Pick Me Up Taken Down A Notch

(I work inside a convenience store in a casino. We sell some tobacco products but most are behind the counter. As I am making trips to and from the back storage room I notice a group of men coming into the store looking around curiously as my arms are full of merchandise. I am female.)

Me: “Good evening!”

Customer #1: *doesn’t speak but nods in acknowledgement*

Customer #2: “Hey, do you sell cigars?”

Me: *freeing an arm I point with an open hand palm out gesture towards the cigar case directly behind them* “Right there, sir.”

Customer #2: “Hey I like that! Very professional!”

Me: “Thank you!” *laughs* “I’ve been trained well!”

(Thinking this was going to be a rare group of well behaved young men, I smiled brightly at them going behind the counter to wait on them. And then…)

Customer #1: “Yeah, I can train you well, too, if you know what I mean.”

Me: “…oh?” *I kept the smile up to at least be pleasant*

Customer #1: “Yeah. Hey, you got a boyfriend?”

Me: *not wanting to get into the fact I’m engaged to a woman with strangers I nod* “Yes, I do.”

Customer #1: *sneers* “What’s his name?”

Me: “It’s [Fiancé’].”

Customer #1: “What’s he do?”

Me: “He’s training to be a pharmacist technician.”

Customer #1: “Oh, yeah? Well, I kill people for a living. What do you think about that?”

(I guess he must have noticed my alarmed face because then he flashed his military ID at me and then I lost my ability to keep my fake smile up, honestly disgusted. I only nodded and said what needed to be said not even bothering to tell them to come back. I admire and look up to soldiers but that was just so low and horrid. I don’t know what bothered me more: the fact his friends didn’t try to stop him, or the fact he thought that was a pick up line…)