How DARE You Acknowledge Other Customers!

I’m ringing up [Customer #1] and he realizes he wants more of an item. He subsequently LEAVES all his stuff to go get more, which turns out to be across the length of the store, as he disappears from my line of sight far down some aisle. I’m left at my register with a confused expression and a pile of products stacked on the belt.

[Customer #2] eventually comes up, so I suspend the transaction and begin helping them instead. [Customer #1] comes back, sees me helping somebody else, and stands there glaring at me the whole time.

As soon as I’m done with [Customer #2]’s transaction, I retrieve [Customer #1]’s transaction. I spend five seconds scanning the slip of paper and retrieving it instead of several minutes re-ringing everything.

Customer #1: “I don’t appreciate what you did. You knew I was coming back. I was here first. You should not have helped that other customer.”

Me: “Sir, you left the register area completely. I cannot refuse to serve other customers while waiting for you to come back.”

Customer #1: “You can’t do that! You have to help the customer whose turn it is!”

Me: “I did, but you left the registers, and I helped you immediately after without making you wait in line again.”

Customer #1: “But you can’t do that!“

Me: “Yes, actually, I can, and I did.”

Customer #1: “Listen. To. Me! You. Can’t. Do. That!”

Me: “But. I. Did. Your total is [total].”

He throws a fit, pays, and storms over to complain to customer service. The manager finds me later and tells me how it went down.

The customer actually tells the manager the whole truth.

Manager: *Laughing* “Good for her!”

Customer #1: *Furious* “No! Not ‘good for her’! She helped someone else while my items were right there on the registers!”

Manager: *Slowly* “Yes. And you left the registers, which means you lost your spot in line. I’m not sure what made you think that you could put a register on hold indefinitely while you continued shopping.”

Customer #1: “But I was coming right back!”

Manager: “And she had no way of knowing that. You left the registers, so you lost your place in line. You are lucky she didn’t cancel your transaction completely and make you wait longer.”

The man kind of freezes up at those words.

Manager: “Quite honestly, she was nicer to you than I would have been, so no, I am absolutely not going to punish her for that. You got your things, so you need to please leave, as your business is concluded.”

[Customer #1] spun around with exaggeratedly angry movements and stomped the whole way to the door like a child.