Unfiltered Story #57200

I worked at the largest theme park in Canada during its 2016 season.

We are not allowed to take paper $100 CD or $50-$100 USD. There’s a sign attached to the cash register notifying customers of this.

Coworker: Your total comes to $100.50. How would you like to pay?

Customer: I have a $100 bill *hands coworker paper $100 bill* and let me find the change.

Coworker: Oh I’m sorry but we can’t take paper $100 bills but there’s an ATM around the corner.

Customer: Why can’t you accept it?

Coworker: It’s a fraud issue.

Customer: *crossss arms* Well you shouldn’t have accepted it from me. I’m not taking it back.

Coworker: Uh…you just placed it in my hand, I didn’t know you were going to use a paper bill. There’s actually a sign here *points to sign on register* saying we can’t take it. We can accept plastic $100 bills though.

Customer: No. Use that.

Coworker: There’s an ATM right outside you can use.

Customer: No. Use that! What is wrong with you?

I decide to step in. While I’m not a Team Lead I am a returning employee so I feel confident in my customer service role.

Me: I’m sorry but we really can’t take it. Do you have another form of payment.

Customer: No. I feel like you people are accusing me of fraud!

Me: Oh no we’re not. I once had a fake quarter without realizing it until I tried to spend it. It can happen to anyone and [Theme Park] is just taking extra precautions to make sure all our money is legitimate. Since we’ve switched to plastic it’s a lot easier to detect fraud.

Customer: I feel like that’s a really long way of saying “yes we are accusing you of fraud.” Get me your manager!

Coworker: No, it’s fine. Let’s just get this over with.

My coworker puts the paper $100 in the cash register,despite the rules, and takes 50 cents from the guest to finish the transaction.

At the end of the night [coworker] is being counted out by our Team lead.

Team Lead: [Coworker] this is paper. We can’t accept it.

Coworker: I know but the guest refused to take it back.

Team Lead: Well you’ll just have a variance then.

Coworker: WHAT?!

Team Lead: It’s a fraud issue. This is why we have rules in place. This money could be fake, we can’t count it.

My coworker got a counselling form for their variance and was later fired for similar transgressions.