Seriously Checked Out

(I am at the cashier to buy groceries, including a six pack. People under 18 are not allowed to sell alcohol. As the cashier sees the beer, he looks at me.)

Cashier: “I’ll need to call a manager over to ring this up since I can’t.”

(He calls for a manager on the phone, and then stands and stares at me.)

Me: “Um, how about you go ahead and ring the rest of my stuff up while we wait for the manager?”

Cashier: “But I can’t ring up your beer; I have to wait for him.”

Me: “But you could ring the rest of it up in the meantime, and then they could ring up the beer.”

Cashier: “I have to wait.”

Me: “But you don’t need them for the food, and this way you’d already have the rest of it rung up.”

Cashier: *looking very confused* “Why?”

Me: “Because it would save time for you, me, and the people in line behind me.”

(He looked at me suspiciously, then slowly began ringing up my groceries, eyeing me the whole time as though I was trying to pull a scam he didn’t quite understand. The other customers in line just shook their heads.)