but that's not enough cheese to get decent coverage. Fuck that, I'm putting at least another three ounces of cheese on that motherfucker, ain't nobody getting a shitty slice of cheese pizza on my watch.

12. (from CinePhileNC)

One of my jobs as a teenager was working at Marshalls. In case you all weren't aware, but having explosive shits in the changing room is against the rules for EVERYONE. When they tried to get me to put on gloves to clean it up I just stood there and said no. They certainly were not paying me enough to deal with that shit.

13. (from aballofunicorns)

used to wait tables. People couldn't bring their own drinks, booze or just water. I honestly didn't care if I saw them bring their own, ours was way overpriced. one day this obviously broke couple came in to celebrate something and they asked for tacos and a big bottle of beer but were discouraged by the price of the bottle so I told 'em they could buy a bottle from the store on the other side of the street, it was half the price, and if it was warm I could exchange it for one of our cold ones.

I think I was too nice to people though, I've never encountered another waitress or waiter who would be as nice as I was. But meh, it felt good and the bosses could never tell.

14. (from moodychurchill)

I used to work in a craft store/sewing store.

If you were nice and wanted a metre of fabric I would be really generous with my cuts.

If you were an asshole (and believe me many crafting people are) I would cut it at the 100cms and give you NOTHING extra.

Same with notions, you need bias binding, buttons, anything that I have to count out and measure, how generous my cuts were depended 100% on your attitude.

It was literally my only bit of power!

15. (from Merry_Dankmas)

Worked in retail and while I got paid above minimum, it wasn't that much more. People aren't supposed to bring their dogs into the store yet motherfuckers would walk their dogs on leashes through the store all the time. I'd see it happen, realize I hated my job, pet the dog then go about my business. I didn't get paid enough to get into an argument with some old rich dude and his equally as ancient wife about why Fluffy isn't allowed to walk around in the store.

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