(I’m buying a preowned copy of Gears of War 2, and the girl behind the counter presents the discs to show there’s no visible damage etc. As she puts them back in the box, I notice something off about the main game disc.)

Me: “Hang on, that’s the wrong game.”

Employee #1: “No it’s not. Says it right there, Gears of War.”

Me: “Yeah, but shouldn’t it say Gears of War 2?”

Employee #1: “Why? What’s the difference?”

Me: “Umm… well, there’s the difference between buying a game I already own and buying the sequel to that game.”

(At this point, another employee shows up.)

Employee #2: “Is something wrong?”

Employee #1: *angrily* “He’s whining over nothing!”

Me: *to employee #2* “Do you understand the concept of a sequel?”

(Employee #2 gets me the right game while Employee #1 goes off in a huff. I have a bit of a laugh and chat with Employee #2 for a few minutes. When I get home and open up the game, I find Employee #2′s has left her phone number on a scrap of receipt paper inside!)

(I happen to go to the same college as my fiancé. He and my best friend at school are both in wheelchairs. I am able-bodied, and am buying food in the cafeteria when this exchange happens.)

Cashier: “Your friend is quite a character!”

Me: “Which one?”

Cashier: “The one in the wheelchair.”

Me: “Which one?”

Cashier: “There’s more than one?”

Me: “Well, my best friend and my fiance are both in wheelchairs.”

Cashier: “Your fiancé is in a wheelchair?!”

Me: “Yes.”

Cashier: “Was he in an accident?”

Me: “No, he was born with a disability.”

Cashier: *long pause* “So, what do you think it is about you that makes you okay with that?!”

(My parents own a small bookstore. Being all fair-skinned redheads, it was only logical on Halloween that my three older brothers and I dress as the Weasleys from Harry Potter. Two other coworkers get into the spirit and dress as Harry and Draco. The newest coworker is a girl who wasn’t really working out. She’s dressed in an overly-revealing princess costume, so we’ve asked her to change, which she complains about.)

Me: *to customer* “Thank you! Happy Halloween and come again!”

Regular Customer #1: “Thank you, Ginny! I love this place. You guys are always so cute!”

Me: “Thank you!”

Regular Customer #2: “So, Fred and George helped me find this book, but I need to order another one. Should I see Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy about that?”

New Coworker: *to regular customer #2* “What the h***?! That isn’t anyone’s name that works here. Are all your customers retarded or something?!”

Me: *to regular customer #2* “Draco will be more than happy to help you.” *to new coworker* “It’s just some Halloween fun…no need to be rude to our customers.” *to regular customer #2* “I’m sorry about that.”

New Coworker: “That’s dumb. This is the worst job I’ve ever had!”

Me: “This is the only job you’ve ever had.”

Regular Customer #2: *to new coworker* “You were that girl who was dressed totally inappropriately, right?”

New Coworker: “You can’t talk to me like that!”

Brother #1: “Sure she can. Ma’am, I’ll be happy to escort you over to Mister Malfoy.”

New Coworker: “You people are a joke! You just can’t stand that I’m working here!”

Me: “What?!”

New Coworker: “It’s because I’m so pretty, isn’t it?! It’s because I’m blond and pretty!”

(Note: Regular Customer #3 is a young college-aged guy who comes in a couple times a week.)

Regular Customer #3: *to new coworker* “Hey, could you maybe get out of the way so I can actually buy these books and talk to the lovely little redhead there? You’re just kind of taking up space.”

New Coworker: “I am not!”

Regular Customer #3: “Uh huh…” *to me* “So, Ginny, wanna go out with me tonight? There’s this party and I was hoping maybe you’d go with me.”

New Coworker: “What?! You’re seriously asking HER?! But I’m BLOND and PRETTY!”

Regular Customer #3: “…And rude. Let’s not forget rude. Now please, I’m trying to have a conversation here.”

New Coworker: “Oh my God, I quit! This place is awful! NO ONE APPRECIATES ME!”

(She runs out of the store, throwing her name tag at me in the process.)

Brother #2: “Harry Potter’s scar no longer burns…the evil one, she has been defeated.”

Regular Customer #3: “Well, at least she’s gone. I was serious about that party, though.”

(We’ve been dating ever since!)