I work in a small corner shop. After a long-ish wait in line, some guy has apparently become so bored that he’s decided to put all his loose change in his mouth.
When it’s his turn, he looks really embarrassed and sheepish when he spits all of it out into his hand. I’m disgusted on various levels.
The only upside is that it is the exact amount.
When I worked at a convenience store, people coming off of the interstate would come in at five minutes to closing and go to the bathroom and play on their phones. I turned off all the lights except the one directly in front of my register. I can’t believe the number of people that couldn’t take a hint and would wander a dark store looking at candy and potato chips.
I’ve just finished paying for my items at a convenience store, so I step to the side to organize my things for a moment. It’s during the global health crisis, so I make sure I am more than six feet away from the people still at the checkout.
The next customer after me is an extremely elderly woman with a few items in a cart, and I happen to overhear her conversation with the cashier.
Elderly Woman: “My caregiver bought me these items, but they’re not the right kind so I need to return them.”
Cashier: “Okay, ma’am, we just need the receipt or proof of purchase.”
Elderly Woman: “Well, that’s the problem. I don’t have it, but she said she emailed it to me.”
Out of nowhere, the woman suddenly produces an entire laptop computer from somewhere inside her coat! She sets it on the counter, while the cashier looks completely bewildered.
Elderly Woman: “Can you help me access my email here in the store? That way I can get your receipt.”
Cashier: “No, I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t think that’s going to work…”
I’d never seen someone just pull out a laptop at the checkout before! From the look on the cashier’s face, she hadn’t, either. Gotta give the elderly woman points for creativity!
I felt a bit bad for her and considered helping her by making a Wi-Fi hotspot with my phone, but I figured it would not be a simple fix, as there are always complications when it comes to helping elderly folks with technology — forgotten passwords, outdated software, etc. Plus, I didn’t want to get within six feet of her or touch her laptop, in order to protect both her health and mine. I left feeling slightly guilty but also wondering why her caregiver didn’t just go to the store for her instead!
Behind me and the only register is a four-foot-tall, six-foot-wide shelf of nothing but cigarette packs. NOTHING else.
At 10:00 am, I have a customer walk up to register and me, look me dead in the eyes, and ask:
Customer: “Do you sell cigarettes?”
I laugh slightly and point to behind me.
Customer: “Oh… Wow. Sorry.”
This same day I have four more people walk up to my register and ask the same thing.
Customers: “Do you sell cigarettes?”
None ever ask if I sell a certain brand or kind. The fifth time I am asked that question, I break.
Me: “No, we don’t. Everything behind me is just display models.”
The customer believed me and said, “Oh, okay,” and almost left the store before I could stop them!
I am in rural Indiana (where I do not live) for a family reunion. There are many people there and not enough groceries, so I end up being the one to pick up a few gallons of milk at a local convenience store. As I am checking out, an older woman comes up to me and starts to make small talk. Normally, this would bother me, but I decide to be polite. The very awkward conversation goes as follows.
Customer: “I’m sorry, hun, but could you try a different accent?”
Me: “What?”
Customer: “Ooh! Maybe you could do a Southern accent. Those are very charming.”
Me: “I don’t understand.”
Customer: “Well, I find the New Jersey accent you seem to be doing to be very off-putting. It’s aggressive, and honestly, not a very good impression.”
Me: *Very tired and slightly offended* “Not a good impression? What the heck are you talking about?”
She’s obviously very religious, so I don’t want to push her over the edge by saying, “h***.”
Customer: *Very condescendingly* “Well, of course, I know that New Jersey accents were made up by TV to make things more dramatic and such, but that still wasn’t very convincing! It was far too strong. Now, why don’t you try something else?”
I was very confused, so I just paid for the milk without responding — the cashier was barely able to keep from laughing — and walked back to my car, which had a very obvious New Jersey license plate, talking to myself in my 100% real New Jersey accent, and trying to figure out what she meant by “made up by TV”.
