Fact: Working in a customer service position that necessitates long-term exposure to one’s fellow humans carries a significant risk of developing acute, potentially incurable, misanthropy. And if you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, treatment is especially hard to find.
Exhibit a) From a roadside store in “the armpit of California, as witnessed on separate occasions by both Dirk and Danielle
Exhibit b) From a NON-fast food restaurant in the backwaters of Louisiana
Exhibit c) From a diner in a speck of a town called Endicott, Nebraska. (Adds submitter Jill: “They also have a stuffed two-headed calf!”)
related: How’s that for a low price guarantee?
78 responses so far ↓
#1
much to my chagrin
At least they give you notice about not giving you any notice.
Aug 23, 2010 at 8:55 pm rating: 47
#2
much to my chagrin
Who is the son of Abitch?
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:00 pm rating: 17
#3
Silence
I’m with Team Note Writers, especially in the first case.
It’s aggravating & soul-killing as F to hear customers whine all day about policies/prices/products that you have no control over. As if I, the lowly cashier, really sets the price point on gallons of Unleaded and decaf coffee.
Couple that with a remote location where that job may indeed be the only one available and, yeah, putting up those signs was probably the best thing to ever happen to employees there.
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:09 pm rating: 42
#4
RunBarbara
That last note is actually a rip off from the custom made panties I wear…except my “kitchen” never closes.
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:14 pm rating: 27
#5
catburglar
We are not fast food! No! No!! Why are you squirting me with that packet of ketchup?! Get your hands off me! No! Noooooooo!
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:21 pm rating: 12
#6
Kat
I love the last sign. I don’t know why, but I picture this big, greasy frycook who smokes his stogies in the back and hasn’t cleaned his apron since 1980 carefully penning this sign with all the rage in his withered, blackened heart.
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:24 pm rating: 42
#7
spoko
I live a couple hours away from Endicott. It is truly, truly BFE. But now I really want to visit, just to eat at that restaurant.
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:38 pm rating: 3
#8
mamason
Hold the pickles hold the lettuce?
Special orders DO up set us.
Aug 23, 2010 at 9:40 pm rating: 5
#9
Canthz_B
Of course it’s not Burger King. It costs a fortune to run a fast food place in the middle of nowhere…or so I’ve heard.
Aug 24, 2010 at 12:07 am rating: 6
#10
Canthz_B
I read somewhere that California is experimenting with alternative sentencing in their criminal courts, but had no idea they could sentence someone to a career running a roadside store without any choice.
Given a choice, I’d take San Quentin.
Aug 24, 2010 at 12:13 am rating: 19
#11
oskar
Delicious glass of Coke on the clock but only a Pepsi fountain – no wonder customers complain…
Aug 24, 2010 at 12:58 am rating: 13
#12
newbuffalomom
I have a sign in my kitchen.
Dinner Choices
1. Take it
2. Leave it
Aug 24, 2010 at 3:53 am rating: 23
#13
Kelly
According to the last note, the kitchen closes at 1 in the afternoon. They are really going after that money meal.
Aug 24, 2010 at 5:28 am rating: 3
#14
Woman on the Verge
Is that a jug of moonshine under the last sign?
Aug 24, 2010 at 8:15 am rating: 3
#15
ivbeenthere
I’ve been to that first place, it’s a gas stop in the middle of the Mojave. The prices are high, but its true, there really isnt anywhere else, and yes, they are in the middle of the desert, so, suck it up.
What I am surprised at is, that when I was there, the place was also littered with Jesus stuff and Jehovahs witness pamphlets. No pictures of that? Maybe it isn’t anymore, but I was there in 08.
Aug 24, 2010 at 8:57 am rating: 1
#16
Edwina the Defrocked Nun
Why didn’t Jill send a picture of the stuffed two-headed calf?
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:13 am rating: 7
#17
Pterosaur
A cranky short-order cook and a two-headed stuffed calf?!
Road trip!
Aug 24, 2010 at 9:53 am rating: 12
#18
Other Julie
Welcome to Martyrs’ Oasis. We have no choice but to be here.
Aug 24, 2010 at 10:46 am rating: 15
#19
Sarah Ashley
Wait, so you can order something for $10, and then once they start cooking it they can jack up the price and not tell you?
That’s ……… odd.
Aug 24, 2010 at 2:21 pm rating: 7
#20
Lurker
Die.
Aug 24, 2010 at 3:27 pm rating: 2
#21
jason
Yes, do permanently stop breathing, please.
Aug 24, 2010 at 3:40 pm rating: 4
#22
David
“we are here to serve you”
…enjoy your self-serve soda
Aug 24, 2010 at 5:14 pm rating: 8
#23
pylgrim
That twice-repeated “WE ARE NOT FAST FOOD” claim comes as desperate -a shout of self-deafening denial against the crushing weight of evidence- rather than angry, when written amidst old stains of grease and ketchup and the lulling glare of the Coke display beneath.
Aug 24, 2010 at 7:36 pm rating: 5
#24
RebelKnightCSA
What is the address of that Nebraska diner? I sooooo want to go there – I admire the owner’s spirit.
Aug 25, 2010 at 12:45 am rating: 1
#25
Mojmir
This is a nice blog message, I will keep this idea in my mind. If you add more video and pictures because it helps understanding
ml Mojmir.
Aug 25, 2010 at 1:57 am rating: 0
#26
sandra
I have also seen that sign in california!!
Aug 25, 2010 at 1:37 pm rating: 1
#27
Diane
The place is called “Hi Sahara Oasis”, it’s in Essex, CA, and you’ll love this from their website, http://www.hisaharaoasis.com :
“More of a resort than a rest stop, we are dedicated to providing you with a safe and convenient place to stretch and recover before getting back onto the road.”
I made the mistake of getting a bit too low on gas and pulling in there a couple of weeks ago. The signs are still there, at least three by my count. The combination of the one on the door and the one below it that said the restrooms are for “paying customers only” scared the piss right back into my 12 year old son. He went up to the door after I had come back to the car and wouldn’t even enter the store.
BTW, the gas was $4.05/gallon, while all the other stations “in the middle of nowhere” were charging $3.10 or less. I got just enough gas to get us into Arizona and made a mental note to never stop there again – unless it was just to take a snap to send here. As soon as I saw the sign I thought about Passive-Agressive Notes, but I was afraid the shotgun might come out if I went back to take a picture!
Aug 27, 2010 at 12:33 pm rating: 2
#28
The Judy
Has Pops confirmed Earl’s death yet?
Aug 28, 2010 at 12:01 pm rating: 0
#29
Angela
Is the first sign from Dante Hicks?
Aug 28, 2010 at 9:06 pm rating: 0
#30
J
There was a neighborhood tap I used to frequent many years ago. One of the signs on the bar was a “Burger King” sign similar to the one shown here. One of my favorite ones too.
Up in Madison there’s a Marathon station that has a sign above the cash register – which was behind a glass wall – that basically said that if you were in the store without in the judgment of the guy behind the counter a good reason the police would be called and you would be arrested for trespassing. On one hand I can understand why an owner would put that up. On the other hand that station was giving off all the wrong vibes. It wasn’t in a bad area of town by any stretch, and the guy behind the counter was kind of creepy. I haven’t been back to that station since.
Aug 29, 2010 at 11:11 am rating: 1
#31
Herschel
And the STUPID thing about it is that people will read those notices and still give them their business.
Why would you want to get into a “People” business IF YOU HATE PEOPLE?
Sep 1, 2010 at 2:42 pm rating: 0
#32
Noelegy
To my sorrow, getting out of retail did not end (or even really diminish) my daily exposure to rude, stupid, clueless, lazy people who make me want to stab my eyeballs all the time. I totally understand the sentiments behind these signs!
Sep 2, 2010 at 8:10 am rating: 1
#33
mira
Thank you so much for having this website! I was recently on an RV trip and we stopped at the “we Have no Choice” gas station. That sign fascinated me so that I googled it and that is how I stumbled upon this site. I was dying to ask the clerk what it meant and what people complained about so profusley that they had to make a sign but of course I was way too scared.
Sep 30, 2010 at 5:14 pm rating: 3
#34
Mille
I’ve been to the place in California. It really is the middle of nowhere. There are no other places for a really long time. We saw the signs and said, screw you and left. I’d rather drive another hour and give my business to someone who appreciates it. And you made the choice to open a business in the middle of nowhere, so stop complaining.
Nov 1, 2010 at 3:04 pm rating: 3
#35 What, you were expecting a “How can I help you?” | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] Service with a snarl [...]
Nov 22, 2010 at 8:03 pm rating: 0
#36 Dear Bad Mood Customer | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] Service with a snarl [...]
Feb 2, 2011 at 7:32 pm rating: 0
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