Money Talks – So You Don’t Have To

(I work the third shift alone, and serve customers through a turnstile window. The intercom is designed to let me hear everything going on outside, but customers can’t hear me unless I push the button to talk. If a customer stands at the window, I can hear them from pretty much anywhere in the store, so i try to encourage people, through facial expressions, to ask for items while I’m still out from behind the counter. It doesn’t always work, so I get conversations like this:)

Customer: *hits buzzer and puts money in the turnstile/window*

Me: *offers up can-I-help-you look*

Customer: *points at money*

Me: *I walk over to the intercom* “How can I help you?”

(Customer points at money again, with a smug look.)

Me: “Okay, you have $20. Congratulations. Did you want soda-pop, cigarettes, or candy?”

Customer: *grins sheepishly* “Pump three, please.”