15 Service Industry Stories That Prove the Job Is a Sitcom With an Unpredictable Script

The service industry is a universe with its own rules, intrigues, and sense of humor. Often, a manicurist or nanny can share a lot, of course, without mentioning any names. We put together a variety of stories from service industry professionals and invite you to discuss them.

• Mom was selling threads at the market. A lady in a fancy outfit comes up: a fur coat, a natural fur hat. She picks out a spool of thread and starts bargaining.
  She insists, saying she just needs a small discount, because it’s her principle — not to buy if she isn’t given at least a tiny discount. Mom replied that she only gives discounts on small items when bought in bulk. The lady didn’t buy the thread. © Svetlana Olshevskaya / Dzen
• I study to be a hairdresser. I cut my boyfriend’s hair, but the back didn’t turn out well. His friend came over later and asked me to cut his hair. He’s got big pink ears, which he hides under long hair in the Beatles style.
  I started cutting, carefully trimming the back, doing my best... And this jerk is just sitting there mocking me: my hands are crooked, I can’t cut hair, and I ruined his friend’s haircut... I snapped, chopped the entire strand above his ear, and ran away! He ended up walking around looking like a pink elephant. © Overheard / Ideer

• Our firm is small. The other day, a client called and somehow immediately chose the wrong tone of conversation. Upon my request to mind her language, she became even more agitated!
  She began asking for my first and last name to file a complaint. I calmly spelled it all out and added, “This won’t help you because the firm is mine.” No one has ever hung up that fast before. © Overheard / Ideer
• I work as a nanny. A woman called: she needed to go to the hospital overnight to see her mother, and there was no one to leave her son with. So, I needed to stay with him. I thought, what’s the big deal... I’ll feed him, we’ll play a bit, and then he’ll fall asleep. How wrong I was...
  This lovely woman leads me to her son, and it turns out he’s a 25-year-old guy. No, she’s not looking for a bride for him. It’s just that he is an avid gamer and sometimes gets so absorbed in the game that he even forgets to eat.
  She explained to me how to understand when a round or level is over, so I could remind him about the real world at that moment. I got paid well... © Caramel / VK
• I work as a sales consultant in a bookstore, and yes, it is truly a dream job, but it has its challenges. There are almost no customers. In such periods, the revenue is nearly zero, and our management is not shy about cutting our wages. Then an idea came to mind, and the director supported it.
  The very next day, I wrote a bunch of letters to all the authors who are, let’s say, “closer to the people,” and suggested organizing meetings with readers right in the store. Almost everyone who replied agreed, and we managed to arrange a whole month of meetings. People flocked to us, and almost no one left without a book.
  After every meeting, I convinced authors to sign 5 books each, then posted an announcement on social media: “5 autographed copies for sale!” and, miraculously, the books flew off the shelves. As a result, the store thrived, I kept my salary, and the cherry on top was a bonus to my pay. © Ward No. 6 / VK

• I work in a small town as a manicurist. A new client came in. She was talking about how she finally met the one. She described this prince in detail: his name, where he lives, what he does, and so on.
  She was so glowing with happiness that I felt a bit awkward telling her that I’ve been dating this “prince” for several years and was even planning to marry him. © Overheard / Ideer
• I work in a fancy restaurant, so I don’t get a lot of super weird, but what’s annoying and weird to me is coming to a restaurant that’s around $50/person and ordering water “with LOTS of lemons and some sugar packets” and then attempting to make your own lemonade there at the table to save 2 bucks. Either just drink water or just order a drink! © GetOutTheWayBanana / Reddit
• I’m a manicurist. My main task is to make beautiful nails. Taking photos of them is secondary, and sometimes there’s just no time for that. But it turns out it’s very important for my clients. They think if I don’t photograph their nails, it means they’re not pretty.
  I solved the problem in the easiest way: I asked the girls to take pictures of their nails later themselves and send them to me. Honestly, I should have never done that.
  Now I have photos of my work against the background of the client’s boyfriend, their food, a playground, and only a few really good ones that I can show people. I’ve even considered creating a page with these funny photos, but I haven’t dared to take that step yet... © Caramel / VK

• I’ve been working as a manicurist at a salon for several years now. Once, a woman came to me. She kept asking about how everything was sterilized, said that the color palette was limited, and that the gel polish didn’t look reliable. In the end, she was dissatisfied. Although it’s hard to blame me for that, I always approach my work responsibly.
  2 weeks later, she booked an appointment with me again and once more criticized my work. She pushed me to the limit, and then I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I asked the admin not to book her with me anymore.
  But the client requested a manicure for the third time and said she wanted to see only me, no one else. Again, nothing suited her. Then I couldn’t help it and asked, “Sorry, I see you honestly don’t like my work. Maybe I’m not the right fit as a nail tech for you, perhaps you could try one of our other girls? They’re skilled too.”
  The client snorted and said no manicure in her life had ever pleased her, claiming everyone does it differently from what she imagines. She keeps coming to me simply because I’m the best of the worst. © Caramel / VK
• I work at a printing center. Usually, people bring in photocopies or documents to print. One day, a girl came in and asked to have some photos printed. There were nearly 200 photos of a dog on her flash drive.
  While I printed, I kept thinking that this dog led an interesting life. As a puppy, it had chewed on some shoes and enjoyed the snow, then there were photos from the dog’s birthday, during a hike, at the summerhouse...
  I never asked what happened to the dog. But this client reminded me once again of how much our pets mean to us.

• I work as a plumber. We had several houses undergoing major renovations at the same time. Naturally, we took on all kinds of jobs: installing an extra washing machine for someone, replacing a toilet for another, and so on.
  So, I promised one lovely young lady that I would install a new washing machine for her. She even paid upfront at my request, but I couldn’t get to her for about 2 weeks. Then I ran into her in the yard, and, of course, she asked when I was coming.
  I gave her a couple of compliments, and asked for her phone number, saying I’d call her. She said, “Let me call you so you have my number.” I saved her number.
  The next day, she calls, and I hear a man’s voice on the line. It’s her dad with complaints. A little later, an older lady from the same building calls, I didn’t install a towel warmer for her.
  In short, the young lady taught me a good lesson: never ask for an advance payment and always remember your clients.
• I always understood that tipping is not a guest’s obligation. I never expected tips or was upset by their absence.
  But what really got to me were those who would talk their husband or boyfriend out of tipping. And they weren’t shy with their language. “Are you crazy? Why would you leave a tip? Forget it!”
  These distinguished guests clearly forgot that waitstaff are people too, and wearing a uniform doesn’t make them part of the decor. When I was quitting my job, I even expressed my thoughts to one person like this. © Overheard / Ideer

• Being a manager is when you ask a client, "Which T-shirt did you choose: classic or oversized?" and you get in reply, "White!"
  You bang your head against the keyboard a couple of times (because this has happened before today), put on a smile, take a deep breath, and type out once again, "Great choice! Would you like a loose fit T-shirt or a more classic, straight cut?"
  The reply: "What kind of T-shirts do you have?" Just love it. © Overheard / Ideer
• I've been working in the service industry for about 15 years. The main requirement has always been a genuine smile and friendliness. This is now at the level of reflexes.
  Once we were celebrating a birthday in a sauna with a large group. Afterward, we're standing in the reception area, and the next group of visitors comes in — a group of guys. Reflexively, I smiled at everyone and greeted each one. Everyone was stunned: my friends, the guys... and me. © Overheard / Ideer
• I'm currently working in the service industry. Recently, a little girl about 7–8 years old ran up to me in the morning and asked, "Where can I throw away the trash?"
  I thought, what a well-mannered girl, I offered her help, held out my open hand, and said, "Let me throw it away for you." At that moment, she spat her gum into my hand and said, "Thank you." © Overheard / Ideer

And here employees reveal industry secrets we were totally unaware of.