Unfiltered Story #222104

(It was after midnight and my husband and I stopped into a gas station to pick up some snacks. We waiting in line behind two customers. Customer #1 put his items on the far side of the counter so that he could go and grab one other thing. The cashier is helping another customer at another register and doesn’t see this happen. Customer #2 gets up to the counter and sets his items down RIGHT NEXT to the previous customer’s items. The cashier begins to scan the items, including Customer #1’s. I thought to mention it but assumed the man in front of me would clear it up. He said nothing however, but instead began rolling his eyes and huffing.)
Cashier: Sir, your total is ____
Customer #2: That isn’t my stuff! Here you were not paying any attention and just scanning in someone else’s stuff!
Cashier: I apologize, sir, I didn’t realize that these were not your items. I’ll take them off for you
Customer #2: No, no, you obviously don’t give a **** about what your doing. Your sitting there not paying any attention and checking some other guy’s stuff out! So, I’ll just wait until you’d like to give me the attention I deserve.
(He steps back out of line and the cashier apologizes and asks if she can assist him. He refuses, but simply waits in line. Customer #1 is confused as are we. The cashier scans the line, obviously confused by what the man is trying to prove, but beckons to customer #1 to approach. Through out the entire transaction, customer #2 continually huffs and complains loudly to other customers about how inept the cashier is and how little she cared about her customers, etc. It was just nonsense and no one in the store had any sympathy for the guy. When it finally came time for us to go up, the cashier offered to cash out the angry Customer #2, but he still refused saying that she might as well take some more people in front of him because she cared so little about paying attention while she was cashing him out. As she checked out our items and my husband paid, I could see that this constant disparagement was getting to her and she looked on the verge of tears. Having worked in customer service myself, I knew she couldn’t talk back to him or argue with him for fear of getting in trouble with management, so I decided to say something.
Customer #2: A man can’t even get cashed out without be mistreated and disrespected. It’s ridiculous. I don’t deserve this kind of treatment.
Me: Sir, this lady has been nothing but respectful to you, while you continue to harass her over nothing! You could have corrected her about which items were yours. She has offered to cash you out over and over. She doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.
Customer #2: (sputtering and furious) She wasn’t even paying attention!
Me: She was helping another customer. And it’s midnight. We’re all tired. Maybe a little grace, huh?
Customer #2: Who the **** do you think you are? I don’t think this is any of your business!
Me: You’re complaining about it quite loudly to everyone. You made it all our business.
Customer #2: (taking a step toward me, aggressively) Why I oughta…
Cashier: Sir, you need to calm down or I’m going to call the police!
(That made him more upset and he called me and the cashier a few choice words. I was too nervous to stay there, so I grabbed my bags and left, hoping I’d at least helped deflect his anger on to me as opposed to the poor cashier. My husband and I got in our car quickly, as he was a very big man and we are both wimpy nerds, but we saw him exit the building shortly after us, still hollering and complaining. I was just thankful that he was out of the poor cashier’s hair.)