Did a Customer ever play on your phobias?

[HotelMinion]

I.e., if you're afraid of snakes did a customer ever come into your workplace with a snake wrapped around his neck and u freaked?
My ex CW was afraid of dogs and someone came in with their service dog. She freaked and started climbing the chairs, yelling and screaming like a madwoman. Lol. I guess isn't wasn't funny to her tho.
Myself, I have a phobia against blood and eyes. So imagine my horror when a man was talking to me and blood started pouring suddenly out of his eyes!!! I started freaking the eff out!! THe customer just kept talking, maybe he didn't notice? It was horrible...
Plus I'm also afraid of most bugs and worms and late at night a house centipede comes wiggling in realllly fast and I'm scared it'll crawl up my leg!! Gross!
SO yeah just wondering

[Erinesque]

Not really a phobia, but gross instead - I worked at a payday loan place, which, thankfully, had glass between the employees and the customers. There was this old man who would come in and talk to us, but the thing is, he had dentures. And apparently didn't believe in securing them in his mouth, so every time he spoke, his top denture would come down, and he'd have to push it back up while speaking, which caused spit to spray all over the glass. After he'd left, we always had to go out and clean that glass, it was so gross! Every time we saw him coming, we'd get sick, and get the Windex ready.

[KellyHabersham]

Well......so far a customer hasn't come in with an angry grizzly bear yet or giant hairy spider yet.

[XCashier]

Sort of. I'm a bit claustrophobic, and sometimes customers (usually men) would try to corner me and loom over me like a vampire, just to ask for help. Dude, you don't have to try to intimidate me, I will show you where the sewing needles are, just ask nicely!

[BrenDAnn]

I haven't had a customer do that, no, but we do have a nest of bees somewhere around the store that like to taunt me. I can't tell you guys how hard my manager laughed the first time one got in the store, and I screamed and ran across the store away from it in what I'm sure was record time. I've learned to get brave enough to kill the things now, but I still dance and scream like a girl while I do!

[bhskittykatt]

Never had a customer do it to me. This summer we had a bride who had trypophobia though (fear of dots or holes) so we had to look around the whole resort for triggers to eliminate before she arrived.

[notalwaysright]

Never had a customer do it to me. This summer we had a bride who had trypophobia though (fear of dots or holes) so we had to look around the whole resort for triggers to eliminate before she arrived.

Wow, did they give specific examples, like polka dots on a throw pillow, or round windows?


Hmmm, I don't think I have any real phobias so I suppose my answer is no. I do have a bit of a fear of drowning. However I'm not afraid of water, just really specific situations. I don't like going below deck on a boat. Going on one of those giant cruise ships is out of the question. I stay on the top deck of any ferry. Sailboats are okay because I've only been on small ones and it's usually just one stairway to escape. I don't like swimming near a dock because I have this weird fear that I'll get trapped underneath. So that hasn't come up at work.

I heard that a long time ago someone came in with a snake around his neck, and the MOD was terrified of snakes, so she stayed in the office and paged over the loud speaker (paraphrased) "Whoever has the snake, leave the store immediately!"

[bhskittykatt]

Wow, did they give specific examples, like polka dots on a throw pillow, or round windows?

Usually it's irregular-shaped stuff, so like condensation on a bottle or something with lots of seeds or barnacles on the beach (given we're a beachside resort, hopefully she didn't get too close to the tide areas for that). I've been big lately on juice with chia seeds which I usually have in a water bottle with me, so I left that at home on the day the bride came just in case.

[WishfulSpirit]

The screaming banshee coworker is going to get your hotel sued or taken to task by the DOJ if she keeps that up with service dogs.

[Thana]

Considering that really my only fear is of the dark... Customers haven't played on that phobia. Coworkers on the other hand... Yeah going into the walk-in cooler and suddenly have the lights shut off on me was not fun. My only saving graces are that 1. I'm physically incapable of screaming and 2 If I can see any bit of light, I will not panic. I still get afraid and will clench my hands into fists, but as long as I can see even the tiniest shred of light, I can control the reaction. If I can't see any light I have no control over the reaction. I turn into a useless crying blubbering mess.

[MoonCat]

Anybody who deliberately plays on someone's phobias is a raging asshole. If someone does something like that to you at work (more than once, anyway) they should be reported to HR for harassment.