I work in a craft store. We don’t have a lot of fabric types, so we don’t have a lot of sections that are a specific price. We do have a few areas with signs that say “X fabric — $Y,” but most of our shelves are assorted, and about 70% of the fabrics have the price on the tag.

An old woman brings a fabric to the cutting counter.

Customer: “What’s the price? I got it in the $5.99 section.”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I just scan it.

Me: “That’s actually $18 and not on sale.”

Customer: “That’s false advertising!”

She moans a bit more and leaves with nothing. Later, when I am returning fabric to the shelves, I realise she had looked at the rack in front of the table that said “X fabric $5.99” and thought it was for the whole table. So, she can’t read.

The next day, she brings a fabric to the cutting counter.

Customer: “This was in the $5 section.”

This time, I am really tired, so I can’t stop the confused expression on my face.

Customer: *Scoffs* “You should know what’s in the store!”

Me: “I do, and we don’t have a $5 section. Could you please show me?”

She leads me to one of our assorted sections and pointed at some tags that say, “$5.” I then point at other tags that have other prices like $8 and $12 and so on.

Me: “This is an assorted section, and while the fabric that you found was in the wrong place, it doesn’t change the fact that there is no $5 section.”

She goes off again about how it’s “false advertising” and “confusing to customers.”

If she wasn’t so rude, I would try to find some fabric in her budget for her to use, but she is so rude. She keeps going on about how she has been a customer since the beginning — but doesn’t know how the store works? — and how she is never coming back if “we do it again.” And I am thinking, “Is that a promise?”

Then, she asks if we have a specific thing that we don’t have, and I list off some other stores nearby that might, including a Japanese dollar store.

Customer: *Immediately* “Oh, no, I don’t go there; they’re Japanese.”

So, not only can she not read, and she’s rude, but she’s racist, too. And no, she’s not senile or having trouble with English; she’s just rude.

When I was little, the cashier in the small-town grocery store was a friend of my mom’s. They were concerned because I lost a lot of weight. Mom didn’t have a scale at home that would weigh me, so she and her friend thought the new digital scale on the register seemed like a good option.

It was accurate, but the register required a product code to get the weight, and they were so excited that it worked that the friend forgot to clear that “item”. My mom paid for a baby-sized cabbage! She got home before she realized it!

I have just started a transaction for a customer with two full shopping carts. The customer’s kid tells her several times that he has to go to the bathroom.

Me: “Ma’am, you can take him to the bathroom now if you want. It will be a few minutes before I get even halfway through your items.”

Customer: “Oh, no, he is okay. He can hold it.”

Kid: “Mommy, I need to go right now! I have to go so bad, Mommy! I need to go!”

The mother ignores the kid, so he hangs off the side of the cart and starts removing his pants and underwear. I immediately stop scanning the groceries.

Me: “I will not ring any more items until you take your son to the bathroom. Otherwise, I’ll be calling a manager who can handle this, because my courtesy clerk and I will not be cleaning anything up.”

I’m a freshman in college. One of our baggers, a guy who recently graduated college, always comes to my register just to chat. A customer with a very large order has come to my line. My coworker is standing in the bagging area, trying to start a conversation, not paying attention to the growing pile of groceries that I’m scanning. My customer, an older lady, is still unloading at the other end of the register.

Me: “[Coworker], start bagging or go away.”

He laughs.

Coworker: “It’s cute when you’re frustrated!”

I let out an annoyed sigh and start scanning with one hand and bagging with the other. He keeps throwing comments at me, laughing at his own jokes. My customer finishes unloading and shoves her cart into the bagging area with force. The bagger jumps out of the way before it hits him.

Coworker: “HEY!”

My customer starts grabbing the already bagged items and loading her own cart. She gives my coworker a nasty look.

Customer: *Loudly* “Young man, are you going to help your cashier or keep striking out with her?”

I restrain my laughter with great difficulty. My coworker silently starts bagging.

Customer: “That’s what I thought.”

She pays. I hand her the receipt with a HUGE smile.

Me: “Here is your receipt, ma’am. Thank you so much.”

Customer: “You’re welcome, dear. Have a wonderful day!”

Coworker: “Can I help you to your car?”

Customer: “NO!”

She grabs her cart and walks out. I snort.

Me: “She told you!”

Coworker: “Shut up.”

I see our manager emerge from the front office. When she catches someone goofing off in front of customers, she comes down hard.

Manager: *In a stern tone* “[Coworker]! CART DUTY!”

Coworker: “But it’s hot outside and I’m helping [My Name]!”

Manager: “No, you’re not. Go get carts. [My Name], I’ll find you a different bagger. “

I burst out laughing as he headed to the parking lot.

I wanted to buy a gift certificate for my in-laws at one of their favorite local restaurants.

Me: “I’d like to get a $100 gift certificate, please.”

Cashier: “Certainly. That’ll be $108.”

Me: “Wait, what? Why is a $100 gift certificate $108?”

Cashier: “Well, you also have to pay for the tax.”

Me: “Hmm, I’ve never had to pay tax on a gift certificate before. Does that mean that there won’t be tax charged when the recipients use the gift certificate?”

Cashier: “No, of course, they’ll have to pay tax.”

Me: “But that means that you are charging tax twice.”

I could not make her understand the problem, and when I called later to speak with the manager, he couldn’t understand the problem, either. I haven’t gone back since.

Related:
Taxing Taxing, Part 13
Taxing Taxing, Part 12
Taxing Taxing, Part 11
Taxing Taxing, Part 10
Taxing Taxing, Part 9