(I have often read about the scam where the scammer claims that they paid with a $20 note, when in fact they only paid with a $10 note. This customer tried to pull the scam on me, but because this is in Canada, he never stood a chance.)

Me: “That’ll be $5.65 please.”

Customer: *hands me $10*

Me: “And here’s your change.”

Customer: “Er… you didn’t give me enough. I paid $20, not $10.”

Me: “Sir, I can guarantee you, with no doubt, that you gave me a $10, and you are trying to scam me.”

Customer: “What? How dare you! Do you know who I am?!”

Me: “Apparently somebody who has yet to notice that banknotes are colour-coded. The bill you gave me was PURPLE. It was $10.”

Customer: “…I’m colour-blind?”

Me: “I’m not. Take your change and leave.”

(One extremely busy day, one of our cashiers calls out, leaving me and the manager to operate the registers by ourselves. The lines are incredibly long, and a female customer wants to refund her purchase and buy it again with a coupon. While I’m doing this, the male customer behind her is getting visibly impatient. I notice the other line is long, but each person appears to have only a few items, while the female customer I’m helping has a full cart of stuff.)

Me: “Sir, I’m not sure how long this will take, so it may be faster if you get in the other line.”

Male Customer: *notices how long the line is* “Quicker?! With all those people?! What I don’t understand is why there are only TWO cashiers on a busy day like this!”

Me: I’m sorry, sir, we’re understaffed; one of our cashiers called out. If you’d like to talk to my manager, she’s right over there.”

Male Customer: “Well, you should call somebody else in or something! Having only two cashiers when it’s this busy is ridiculous!”

(The lady I’m helping overhears this and decides to stick up for me.)

Female Customer: “Sir, it’s not her fault that the lines are long. They’re doing all they can and you complaining like this isn’t going to help.”

Customer: “Yeah, well, if you don’t open your mouth, nothing gets done.”

Female Customer: “My mother has colon cancer. If waiting in line is the worst thing to happen to you…”

Male Customer: “I’m just saying, two cashiers on a day like this is completely ridiculous!”

(A younger girl, presumably the daughter of the lady I’m helping, decides to say something, as well.)

Younger Girl: “Dude… shut up!”

(The man goes silent but still is very noticeably angry. When I finally finish the lady’s transaction, the man throws his one item at me, pays as fast as he can, and storms out. There was another lady in line after him.)

Next Lady In Line: “…I’ll try to run him over in the parking lot for you.”

Related:
In Line And Out Of Line, Part 16
In Line And Out Of Line, Part 15
In Line And Out Of Line, Part 14

(I work in the cafe of a bookstore. It is only my fourth day there. A customer is walking through the bookstore towards the cafe when he yells at me.)

Customer: “Hey! HEY, YOU!”

Me: “Can I help you, sir?”

Customer: “What’s the name of that girl who comes around here? She comes from New Orleans.”

Me: “I’m not sure who you mean, sir.”

Customer: “I don’t know her name, but she comes from New Orleans!”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know.”

Customer: *scoffs and talks in a condescending tone* “Well, isn’t it amazing how you all can work so closely together and still know nothing about each other. Such an accomplishment.”

Me: *speechless*

(I work as a shelf stacker in a supermarket, just finishing up my shift when I witness this.)

Male Customer: “Excuse me?”

Female Customer: “Yes?”

Male Customer: “Where’s your child?”

Woman With Female Customer: “I AM her child.”

Male Customer: “Funny child, aren’t you?”

(It turned out the woman had stolen the child parking space from the man who was with his young daughter at the time.)

(All of this happens in an Italian travel agency.)

Customer: “Good morning, I want a plane ticket to the Dallas Airport in Washington.”

Me: “I’m sorry, there’s no Dallas airport in the state of Washington. Do you want to go to the State of Washington, or to Washington D.C. in Virginia?”

Customer: “I want to go to the city of Washington in the state of Washington, and the airport is called Dallas. I’ve been there before, I know.”

(After a few minutes trying to explain that the city of Washington D.C. is different from the state of Washington…)

Me: “Ma’am, maybe you want to go to the Dulles airport, Washington D.C.?”

Customer: “Dallas, as I said. City of Washington, state of Washington.”

Me: “Ma’am, the city of… never mind. Here’s your ticket. Have a nice journey.”

(I still wonder how she came back from Washington the first time, asking for an airport in Milan, state of Milan.)