PAY Attention

I’m a self-checkout attendant in a grocery store. I can’t tell you how often this happens.

Customer: *Flagging me down* “Ma’am? Miss?”

Me: “Hello! Do you need any help?”

Customer: “It said to take my card out and I’m ready to pay, but nothing’s happening!”

I reach towards the screen and hit the big, glowing, animated PAY button, and the machine immediately starts to process the payment.

Customer: “…”

Me: “Do you need any more help today?”

Customer: *Sheepish* “No, I’m okay. Thank you.”

Sometimes I’ll give a short spiel about how many people make that mistake and how the register and card reader don’t communicate until they hit the pay button to try to make them feel better, but sometimes I don’t have time. It’s always a little funny to see their mild embarrassment.