Scary/Funny/Random job experiences

CatRabbit · #1 04-30-2006, 01:41 AM

I found a post on ear piercing; it reminded me of my high school job at Claire's and wanted to share my experience and hear any interesting stories you have, too.

As I said, in high school I worked at Claire's (the place of cheap trendy jewelry) for a couple years. I started piercing ears at the age of 16 and was damn good at it. One girl came in and wanted her cartilage done, but she was so scared. I told her my personal experience, which was that it didn't hurt when it was done, but was sore for a few weeks after and always remember to hold the phone on the opposite ear when you pick it up or else you'll be yelping in pain to the person on the other end.

I finally convinced her, and she was so sweet that I wanted to make it as quick and easy as possible. For cartilage, we only pierced with 14K posts and they required a different gun. Instead of the pull-the-trigger-and-its-done thing, we actually had to maunally push the stud through the person's ear with our own hand pressure on this gun. Basically, we controlled how fast that 14K post went through your ear. I was a pro at making it quick. But with this poor girl, my plastic glove got caught in the gun and the post only went half-way through her ear. It was stuck!

So I had to call my manager over and whisper what was up, but this manager was an idiot and loudly said, "So the earring is stuck half-way through her ear and won't go any further because you glove is stuck in the gun?" Yeah, the girl started crying, I ran to the bathroom to cry myself, and didn't come out till the poor girl was on her way out so I could apologize. Then we cried together and she left. Only time I've cried at any job, and that was 10 years ago.

On a side note, I hated piercing people while wearing those silicone golves because I have really little hands and they never fit me (or other employees, really). So we'd just wash our hands and do our thing. Of course, I'm sure that's unheard of now, but I hope Claire's now buys their girls' gloves in size Small and not XXLarge.

ETA: I can't spell.

BetteDavisEyes · #2 04-30-2006, 10:54 AM

I have so many of these I don't know where to begin so I'll start w/a bizarre one that has always stuck out in my mind.
I used to work at MACY'S right out of high school. It was my first real job & I was excited about it. One day, this lady comes out of the fitting room & demanded that I ring up this formal gown priced at $169 and give it to her for the bargain price of $40. I told her that I cannot change the price just b/c she wants to pay less. She started screaming that she saw the exact same dress in the fitting room w/a $40 price tag & that I HAD to give it to her for that price. I go into the fitting room & sure enough, there is NO dress like that in there. When I come back to tell her, she starts screaming like a banshee that I must have hidden it, I could go fuck myself b/c she won't buy there again, I was a bitch, Fuck me.

It went on and on until security came out (my department was next to the security office). She saw them and ran to the escalator all while still screaming obscenities at me. Weird ass crazy lady.

PM_Mama00 · #3 04-30-2006, 12:17 PM

My first job was at a popular neighborhood frozen custard place. It was tiny and we had this huge metal umbrellas on our cement picnic tables. One day it was just my best friend and I working, and it started storming really bad, to the point where there were tornado warnings and stuff. We thought it'd be best to go to the basement... which is already creepy ass enough... and then the power went out. She starts crying, I'm freaking out calling my mom, all the while we're scared that an umbrella is gona fly off and impale the building. It was odd, kinda scary, and funny now looking back on it.

Tom Earp · #4 04-30-2006, 02:01 PM

While in N Y to pick up a Company Car and drive back to KC, ASSistant Officer Manager took Me out for a Drink or More. Ended up at His place and called My then wife.

Took Me all night and morning to find My Hotel from Brooklyn. Got there, checked out, never slept in the room and took Me two Hours trying to get out of N Y City to Head West To KC!

Damn, I was tired when I shot craps in Wheeling W V!

Tom Earp · #5 04-30-2006, 02:07 PM

Same Company, but a meeting in The Catskills. Flew in a itty bity plane to get there out of La Guardia. Limoed back as to much fog.

Was to fly with Perkins, My Running Mate who lived in Chaicago.

I changed to a D I to K C.

He got Skyjacked and I didnt know it until I called My ex and found out about it!

JonInKC · #6 04-30-2006, 03:16 PM

When I was in college, I was working at Walgreens. This old lady brings a couple of things up to the counter and says she doesn't like UPCs. If I could cut them off, she'd buy them. We weren't busy, so I went ahead and humored her. She did this I think twice and I decided if I ever saw her again I would hand her the scissors (after I scanned the items) and tell her to have at it. I never saw her again.

KSUViolet06 · #7 04-30-2006, 03:25 PM

In HS I worked at a Pizza Hut that wasn't in a very nice neighborhood. Since the area was a bit dangerous after 9 pm or so, we locked the doors at 9:30. So if you wanted to order, you had to go to the drive-thru window.

Scary experience #1-
One night, I had locked the restaurant doors as usual. It was a weeknight and it was pretty slow, so there was just me and one other guy in the back. As I'm walking back behind the counter, some guy comes up and tries to open the door.

I motion for him to go to the drive-thru. He gets visibly upset and starts pounding on the glass. I tell him again to GO to the window. He goes to his truck and comes back with a GOLF CLUB, and starts beating on the glass with it! I got creeped out and called the cops.

Scary experience #2-
We close at 11:00. A lady walks up to the drive-thru at like 11:10, and knocks on the window. I go over to the window, open it, and say, "I'm sorry, we're closed, we close at 11."

She gets mad and says "Well I'm on my way home from work and I need to get something to eat for my kids." I felt bad but I was like, "I'm sorry we're closed." Then she was like "I can't get any food for my kids!!??" She starts cursing me out. I really don't see the big deal because we are across the street from a McDonalds, a convenience store, and a Taco Bell which are all open way later than we are.

Not wanting to listen to her go on and on, I proceed to tell her to have a good night and close the window. As I'm shutting it, she tries to come through the window and FIGHT me. She tried to grab me, but I moved and shut the window on her. She then starts kicking the window and cursing. My manager called the cops.

PM_Mama00 · #8 04-30-2006, 06:44 PM

I wish my friend Gina was on GC. She is the shift manager at this ghetto ass CVS, conveniently located 1. on the border of Lincoln Park and Detroit (if ur from this area u know), and 2. next door to a halfway house.

She could keep a daily diary of her dealings with the crackheads that come in there everyday. Her livejournal is always filled with her stories.

BetteDavisEyes · #9 05-01-2006, 12:04 AM

From the mouths of babes. When I was working at the elementary school, one student was telling me that he had a nightmare about a monster chasing him & that when he woke up, he ran to his parents who were watching a movie on TV where the girls were NOT wearing clothes and there were a lot of them. He said his mom screamed and covered herself with blankets while his dad was holding a pillow.

I could have died laughing b/c I knew what he was describing but in his adorable 5 year old innocence, knew nothing about porn.

CatRabbit · #10 05-01-2006, 12:49 AM

My first "real job" out of college was in marketing for a small industrial company. My background is in sports, so this was the most boring job ever to me, but it's amazing what the need for money and insurance will do to a girl. Anyway, my boss was a lady in her 60s, you'd think with 40+ years experience she'd have picked up some tact and common sense. Here's a list of my experiences with her that I haven't been able to block from my memory in the 3 years since I quit:
-During Christmas time she was talking loudly (and in great detail) in our crowded lunch room about a book she got for her best friend. The book's name? Penis.

-The Xmas party was at a nice bar. I played a game of darts with some co-workers. Bosslady was asking around who wanted to be in for the next game and I said I would. She replied, in a pompous tone, "No, you've already had your turn." Am I 5 years old?

-She kept a collection of odd pictures outside her cubicle. The classic was a pic of 2 port-a-potties on a sidewalk that had large statues of Asian women's heads placed next to them.

-She was training me on how to put together a trade show. Keep in mind this woman thought she was the epitome of class and that all others should bow before her. She showed me a binder she was putting together for a show she was organizing. On the cover? A picture of a demon, complete with horns and breasts.

The last straw came when she called me in for a private meeting because she was getting "bad vibes" from me. She told me she wanted to (exact quote) "mold me into a professional young woman." Since demons and port-o-potties don't fit into my definition of professionalism, I quit on the spot. I'm amazed I lasted 6 weeks.

winnieb · #11 05-01-2006, 01:13 AM

In high school I worked at a small town grocery store, a small country town. (very small town of about 2,000- all white town, mostly uneducated). I was in the store working, up front all alone and an older black lady came in grabbed a cart and started shopping. About 10 minutes later some drunk hick came in (the typical shopper in the town) he grabbed some beer and chew and brought it to the register. His friends were in the parking lot, he paid and while I sacked he reached in his pocket and grabbed a knife. Folded the knife was about 5" long. He flipped it open and told me to read the blade, which was engraved with "Ku Klux Klan" I just looked at him- not sure what to say- at 17 and 95lbs, no one else around in the store I didn't want to upset him. I kept thinking "i wonder if the panic button really works" and "i sure hope the black lady doesn't come up here" After a couple of minutes of listening to him say "do you believe in this" and "you do hate n@#gers don't you?" with the blade right there and trying to give passive answers so I wouldn't upset the mentally unstable drunk- his friends finally realized what he was doing and came in and pulled him. The apologized, put him in the truck and drove off.

And in college I worked in a tanning salon- every so often a man would show up -hairy legs and all- wearing a lycra miniskirt, that was way too short for even the best looking woman. He would ask for our prices and several questions about how the tanning beds worked. He was always polite. And everytime he was there he would get to the door on his way out and would drop something bend over and we could all see his thong and nuts hanging out.

PiKA2001 · #12 05-01-2006, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CatRabbit
I found a post on ear piercing; it reminded me of my high school job at Claire's and wanted to share my experience and hear any interesting stories you have, too.

As I said, in high school I worked at Claire's (the place of cheap trendy jewelry) for a couple years. I started piercing ears at the age of 16 and was damn good at it. One girl came in and wanted her cartilage done, but she was so scared. I told her my personal experience, which was that it didn't hurt when it was done, but was sore for a few weeks after and always remember to hold the phone on the opposite ear when you pick it up or else you'll be yelping in pain to the person on the other end.

I finally convinced her, and she was so sweet that I wanted to make it as quick and easy as possible. For cartilage, we only pierced with 14K posts and they required a different gun. Instead of the pull-the-trigger-and-its-done thing, we actually had to maunally push the stud through the person's ear with our own hand pressure on this gun. Basically, we controlled how fast that 14K post went through your ear. I was a pro at making it quick. But with this poor girl, my plastic glove got caught in the gun and the post only went half-way through her ear. It was stuck!

So I had to call my manager over and whisper what was up, but this manager was an idiot and loudly said, "So the earring is stuck half-way through her ear and won't go any further because you glove is stuck in the gun?" Yeah, the girl started crying, I ran to the bathroom to cry myself, and didn't come out till the poor girl was on her way out so I could apologize. Then we cried together and she left. Only time I've cried at any job, and that was 10 years ago.

On a side note, I hated piercing people while wearing those silicone golves because I have really little hands and they never fit me (or other employees, really). So we'd just wash our hands and do our thing. Of course, I'm sure that's unheard of now, but I hope Claire's now buys their girls' gloves in size Small and not XXLarge.

ETA: I can't spell.

Thats why I tell people to get their piercings done at a tattoo parlor.

DeltAlum · #13 05-01-2006, 11:45 AM

After many years in TV, I wouldn't even know where to begin.

Optimist Prime · #14 05-01-2006, 02:48 PM

coke head threatened to kill me at the movie store

no time now for this, will think of some later

Glitter650 · #15 05-01-2006, 05:36 PM

Not my story, but my mom tells the tale of when she worked as a manager of a fabric store in her 20's two ladies came in, and wanted to return some (obviously dyed) fabric. She refused since the merchandise had been altered, the women proceeded to grab the (very large) shears off the table and threaten her with them until she called the police and had them removed from the store.