Sub-Par Substitution

I get assigned to train a new girl, who is shadowing me at my register. An angry woman comes in with two other gentlemen.

Woman: “A croissant sandwich with no tomatoes, sub with avocado.”

Me: “I can’t do that. Tomatoes and avocado are not equivalent—”

Woman: “—they’ve done it for me before.”

Me: “Regardless, if someone else had done it before, I’m not going to because that’s not how it works.”

I’m trying to make a point to my trainee. The customer gets very angry, says something insulting to me, then looks at my trainee (and her name badge) and says:

Woman: “Don’t learn from her, Cynthia, she’s a bad one.”

She then pays with her card and gives me lip when I tell her that her card is declined. When she walks away, the two gentlemen she’s with come up to me and apologize for her. I was so checked out, I just said:

Me: “You’re the ones who have to deal with her out there, not me.”