Nice To Prove Your Point For A Change

I’m the only cashier on duty. It’s a slow night, and many customers have been getting cashback; thus, our change reserve is running low. An older lady comes through my line. She seems pleasant enough as I ring up her items.

Me: “Your total is $4.12.”

The customer takes a large wad of bills out of her purse, grumbling as she thumbs through them, and then hands me a $100 bill.

I call the manager to confirm that the bill is real; the manager confirms, and I start counting change. The customer is watching me with an increasingly annoyed expression.

Customer: “Do you only have fives?!”

Me: “Fives and ones, ma’am. I’m afraid I don’t have any larger bills.”

Manager: “Let me check if we have any twenties in the change safe.”

My manager takes $60 off me as I continue to count out the rest of the change in piles of ten $1 bills. My manager comes back with two $20s and more $5s.

Manager: “There’s not that much change in the safe.”

The customer glares at the large piles of small bills.

Customer: “Oh, just give me my hundred back!”

The customer rips a $10 out of her wad of bills and throws it at me. I return her $100 and count out the change for the $10, and she leaves, grumbling under her breath. My manager and I exchange matching looks of exasperation.

Manager: *In annoyed disbelief* “Did she really try to pay for a $5 purchase with $100?”

Me: “Amazing how fast she changed her mind when she realized she’d be getting over $30 in ones.”