Pexels/Reddit

The hardest part of any service job is the part where the service meets the public.

A hotel employee spent one shift with two rude guests who made her rethink her whole career.

The first wouldn’t answer her greeting and sent his key sailing over the counter, and the second looked right at a charge she’d just explained and demanded to know what it was.

She’s been at the front desk for years and still finds the job easy on paper. It’s the people who turn it into a test of endurance.

You’ll want to keep reading to find out what redditors had to say about this one.

I guess manners aren’t a thing anymore.

Yesterday I had TWO guests who had me questioning humanity.

First guest walks up to the desk. I say, “Good morning! Checking out?”

The guest’s response was much less chipper.

He says absolutely nothing, throws his room keys onto the desk, and one literally flies over the counter.

Then he goes, “I wasn’t throwing it at you, I promise,” and walks away laughing.

The next guest wasn’t any better.

Then another guest comes to check in before check-in time. I say, “Hello, checking in?” Nothing.

I ask for the last name. He puts his ID on the counter instead of handing it to me. Fine.

I explain the total and specifically tell him, “Just so you know, this includes the $100 incidental authorization.”

The guest clearly wasn’t listening.

He looks at the screen and immediately goes, “WHAT’S THIS?!”

…Sir.

I JUST TOLD YOU WHAT IT WAS.

Clearly this guest is comfortable playing clueless.

Then he says, “I stay at hotels every week, and they never do that.”

I’ve been working front desk for 5+ years, and honestly, I’m over it.

The job itself is easy, but the PEOPLE make it harder than it should be.

That’s working with the general public, for ya.

What did Reddit have to say?

A guest’s response, even a blatantly dishonest one, can tell you a lot.

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Some people severely lack patience.

It’s a shame manners aren’t a thing anymore.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who isn’t happy with the company’s new time tracking rules, so decides to find a way around them.

There’s a small psychological trick that might just work here.

This front desk employee has mastered a skill that no training manual covers, which is staying pleasant while strangers treat her like she’s furniture.

Neither of these interactions were ever really about a hotel policy or a room key, they were the result of entitled people who forgot the person behind the counter has thoughts and feelings.

The job is simple, but customers are anything but.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.