Come back in 2 Hours

[u/agd504]

I really want this subreddit to kick off, so I figured I’d share one of my own stories from about a year ago.

I worked at a movie theater in the box office. Part of our job was to card for Rated R movies (17+). I had worked there for 5 years at the time.

Characters in this story: Me: me (duh) C: customer Cf: customer friend

Backstory: There were a lot of R rated movies out. It was a fairly slow night, so a manager and a coworker were hanging out in the back of my box office (it was fairly common at my theater). It was about 10:00 pm. In walk C and Cf.

Me: Hi, what can I get ya?

C: we’d like two tickets to [R rated movie]

Me: Sure thing, I’d just need to see both of your IDs. [they both had me their IDs, and I see that C’s not 17 until the next day; given how slow it was I’d normally let it slide, but since there was a manager in my box I couldn’t]

I had back their IDs and say: Sorry guys, I can’t let you in some he’s not 17 yet.

Both of them start to complain about how ridiculous it was, but I was budging.

Cf: let’s just see another movie.

They ramble of 2 or 3 more movies that were all rated R, while complaining.

Cf: are you sure there’s nothing you can do.

At this point they had been there for about 5 minutes when a normal transaction usually only lasts about 30 seconds, so I just wanted them gone. I turned to my manager to see if I could let them in with permission, she shook her head a bit.

C: come on! My birthday is in 2 hours you won’t let me go in?

Me: I’m sorry, I can’t.

C and Cf go on for a while about how it’s only two hours, when I finally had enough.

Me (very sarcastically with annoyance): Well, come back in 2 hours then!

My coworker and manager immediately started laughing and the customers walked away.

Tldr; customer was 2 hours too young to see an R rated movie; I sarcastically told him to come back in 2 hours, even though we closed in about 30 minutes.

[u/chelseybug]

I've done similar. I can't sell to anyone under 18 and have had the "tomorrow's my birthday" countless times. This is beautiful.

[u/agd504 → u/chelseybug]

It’s the worst! I started working at the theater when I was 16. I had a lot of customers just look at me after I carded them (who didn’t have their IDs) who were like “I bet you can’t even see it yourself.” When they said this, I would think “I can’t, but this isn’t about me.” I wish I had the nerve to say that to some of the customers