Not In Line And Out Of Line, Part 4

(The store is known for having very long lines that weave around the perimeter of the store with someone at the front directing people to the registers. I’m at a register helping a customer. As soon as the customer is gone, before I can call my coworker for the next customer, a woman with a full cart pulls up at my register. It seems that she walked right past the entire line.)

Me: “Good afternoon. What register were you sent to?”

(This is usually the most polite way to start the conversation about line etiquette and to tell them they need to wait in line if they wish to purchase their groceries. However, the woman says nothing, just stares at my coworker at the next register. I begin to unload her groceries and scan them.)

Me: “Just so you know, for future, there’s a line and customers wait in the line and then my coworker at the front of the line sends them to a register once a register opens up.”

Customer: “Me, too.”

(She walks away from me, leaving her cart at my register. Not knowing quite what to make of this, I continue to ring up her items. My manager comes over, seeing me ringing up items with no customer. I relay the entire interaction. Moments later, we see the customer approaching the front of the line. It’s a very busy day, easily a twenty-minute line, and she’s been gone less than five. As she gets to the front of the line she doesn’t wait for my coworker, she just walks right up to me and stands to stare, once again not at me but at the person working the register next to me. My manager witnesses this entire next interaction.)

Me: “So, as I was saying, we ask the customers to wait with their shopping in the line before getting to the register. Then once they approach the front of the line the crew member working the front of the line will let them know when a register is available and which one to go to.” *I’m just about finishing up her order and she’s paid with a card, still not looking at me* “Do you understand?”

Customer: *looking at me in the eyes for the first time* “Not. One. Word.”

(She took her groceries and walked away. My manager and I were left, mouths agape. My coworker at the next register, who she’d been staring at the whole time, fell apart laughing. I’m just glad my manager witnessed the whole thing, because I don’t know if he’d have believed me otherwise.)

Related:
Not In Line And Out Of Line, Part 3
Not In Line And Out Of Line, Part 2
Not In Line And Out Of Line