Unfiltered Story #244055

I work part-time as a teller at a credit union. Our drive-up gets a lot of sun coming through the window in the morning. It creates a huge glare on the counter, and I often have to take a step back, squint my eyes, or put my hand up to lessen the damage to my eyes. I am told I have a very quiet voice, and in general I am a quiet person.

A customer comes up to the drive-up window, and it is a very simple transaction. I send out the receipt, she says thank you, I say thank you, and I take a step back, squinting my eyes while keeping my smile on. Usually after a transaction, a customer will take a moment to count out their cash, look over their receipt, or organize their wallet/purse. I assumed this is what the customer was doing, too, and I always stick around in case there’s something wrong with the transaction. The customer paused for a moment, and then I heard her say “Oh, okay then,” and as she drove off, she screamed out her window, “RUDE! RUDE A$$ B!TCH!”

I stood there, shocked for a minute. My coworker was working on some paperwork, and I told her what happened. She responded, “WHAT?!? You’re, like, the nicest person! I’ve never heard you be rude to anyone! What was her problem?” We analyzed the occurrence and came up with a few conclusions. 1) She was on the phone (I didn’t see a phone, but maybe she was verbally responding to a text message she just read). 2) She saw my squinty eyes and took them as a scowl toward her. 3 (and the most likely)) She didn’t hear me say “thank you”. I told my manager what had happened in case she ever came back to complain about me. My manager, who is known for her fun but sarcastic attitude, told me, “What, was she high? You’re literally the nicest person here. Join the club. I get called that every other week here.”

Almost immediately after the incidence occurred, I thought it was funny, and I told my coworkers at my full-time job about it. They love my new nickname, and now I wear it as a badge of honor.