Please, We’re Begging You, Shop Online!

Customers rolling up with a loaded buggy who end up not buying most of it? *Shudders with memories*

When I worked retail, there was one regular who did that sort of thing All The Time! Every single time she came in, she’d fill a buggy to overflowing. Then, she would sit there at the register (only one open register and no self-check option) and sort through her haul figuring out what she wanted to actually buy and what she didn’t want after all. She’d have me scan stuff and then want it taken off.

I, a mere minion, could not void items, so I had to page the manager on duty to come void stuff, and hopefully take care of whatever line had built up behind this indecisive obstruction in customer form. It would take a good fifteen minutes or more to get this regular checked out, and then I’d have to put the remaining buggy of unwanted stuff back where it belonged.

Was it some kind of distraction scam? I don’t think so — not a successful one, anyway — just someone with zero consideration for the fact that other people needed to buy stuff, too, and no ability to edit her impulse shopping prior to getting in my line. At least she was always “nice” and friendly. It would’ve been far worse if she’d been the surly, screaming type.

The true nightmare scenarios were when she’d come in fifteen before closing. She’d be up at the register before closing time, but with the usual wishy-washy “yes, no, wait, okay, no, I don’t want that, wait, yes, I do, wait, no” BS, I’d be half an hour late to leave on those nights.

Related:
Overtime Crime, Part 12