Paying It Forward Is Glaring Backward

I work in a sandwich shop where you go down the line and build your own sandwich. A lady has just reached the register with her sandwich, where I am cashing out the busy lunch line.

Customer: “I want to pay for the man behind me.”

Me: “Oh, are you paying together?”

Customer: “No, I just want to pay for whatever he’s ordering.”

Me: “Ah, that’s very generous of you! Do you know what he ordered?”

Customer: “No, he’s not with me so I have no clue what he ordered. Can’t you just fill something in?”

Me: “I can’t, really. Not only does it affect our stock counts, but our sandwiches can be anywhere between six and eighteen dollars, depending on the size and type.”

Customer: “Seriously, just add his sandwich to my order already!”

Me: “I can’t unless I know what he’s getting, ma’am.”

I started to turn towards my coworker at the previous station to see if I could just ask them what he was having, but the customer in front of me let out a haughty sigh.

Customer: “This is my good deed for the day, and you’re ruining it!”

She continued the rest of the transaction pouting in silence. Wanting to do good deeds and pay it forward is great, but I’ve never seen someone have an attitude while trying to do it!