Pen Them In For A Write-Up

(I am staying in England to help a friend, and decide to go grocery shopping, I have been to this particular store a few times, and have encountered little to no issues in the past. There is only one checkout line open, and the customer is deep in idle conversation with the cashier. Since my items are on the treadmill and I’m in no rush for the day, I wait until they are done. A couple of minutes later, the cashier begins scanning my items.)

Me: “Ma’am, I’ll need a bag for this.” *since the store charges for bags and it’s far too much to carry without*

Cashier: *is looking everywhere but my direction, quickly scanning*

Me: “Ma’am? I’ll need a bag.”

Cashier: *scowls and immediately tosses me a bag from under the counter*

(At this point I’m just wanting to pay for my items and go. She calls out the amount and I swipe my card. Since all stores I’ve been to, including this one, require a receipt to be signed for swiped cards and have pens on hand, I quickly bag my groceries and wait for the receipt.)

Cashier: “Sign this, please.” *tosses the receipt towards groceries, then immediately turns away*

Me: “I’m going to need a pen for this…”

Cashier: *turns and glares at me directly in the eye* “Well, that’s your problem now, isn’t it?”

Me: “No, lady, it’s your job to make sure the store doesn’t get in trouble with the bank.”

(She did finally toss over a pen, but made sure to act like it was an extreme effort to do so. I didn’t see her on future visits to the store, but I started carrying a pen and a bag just to avoid that problem again in the future.)