Strictly Credit

(I work in a bookshop at an airport. This day, I opened the shop at 5:30 am so I am very tired. A customer comes in with her son. She’s old, and he’s probably in his thirties or forties. The customer is talking to her son as they enter and says she wants to use a credit note. She doesn’t have any books or anything to buy as she comes up to the register; all she does is put the credit note down on the counter. I look at it.)

Me: “I’m sorry, you can’t use this credit note. It expired 11 days ago and is for another bookshop.”

Customer: “What? Are you that strict?”

Me: “Well, seeing as it’s both expired and not for our shop, yes, I’m sorry, but you can’t use this here.”

(She picked the credit note up from the counter and stormed off with her son while grumbling.)