We're tackling something we all have to deal with at some time or other: work drama. Each week, I'll be bringing the juiciest stories from across the web right to our little virtual water cooler. From toxic bosses to nightmare workplaces, I'm here to speak a little justice on behalf of the average worker.

While you're here, please note that this weekly series is meant solely for entertainment purposes. Please do not have your HR team call me tomorrow saying you heard it from Joel at Digg.

A Customer Made Me Refund Her $0.02 Children's Hospital Donation

Okay, this is a rather short story.

So, I used to work for a pharmacy who would ask at the beginning of each purchase if you would like to donate to a hospitals children's center. It would round your purchase up to the nearest dollar, so it could round up anywhere from 1 cent to $1, nothing more, nothing less.

I would always explain as well that there are three options: Yes always, Yes this time, No.

Almost everyone would hit no or always, because they wouldn't listen to me when I would explain. The next time they come in, they get upset because their next purchase rounded to the nearest dollar. About 90% of customers only voice this after the purchase is complete. If you explain that their 10 cents went to a children's charity, they usually let it go, we also explain that we can remove them from the donation program.

I had a lady come in who was signed up with the program. Had been for a few months. She completes her purchase and goes, "Oh, I want that money back."

I'm sitting there confused as she says this. She shows me her receipt and points to the donation part that says '2 cents'.

"Yeah, I want that money back."

Now, I'm sitting here thinking, you want to take money from a children's hospital? The hell did they ever do to you?

So I call up my manager. I don't know how I'd go about doing such a thing, and considering this lady is demanding back 2 CENTS... I wasn't in the mood for petty people.

after ten minutes of my manager dealing with that, he finally just popped open the till, handed her 2 cents, let her know that we can remove her from the program next time, and wished her a good day.

More people began to come in to do that afterwards, over more than a couple pennies.

So, am I wrong to think people are messed up for wanting a refund on the single dollar they donated to a local children's hospital?

To start, am I the only one who had a heart attack over the permanent donation option? Here's the thing, respectfully, I will always listen to a cashier's donation prompt because I know they have to say it. However, none of us are billion-dollar companies, so I'm always confused as to why it falls back on us. Now, would I make somebody refund me pennies in the middle of their shift? No, but with all this inflation, I'm still on this lady's side. Read the rest of the thread here.

Is It Weird That I'm Happy My Co-Worker — Who Refused To Pay For Literally Anything — Got Fired?

My coworker basically had to leave the restaurant and go get her wallet, go back to the restaurant, and pay because I lied and told her I didn't have my wallet. For some context, this coworker makes less than I do but not a lot less, every time we go to breakfast or lunch she "left her wallet" somewhere new. I have paid before, and I'll then have to send her a venmo request which she sends back days or weeks later, sometimes I have forgotten, and she has gotten away with it. I started to notice this and today she asked me if I wanted to go get breakfast with her, I told her I'd go with her but had already had breakfast. Of course when we sit down she says OMG I forgot my wallet and I said omg me too lol. I tell her go get it from the car and she says she'll try apple pay. She eats and when time to pay comes she asks if they use apple pay and they don't. I'm a very over-prepared person and was embarrassed that she waited til she ate to ask that when we couldve quickly walked to her car and gotten the wallet. Anyway, she asks me again if I'm sure I don't have my wallet which I thought was weird and I said yes....

The place let her come back a little later to pay since we showed them where we worked on the block. The whole way back to work she went on about how embarrassing that was and said to me "You never have your wallet when I need it"... to which I was so confused. THE SHEER AUDACITY. I said "Excuse me? I always have my wallet or a form of payment which is why we have been here before and I've paid for you and its crazy to say that to me when you never have your wallet and when I didn't eat" and she just looked like a deer in headlights. I was appalled, I genuinely think this woman may be cray after this. How can she, after eating on her own and not being able to foot her own bill then turns around and tells ME I NEVER HAVE MY WALLET?????

Edit: I didn't expect this to go semi viral, thanks for all the comments and advice. Just want to add a couple of points that I think are important:

We are the only two women at the office, our boss is rarely here and all other employees are remote. We basically just make sure the satellite office doesn't fall apart and get whatever our boss needs, collect the mail etc. Soooo we have A LOT of downtime, we don't even have to answer phones so we go to breakfast at a cafe nearby pretty often since it takes us 20-30 minutes to eat and our boss encourages it. After these comments I'll definitely be either eating alone or not going with her.

She may be this way with everyone because on her birthday she posted her venmo on facebook and asked people to send gifts through there.

UPDATE: She got fired over the weekend because she sent an email to the wrong client enclosing a bunch of confidential agreements. This is not the first time she's gotten reprimanded before, so I was not surprised since she and I both knew she was on thin ice with my boss.

The most shocking part to me was that she immediately blocked me on all social media/texts as soon as she left, even though I stayed cordial with her since the last time we went to eat and wrote the post. So I definitely feel like even more of an idiot than I felt after the wallet comment. Can't believe I trusted someone for four years who was waiting for any second to remove me from her life. Let this be your reminder that coworkers are not friends.

Have your friends Venmo you before the food arrives. After you eat, everyone's groggy, gassy and getting cranky, so it's just too easy to forget once everybody hands the waiter their plate. We can all agree this coworker basically stole your lunch money. The least we can all do is use this as a learning lesson as to why work is often better spent being bored and not making "friends." So for everyone in the comments, let's say it together now, "bye!" Read the rest of the thread here.

Nobody In My Office Cares That I'm Vegetarian When Ordering Us Lunch

Every Thursday at work the company “caters” lunch for everyone. I say caters very loosely, it usually rotates between, Winco Pizza, Pre-packed winco half sandwiches with a side salad, Lasagna, Fried Chicken, chili, hot dogs, etc . I’ve explained to them that I am vegetarian and would appreciate a vegetarian option at Thursday lunches. They said absolutely no problem, and for a while I would get a decent hardy salad, with tons of fixins so it actually felt like a meal or a veggie sandwiches, and pizza was always fine. But its gotten extremely lazy the last year or so, either no option at all, or they get a giant bowl of salad for everyone that is 95% iceburg lettuce and i’m expected that that is good enough.

I overheard the person (who is literally paid to go to the store to do this) complain that they have to do “something special” for me. I’ve brought it up a couple times that iceberg lettuce is not a meal and it gets better for a little then back to how it is.

Today they had over a dozen Lasagna’s and you’re going to tell me that one of them couldn’t of been a vegetable or cheese one. It feels like willful ignorance at this point.

I feel like such an annoyance just trying to advocate for a little consideration, i’m not vegan, i’m not gluten free, I don’t have a million allergies, or restrictions I just don’t eat meat, its not that complicated. But i’m at the point where I think i’m just going to go out for lunch with my company card if it keeps up like this. I don’t really know how to move forward at this point, any advice would be nice. I’m not trying to be the asshole, but I feel like i’m not asking for the world here.

Edit: For the record I am aware that this is a 1st world problem. Its more about the fact that if you’re actually trying to boost company moral, telling the person that can’t benefit from “it sucks to be you” makes it solely performative. I was told I would be accommodated by the boss of the people providing food. I also do bring my own lunch often as a backup, Thanks to all of those who hear where I am coming from!

Edit 2: its not that I am being picky, its just that I don’t eat meat. I was raised that way for religious reasons, and even if it wasn’t for those reasons it shouldn’t matter. Saying that iceberg lettuce with salad dressing is not a meal is not a wild concept. Would you genuinely feel like that is a meal? And its every week. If it was one event or something it would be nbd. If it just signifies a lack of care.

Take charge of this situation and volunteer to run this operation. No, honestly, it's not like the guy doing it actually enjoys it. Anyways, I'm sorry, but I can't side with the comments telling you to bring granola. Everyone in the office is an adult, and dare I say it, probably likes eating vegetables because they're not four. Take charge of the menu, and watch everybody flock to the vegetarian options. Vegetarian food is not just tofu and cold lettuce, and if given the chance, I'm sure you can show them that. Now's your time to shine my friend! Read the rest of the thread here.

I'm Walking On Egg Shells Every Day At My Office, And It's Draining Me

Im 7 months into my job. My boss has a habit of being super direct to the point one could feel uncomfortable or anxious.

He has no problem calling you out on the floor, calling out your numbers, performance

Asking me to sign a legal doc while i’m in a meeting and yelling about how i missed a letter on my name. Maybe because i was alrdy anxious and rushed.

I am asking questions and in mid level management. There is a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding in the company. The default is to copy the other persons manager or get defensive.

I forgot to answer a message on a Saturday and it stuck for a month until it was brought up again. The employee who messaged me told me boss i was unresponsive and not helping.

Today I got flack from a vendor and went to verify their info w my quality director. He got annoyed copy my boss and my boss gave me a response of “why are you even asking him this”

I’m just trying my best as someone new to the role and industry. I would appreciate if people did not automatically go to my boss and CC him and for him to call me out.

Let's be real, workplaces don't just go from being this toxic to somehow tolerable overnight. In fact, all this reminds me of some advice my sister gave me years ago: "you just gotta know where you draw your line." It's tough because so many of us are taught during school to just strive for a golden star. However, in the working world, you gotta determine what that gold star is, and in this scenario, the comments are all pointing towards one thing — this isn't it. I'll end with one last piece of advice Veronica Miracle gave me back at ABC7: "remember, it's an honor to work with you too." Read the rest of the thread here.

Check out last week's edition here.

[Image credit: Any Lane]