Chain Letters Are A Sign

I work in an independent grocery store that’s effectively an oversized convenience store. As a result, we don’t have a corporate office, and management is more flexible with how we treat problem customers.

This also means we can have humorous retail-related signs up about the store. Most of them are of the humorous “unaccompanied kids will be given a Red Bull and a puppy” vibe, but some are actually useful.

Customer: “So that sign above you…”

Me: “Yes, sir?”

Customer: “It real?”

Me: “You mean the one that says ‘Customers who are rude to staff will be forced to take their place until someone is rude to them.’?”

Customer: “Yeah.”

Me: “Only one way to find out.”

Customer: “…I’m good.”

We finish the transaction in silence. His wife is also with him, and she ends up paying while he silently bags at the end of the checkout.

Customer’s Wife: “That’s crazy. The car drive over here he wouldn’t stop talking about how he was going to complain about the price of eggs, and he was gonna ruin someone’s day. I told him it ain’t your fault, but he was dead set on it. But he saw your sign and he backed down.”

Me: “You know the sign is just a joke, right? No one is going to force him to work here.”

Customer’s Wife: “Oh, I know, but one time he believed he was cursed by not forwarding one of those chain letters on Facebook, so now he kinda respects the process.”

Me: “I see! Well, if he knew how often we had to deal with rude customers, it wouldn’t have ended up being much of a deterrent. He’d be working here an hour max before being replaced by the next rude customer.”

Customer’s Wife: “I don’t know if I should laugh or cry for you.”

Me: “Do both! We all do during our breaks!”

We both smiled weakly at each other and went on with our days.