This is back when I was a little kid. I was in line in a grocery store behind a loudmouthed customer.

Customer: “I don’t want that Black boy bagging my groceries.”

The manager (a family friend) got called over to see what the problem was.

Manager: “Okay, time for you to get out and not come back.”

Customer: “I just want someone else to bag my groceries.”

Manager: “And I just want your racist a** to leave.” 

The customer “humphed” and left without his groceries. The manager had someone follow him to his car and get the license plate, and then he called the only other grocery store in town and told his buddy, the manager there, what had happened. He was denied entry into the other store.

There wasn’t another decent-sized grocery store for more than fifty miles.

I’m checking out with my items at the grocery store, and my checkout clerk suddenly lets out a snort of laughter. It’s so loud and sudden that it catches me by surprise.

Clerk: “Oh, my God! Sorry! I just saw something on the register, and it made me laugh.”

Suddenly, it clicks, and I know why she’s laughing.

Me: “Are you new?”

Clerk: “Yeah, I started a few weeks ago.”

Me: “The clerks love it when I buy Land O Lakes butter because of what it does to the register.”

We both look at the register and how it’s decided to display my item as it was scanned.

Register: “LOL BUTT.”

Clerk: “Not gonna lie, I found that hilarious.”

Me: “Oh, if you liked that, then you’re gonna love this next one.“

She scans my next item: the Land O Lakes Omega-3 eggs.

Register: “LOL OMG EGGS.”

Clerk: *Squeals*

I was selling some household items and agreed to do a public meet-up with someone outside a grocery store at 3:00 pm. I also needed groceries, so I did my shopping and was back in my car by 2:50. I messaged the buyer to describe my car and tell her where I was parked. She didn’t answer.

3:15 came and still no reply. I had eggs in the car and didn’t want to keep waiting and using my gas to keep the car cool.

Me: “Hey, if you’re not meeting up today, that’s fine. I just need to know. I have groceries in my car that need to get to the fridge.” 

3:30 came and went. I saw that she had opened the message but hadn’t said anything.

Me: “We’re going to have to reschedule this. I need to go. Let me know when you will be available.” 

I drove home — another fifteen-minute drive — and got my groceries put away.

At 5:45 that night, my phone went off.

Flaky Buyer: “Where are you?”

Me: “At home. We agreed to meet almost three hours ago, and you never showed up or reached out.” 

Flaky Buyer: “Okay, I got busy. Life goes on. I’m going to [Location an hour from my house] right now. Meet me there.”

I may have considered this generous response if she hadn’t opened the messages hours earlier. It could be that she had a small child or someone else was using her phone, but the delay and the eventual reply were not helpful.

Me: “Sorry, I’m not available anymore today. We can meet up this Saturday.”

Flaky Buyer: “This is f****** bulls***!”

She marked my post as spam and blocked me. I reported her as a no-call, no-show and listed the items again. They sold within an hour, and the person actually showed up the next day to get them!

France has recently decided that, for ecological reasons, the receipt should only be printed at the customer’s request. I’m in a health food store at the checkout:

Cashier: “Do you want your receipt?”

Customer #1: “You’re not supposed to ask for it; it’s at the customer’s request.” 

Customer #2: “It’s the same thing.”

Customer #1: “No. Otherwise, there’d be no point. Most shopkeepers already ask for it before printing.” 

Customer #2: “Well, the government wanted 100% of stores to do it.”

Customer #1: “But it says on [Official Website], ‘…at the customer’s request’.” 

Customer #2: “In any case, if you don’t want the receipt, just say no.”

Me: “And in my opinion, they continue to ask for it because, otherwise, customers complain.” 

Customer #1: “It’s normal! At [Convenience Store], they never offer a receipt, so I ask for it because I don’t want them to try and rip me off!”

Me: “So, if you’re offered the receipt, it’s bad because it’s not what the government requires, and if it’s not offered, it’s bad because in your opinion it’s an attempt to rip you off?”

I work in a big box supermarket. As you can imagine, with the price of everything going up, it’s been a bit difficult to be a cashier, hearing the usual, “Prices are too high! I can’t believe this!”

Trust me, I sympathize. I make enough to survive, but if it weren’t for my rent being so low (I live with my mom), I’d be barely making ends meet. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the cost of eggs. What used to be $1 for a dozen at maximum is now hovering around $5 in my area.

Yesterday morning, a woman comes through my line with a full cart of groceries. The usual pleasantries are exchanged, I am scanning efficiently and smoothly, and we get to the eggs: eighteen-count plain-Jane [Store Brand] eggs, $7.07. 

The woman makes a face like I’ve taken a dump in her shoes.

Customer: “I’m not paying that for eggs!”

I nod.

Me: “I understand.” 

I hit the void button, removing them from the total.

Customer: “Wait, what are you doing? I didn’t say take them off!” 

Me: “Okay, my apologies.”

I rescan the eggs. Still $7.07.

Customer: “Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m not paying that for eggs!”

Cue the slow blink on my part.

Me: “I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused about what you want me to do here.”

I place my hands on the counter and cock my head. I know she wants me to change the price, but I’m not going to. I’m a cashier, not an egg farmer. I charge the prices set by the store.

Customer: “You know what you can do! I’m not paying that for eggs!” 

Me: “No, ma’am, I don’t know what I can do. Please, tell me.”

She stares at me for a few seconds, her face getting more sour. I just put on my best blank customer service look. Nope, not changing the price, not going to argue, not going to agree that the cost of eggs has skyrocketed. I’ve played this game for ten years; I’m real good at it.

Customer: “Fine. Whatever.” 

She tossed up her hands in frustration. I carefully packed her eggs in a bag and handed them over.

The rest of the transaction was in stony silence. 

We cashiers do agree that the prices are high, but please, don’t expect us to change them for you.