In Need Of Some Home Deliverance

(I’m working at a checkout and processing a home delivery. These usually take a long time to put through, as they are usually quite large orders and require me to sort the bags, enter a lot of information into the system, and place special stickers onto each bag before loading them into a trolley, all by myself. As such, it’s common practice to put a closed sign up at the end of the register so that customers know to go to a different register, instead of waiting the ten to fifteen minutes it can take to be served. As I’m still only halfway through the home delivery order, a customer approaches.)

Customer: “Are you open?”

Me: “Yes, but this is a home delivery, so I’ll be a while. You’re better off going through a different register.”

Customer: “So you’re open?”

Me: “Yes, but I’ll be a while.”

Customer: “I’ll come through here, then.”

(She begins unloading her stuff onto my belt, behind the current order. As she does, she takes my closed sign down.)

Me: “I really recommend going to a different register. You’ll be waiting a long time.”

Customer: “I’ll come through here.”

Me: “Okay.”

(As I continued processing the home delivery, the customer kept asking me questions about her groceries. I kept telling her that I was busy helping my current customer with the home delivery but tried and helped her as much as I could. Eventually, she asked me to call a manager to help her, which I informed her I could not do right then as I’d need to leave my register to do that and I was still helping a customer with a large order. Over the next few minutes, she kept complaining about how long it was taking and asking why I’d not called anyone to help her yet. Finally, I gave in and walked over to a microphone to call someone, but as I did, she decided she’d had enough and walked away, leaving all her groceries on my belt. I returned to my register and continued processing the home delivery. Of course, thanks to the customer taking down my closed sign, I now had a queue of customers, all very angry at how long I was taking. Eventually, I finished the home delivery, got rid of the missing customer’s groceries, and then dealt with a couple of angry customers, all fed up with how long I took. So, thanks, random customer, you really made my day.)