(I’m Canadian and living in Sweden. My bank introduced the tap feature on debit and credit card a few years before it came to Sweden. I’m in a store buying some school supplies, and I hand the cashier my card. The tap symbol on cards looks very similar to the Wi-Fi symbol. He takes my card and pauses to look at it.)

Me: *thinking he was trying to figure out where it’s from* “Oh, I’m from Canada and still use a Canadian bank.”

Cashier: “Oh, no, I… Um… ” *pauses and turns a bit red* “Do Canadian bank cards have Wi-Fi?”

Me: *gives the cashier a confused look* “Do our bank cards have… Wi-Fi?”

Cashier: *blushes* “Yeah, I mean, you have this here.” *points to the tap symbol on my card*

Me: *suddenly realizing that the tap symbol and Wi-Fi symbol look alike* “Oh, that! It’s a tap symbol. In Canada, I can just tap my card instead of using the chip reader.”

(I take my card and demonstrate.)

Cashier: “Ah, okay. Well, that’s not nearly as exciting.”

(We both had a good laugh. Now every time I see the tap symbol, I always think of that cashier.)

(I don’t smoke, but I’m heading over to the home of an adult friend who does. They ask me to pick up a couple packs of cigarettes on the way. They tell me exactly what type they want, but I unfortunately forget almost as soon as I hang up the phone. No matter; I know what the cigarettes LOOK like, and the brand, so I figure I won’t have any issues getting them.)

Me: “I’d like two packs of [Brand] 100s, long.”

Cashier: *picks up two packs of cigarettes in a red package*

Me: “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I meant the ones in the gold package.”

Cashier: “Lights?”

Me: “Uh… Sure?”

(The cashier picks up two packs that are blue instead of red.)

Me: “No, I’m sorry, the gold ones.”

(I point at the clearly visible gold ones, just under the red and blue. The cashier puts back the blue ones, and picks up the red ones again; he seems to be laughing at me not knowing what to call them.)

Me: “No, no, the gold ones, there.” *points again*

Cashier: “Oh, you mean the Turkish ones.” *finally picks up gold pack*

(I’m at a fairly popular gaming store in search of a video game that came out yesterday. The company producing the video game is notorious for not producing enough stock.)

Cashier: “Can I help you?”

Me: “Uh, yes. I was wondering if you had [Game]?”

Cashier: “I think they’re all sold out except pre-orders. Hold on.”

(He goes around to computer. I follow him and stand across the counter.)

Cashier: “Yeah, looks like we only have pre-orders. You really should have pre-ordered it; they never stock enough.”

Me: “Well, not usually games… I know they didn’t stock much of [Console #1] or [Console #2]—”

Cashier: *interrupting before I can finish the name of [Console #2]* “No. They always sell out. You should have pre-ordered it. Wait, it looks like we do have one. But only one. So, you should have pre-ordered it.” *turns around to grab the game*

Me: “I guess. But I didn’t really have the money—”

Cashier: *still not facing me, incredibly judgemental* “You didn’t have five dollars?”

Me: *I pause, taken off-guard by his tone* “I didn’t know if I would have the money to pay it off when it came out.”

Cashier: *now talking to and looking at me like I’m a small child* “You can pay a little bit at a time. A little money here… a little money there… and then you’re guaranteed to have the game.”

Me: “I’ll think about it.”

Cashier: “You should have pre-ordered it.”

Me: “Well—”

Cashier: “You’re guaranteed the game.”

Me: “…”

Cashier: “Do you have a rewards card?”

Me: “Not with me. Is there an alternate ID option?”

Cashier: “Phone number.”

Me: “Uh…”

(It’s my brother’s card, but I can’t remember his phone number. I reach for my phone to load it up, hoping the card has more than one number attached.)

Me: “It might be [Dad’s Phone Number].”

Cashier: “Nope.”

Me: *looking at my brother’s phone number* “Oh, it’s—”

Cashier: *interrupting me again* “Your total is [price].”

(At this point, I was tired of his attitude and just wanted to get out of the store, so I didn’t push the issue and just handed him the money. After handing me the game, he started to say something else. Fortunately, one of my friends ran in and gave me the excuse to talk to him and leave before I had to listen to anything else. I understand that pre-ordering can be a good choice and, yes, it guarantees you the game, but seriously? You don’t get to reprimand your customers for not pre-ordering. That’s not cool.)

(A friend and I are at the checkout line in a department store. The cashier at the till adjacent to ours interrupts our conversation and starts talking to me.)

Cashier: “You! You! Hey, you! Yeah, you! What’s wrong with you?”

Me: “I’m sorry?”

Cashier: “What’s wrong with you?”

Me: *wondering when that ever worked as clarification* “Nothing’s wrong with me.”

Cashier: “Yeah, but what’s wrong with your complexion?”

Me: “Nothing?”

Cashier: “You look like you’re paler than you’re supposed to be. Do you know what sun is?”

Me: “I have an interesting combination of genetics that somehow makes me immune to sunlight. I neither burn, nor tan, and no matter how long I am outside, I will not get darker.”

Cashier: “Oh, so, you’re a vampire.”

(I don’t think that means what you think it means.)

(When I am in the fifth grade, we take a class trip to an alligator park. I find a few little knick-knacks that I like at the gift shop and take them to the register.)

Cashier: “Your total is $5.35, please.”

(I pull a ten-dollar bill and 35 cents out of my pocket and try to give them to her.)

Cashier: *smiling* “I just need the $10, honey.”

(She tries to take just the $10, but I don’t let go.)

Me: “But I want $5 back, so you need to take the change, too, please.”

Cashier: *condescendingly* “Sweetie, I only need the $10.”

Me: *sighs* “Ma’am, I’m trying to get back $5, because I’ve already got a bunch of change in my pocket and don’t want more.”

Cashier: *loudly* “And I said I only need the $10, you stupid brat! $5.35 is less than $10!”

(My teacher, who has been looking at a nearby display, rushes over at the cashier’s sudden hostility.)

Teacher: “[My Name], what’s going on here?”

Cashier: *glaring at me* “This stupid kid can’t do math, that’s what!”

(My teacher ignores her and asks me again.)

Me: “I have a bunch of change and didn’t want more, so I tried to give her $10.35 to pay for my stuff, and she keeps saying she only needs the $10. I just want a $5 back.”

Teacher: *sighs* “Is that all?” *to the cashier* “You are the one who can’t do math. She’s trying to give you $10.35 so that she can get back a five-dollar bill. What part of that don’t you understand?”

Cashier: *scoffs* “Whatever.”

(She finally cashed out my transaction, and I got my $5 bill and went back out into the park area. My teacher spoke to the cashier’s manager. I never went back, but apparently the manager later called my teacher to say the girl had been fired.)