We have an interesting episode, today we are doing horror stories of the service in general. We have all types, of Starbucks workers, photographers, the buyer, the owner, all sorts. Are you ready for some crazy stories from the industry? 

 

Branding Photographer 

Oh boy, the situation I’m dealing with right now is quite something. I’ve been running my branding photography business for six years after managing multiple levels of a retail store. At this point in my career, I’ve coached other business owners, had successful financial years, and felt confident in my abilities.

Recently, I landed a well-known business coach as a client. Her online presence exuded a warm, loving, grandma vibe which made me feel honored she chose me. However, things took a turn during our second shoot due to a studio booking issue.

Despite clearly communicating in our planning calls and emails that she needed to book the studio at specific times, she didn’t. On the shoot day, confusion arose when another group claimed the studio space. When I confronted her, she admitted she hadn’t booked it because I didn’t send her a link to the studio calendar.

Although I should have been more thorough by sending her the link, her reaction shocked me. She threw a fit and later called me unprofessional in an email. Her team claimed no other photographer had ever mishandled things like this with her.

Despite her behavior, she wants to renew our contract for another year, even though she disrespects me and now offers photo shoot coaching to her clients, regurgitating what I’ve taught her. Strangely, she still sees value in my work.

During her third session, she had her coaching clients model for her website. I offered to send them photos and gave out my business cards, assuming she’d appreciate the gesture. Instead, she sent me a lengthy email saying it felt “icky” and implying I was trying to poach her clients.

Her email claimed she hadn’t read my initial agreement about sharing photos and hadn’t planned to share them herself. She also criticized me for not discussing my plan with her beforehand, even though she wasn’t present when I spoke with her clients.

Despite this, I stand by my contract which gives me control over photo copyrights. Her response seemed hypocritical given her own scripted client reviews.

In summary, the situation with this client has been challenging and unprofessional on her part. Despite her desire to continue working together, I’ve decided not to renew our contract.

 

RING overboard

I was taking detail shots on a deck overlooking a lake. I had the veil under the bouquet with the ring in the flowers. I forgot the ring was still in the bouquet and picked it up, and the ring fell through the deck crack. You know I jumped over the deck so dang fast while praying that a miracle would happen. The ring was literally hanging on a tiny bush and somehow didn’t fall into the lake. Thank you, God.

 

Starbucks 

Scenario 1: A couple of friends and I went to Starbucks to get coffee and catch up. We sat outside, and there was one other customer there who was on his laptop. Us ladies were chatting and enjoying ourselves when he leaned over to us and said, “Ladies, please keep it down, my meeting is almost over.”

I’m sorry, am I a 36-year-old woman in a public place outside or a child in a library? We were stunned.

Scenario 2: I worked at Starbucks for over three years. Although I haven’t worked there in almost four years, I still remember these stories clearly. Here’s one about a regular drive-thru customer we called Jenny.

Jenny ordered her drink verbatim like this every time: “It’s Jenny.” If the person taking her order didn’t recognize her, she’d huff and puff, then spit out her order: “Grande iced vanilla latte, non-fat, sugar-free vanilla, extra shot, shots on top, in a venti cup filled with ice, topped with whole milk to the top line.”

No matter who took or made her order, if she saw someone she didn’t like working, she would ask for her drink to be remade without even trying it first. Her $9 drink, probably over $12 now with inflation, would be remade at least twice every time she came to the drive-thru. We had to wait to pour the milk on top until she was at the window so she could watch and tell us when to stop.

She was incredibly rude and condescending. We even experimented by having the people she didn’t like make her drink before she got to the window, stopping short of pouring the milk. Then we’d hide them from view and have someone she did like pour the milk on top and hand it to her. She’d take it without a problem.

Scenario 3: Another drive-thru regular at our Starbucks was Rick, an oddball 60-year-old who would come in at 10:30 p.m. and order two tall hot chocolates. He had no idea how to drive and was constantly running over the curb, hitting the drive-thru fence, and love-tapping the building. It was not funny—he was a creepy guy with an obsession with one of my co-workers, Dan. He would pull up and, if he didn’t hear Dan give the drive-thru greeting, he’d say, “Hey, it’s Rick. Where is Dan? I need to talk to him.” He then started being extremely pervy to us girls.

One night, it was a full moon, and as I handed him his drink, he said to me, “You know the moon is full tonight.”

I responded, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, huh?”

Rick replied, “Yeah, and it also affects women’s bleeding cycles. Are you bleeding right now? I bet you all are because it’s the full moon. Why?”

Scenario 4: The most frightening encounter was with a man who had serious cognitive and mental health issues. Although he had never been a threat to any of us before, he would come in, talk to himself, and act as if he was in a board meeting with no one there. It was safe for him to be in our building rather than wandering alone and vulnerable all night.

One night, he stayed until closing time. When I asked him to leave, he became very agitated. He started freaking out about the government, claiming they had stolen his brother and were keeping him in underground tunnels connected by trap doors in commercial kitchens. He confused commercial floor grease traps with trap doors leading to underground bunkers. He became aggressive and demanded to be let into our back room, accusing us of hiding his brother and demanding to see our grease trap.

Luckily, our grease trap was covered by a non-slip floor mat, and in his confusion, he didn’t think to lift it. We called the cops and were able to get him the help he needed. The cops already knew about him and had received calls, but they were never able to reach him before he fled the scene. Unfortunately, it turned out his brother had passed away a few years back, which had been the catalyst for his mental health issues.

 

It’s Her or Me…

At the wedding reception, just as it kicked off, the mother of the groom confronted him with an ultimatum: “It’s me or her.” The mother of the groom looked at her son and essentially told him to choose between her and his bride. The groom was so angry that he punched the bathroom mirror. The bride was crying on the bathroom floor with her sister. The mother of the bride, who had just had her first shot of tequila ever as a celebratory gesture with her daughters, heard about the situation and stormed after the mother of the groom.

The groom disappeared from the reception while the bride was still crying on the bathroom floor. The father of the groom left to find his son. Meanwhile, my second shooter and I were hiding in the DJ booth, praying the mother of the bride wouldn’t attack the mother of the groom. The father of the groom found his son and brought him back, his fist wrapped in a towel and covered in blood.

The bride looked distraught, her face puffy and tears streaming down. The bride and groom came to me, unsure of what to do next. Since all their formal events had already been completed before this fiasco, I advised them to leave. They decided to go on their honeymoon. We used the getaway car that happened to be there and shot a faux exit with the bridal party. We photographed from behind and had the groom hold the bride’s flowers to hide his bloody hand. Thankfully, I later checked, and they are still married.

 

Chick-Fil-A Crazy Mom

In college, I was a manager at Chick-fil-A. One evening, a mom and her four kids came through the drive-thru. She ordered a chicken wrap with fried chicken, and the team member taking her order apologized, explaining that we couldn’t do that because it wasn’t on the menu. She yelled at him, then ordered all of her food well done. The team member informed her that it would take at least five minutes for the well-done order and asked if she was okay with that.

When she reached the window, she complained about the wrap situation. I went to the window to apologize and asked her to pull forward so we could bring her order out when it was ready. She refused to move, so I told her that was fine, but I would send team members out to serve the other customers around her car. She called me a b**** and then moved forward.

A few minutes later, she called the store asking about her food. I explained that since it was all well done, it would take longer to cook. She then got out of her car, came to the window, and started yelling at the team. I asked her to return to her car because I was bagging up her order. When I brought her order to the car, she called me a stupid b**** and complained that because of me, they were going to be late for their movie. She then picked up her fries and threw them at me because she didn’t think they were well done.

I looked at her kids in the back, apologized to them for their mother’s behavior, and asked her if she wanted to wait another five minutes for the fries. She flipped me off and left.

 

Buffalo Wild Wings

I was a waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings in college. Dos Equis was having a promo event, so we had a life-size cutout of the actor who portrayed “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” Early in the dinner shift, a bearded, gray, white-haired man was seated in my section.

I introduced myself and asked what he’d like to drink. He ordered a double shot of whiskey neat and told me, “I’m the most interesting man in the world, you know.” He did look like an off-brand version of the actor—a budget version before memes were a thing. A 30-year-old woman joined him for a drink. He ordered for her, and she never spoke to me. She eventually left, and he ordered his third double.

As I was standing opposite him, where the woman had been sitting, he started telling me that she was his daughter. He then reiterated that he was the most interesting man in the world and that he was very well-known. I was cordial but not encouraging, responding with, “That’s so nice for you.”

He proceeded to tell me which hotel he was staying at, including his room number. Then he crossed his leg and began to rub my leg with his foot. I immediately backed up, got his check, and hid in the kitchen until he paid—all in cash and barely leaving a tip.

The next night, I had my back to the door, rolling silverware. I heard the door open, and someone came up very close to me, grabbed my upper arm and elbow, leaned in, and said, “Which section shall I sit in?” He had come back. I sent him to the bar, which was free seating, warned the bar waitress, and went about my shift, hiding as much as possible. He stared at me the whole time he was there, had one drink, spoke to no one, and left. I had the kitchen staff walk me out that night.

 

Local Coffee Shop

I used to manage a coffee shop—the real deal, not Starbucks. I was usually the opener, and we were in a good part of town, so I typically felt safe. One morning, I arrived at 5:30 to open up at 6:00. I got everything prepared, had my shots of espresso, and was ready for the day. Suddenly, I felt a strong, quiet whisper in my chest, like the Holy Spirit telling me, “You’re going to be safe. Trust that I will protect you.” My blood chilled, and my heart started racing.

At 6:00 a.m. sharp, I looked up to see a man with a dark ambiance sprinting to the door. He opened it and came barreling in like a bull in a china shop. He started speed-walking around the entire store, on a mission, like someone’s grandma walking to the mailbox. The first thing he said was, “Are you alone?” Even though it was clear I was, I responded, “That’s none of your concern. What can I do for you?”

He didn’t reply, just looked me straight in the eyes. I repeated, “If you’re not going to get anything, you need to leave.” He seemed in a trance and wouldn’t say a thing. Suddenly, his hand went to his crotch, and he got an erection, then started walking towards me as if to jump the counter. I told him he needed to leave, and that I was calling the cops. He dashed to the bathroom.

I hit our panic button and prayed, “Lord, I need protection now.” Just as I finished saying that, a fireman and his wife walked in, sensed something was wrong, and stayed with me. Meanwhile, the creeper was in the bathroom grunting. He sprinted out of the bathroom and ran off before the cops arrived.

It was the scariest experience, but the coolest thing was how the Lord had my back from the start. Anyway, that was a long story—oops!

 

Ice cream shop- heartwarming 

We had two customers at our shop who had both lost their spouses of over 30 years. They liked each other but felt it was too soon to date, so they decided to eat ice cream together every day at 2:00 p.m. for six months to see if they could make it work. They became known as Cookies and Cream and Rum Raisin, as we called our customers by their favorite flavors.

After six months, they called my phone, which my son had given them since he was the manager. They told me that they had fallen in love and had observed our servers always being kind and talking about Jesus. This inspired them to renew their faith, which they had lost years earlier.

They decided they didn’t want to waste any more time and wanted to get married. They asked if I would do the ceremony. I told them we didn’t have a building, but they said, “No, we want to get married right in front of the shop on the beach and have the reception in the ice cream shop with Rum Raisin and Cookies and Cream for their whole family who flew down.”

So, we did it. They are happily married today and still have their 2:00 p.m. ice cream date. God bless Rum Raisin and Cookies and Cream!

 

Nail Salon

I worked at a nail salon in high school. I had been there for almost three years when we hired another receptionist. This receptionist was in college and had just started but was constantly requesting days and odd times off. It got to the point where I thought, “I cannot possibly work all these dates and cover your last-minute shifts.”

One day, she asked for a Friday evening off, but I had already planned and taken that evening off weeks in advance. She said she needed to watch her 14-year-old sister, which seemed like an age when you could start staying home alone for a few hours, but I digress.

I should have kept my mouth shut, but one of our chatty techs was talking to me about how annoying this new receptionist, let’s call her Jane, was for constantly taking time off. Jane’s mother, unbeknownst to us, was a customer sitting directly behind us. Jane’s mother introduced herself to us afterward. Thank God I didn’t say much, but the tech went off. To this day, I am mortified. It’s my Roman Empire, and I have a visceral reaction every time I recall the story.

 

Wedding Cake 

I was a wedding planner for a high-end beach resort in 2018. It was a wedding weekend for myself and my business partner, and we were working five weddings between the two of us. On Tuesdays, we would confirm all the cake orders with our preferred vendors, alternating responsibilities each week. This specific week was my partner’s turn to confirm the cakes, and she did, as did I, when checking with my bride.

On the day of the wedding, an hour before the ceremony, I checked the ballroom where the reception was to be held and noticed there was no cake on the cake table. I called my partner, and her cake from the same bakery had already been delivered. I ran up four flights to my office and got on the phone with the bakery. My boss, sitting across from me, was confused as to why I was in a low-key panic. I explained the situation: it was 45 minutes until the ceremony and an hour and a half until the reception, and the bakery had no record of our order, despite it being confirmed and paid for.

The bakery was 30 minutes away in vacation traffic, and the bride had been very specific about how she wanted the cake. Fortunately, it was one of the bakery’s most popular designs, so I was able to describe it perfectly. I told the bakery, “I don’t care how you get a cake here, but get a cake here.” My boss was panicked, but I reassured him, “It’s fine. Everything’s fine. We can do this.” We had no choice.

I ran down to the front lawn, where the ceremony was to start in 30 minutes. The bride was drunk off her booty, so we fed her crackers and water, trying to sober her up. She managed to get down the aisle, they got married, and then took their family portraits. Meanwhile, our diligent servers were feeding her food, but she continued drinking glass after glass of champagne.

I left the mother of the bride to deal with her daughter and went down to the ballroom. Miraculously, the cake was there. The bakery had pulled off a miracle, but only the bottom tier was actual cake—the top three tiers were styrofoam. We needed to ensure the cake cutting was done on the bottom tier so the bride wouldn’t know.

At this point, the only people who knew about the cake situation were myself, my boss, and the server in charge of the cake. We reached the grand entrance 15 minutes late because the bride was so inebriated. We kept giving her crackers and food, trying to keep the mother of the bride happy, who was furious at her daughter. Thankfully, the timeline moved everything along quickly. I pulled the videographer and photographer aside to explain that the cake cutting had to be on the bottom layer and that there were sheet cakes in the back for serving.

To this day, the only people who knew about the cake mishap were myself, the videographer, the photographer, my boss, and two servers. And that’s the story of the cake that almost didn’t show up on one of the busiest weekends I’ve ever worked.

 

Show notes

Shopify: www.shopify.com/heart

 

www.theheartuniversity.com/website-templates

 

www.theheartuniversity.com/courses

 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theheartuniversitychannel?si=33lzxpBA9UxKlgTE

 

If you want to connect with us and other listeners in the Heart and Hustle community join our Facebook group here.

 

PODCAST10 for 10% off anything from The Shop!

www.theheartuniversity.com/shop

 

Follow along:

www.instagram.com/mrslindseyroman

www.instagram.com/evierupp

www.instagram.com/theheartuniversity