It is a little after seven in the morning. I have just finished getting the cashier area set up for the day. It is important to note that our counter is very long, but there’s only one place to pay. The other side of the counter used to be used for loaner cars before the company pulled the plug on that. I keep that window closed at all times, and I have put up a sign saying to use the other window along with an arrow pointing to where the customer is supposed to be.

Not a lot of people read this sign. Because of where my computer is, I cannot see if a customer is at the counter unless they’re where they’re supposed to be. I can also see the parts counter from my desk.

This morning, I’m sitting at my desk reading my emails when I notice a customer at the parts counter. A moment later, a second customer gets in line behind the first customer. I keep an eye on the parts counter to see if the customer has to pay. The first customer leaves without paying and the second customer approaches the parts counter. I see them pointing to me, so I get up and go over to where the card reader is. The customer then goes over to the other side where the sign with the arrow is.

Me: “Sir, over here.”

The guy huffs but walks over to my window.

Customer: “I’m picking up a car.”

Me: “What was the name?”

Customer: *Mumbles*

Me: “What was that?”

Customer: “[Customer].”

I look through our finished tickets and pull his out.

Me: “Okay, it doesn’t look like you owe anything today. I just need you to sign here and here.”

I mark where I need him to sign and hand him the papers with a pen. He only signs in one spot.

Me: “Up here, as well.”

He signs and throws the pen down. We have a cup for used pens sitting on the customer’s side of the glass, but I decide not to press him on it.

Me: “Okay, and this is your copy and your keys. Have a good day.”

Customer: “What’s your name?”

Me: “[My Name].”

The customer leaves but not before complaining to the manager. A few minutes later, the manager comes over.

Manager: “That guy that was just here said you were very rude to him. What did you do?”

Me: “I asked him to move over here and sign stuff. He didn’t owe anything.”

Manager: “That’s it?”

Me: “Yeah. I mean, if he was standing where I can’t see before he got in the parts line, then I guess he thought I was ignoring him, but that’s what the sign is for.”

Manager: “Maybe you need a bigger sign.”

I am a cashier. A customer puts gross vegetables on the counter by my till.

Customer: “This was in amongst the fresh produce.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am. I’ll get rid of this and make sure someone goes to check the produce aisle more thoroughly.”

Customer: “No, I want this one at a lower price.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, if you want to buy something that’s expired, you will have to pay full price and I’ll take note of you acknowledging its condition. We don’t give discounts on expired food.”

Customer: “I’m not going to eat it; I want to put it in a compost heap.”

Me: “I understand, ma’am, but it’s store policy.”

Customer: “It’s really disgusting that you throw all this produce out rather than let us buy it at a lower rate.”

Me: “Like I said, ma’am, it isn’t my decision to make.”

The customer threw the vegetable at me and stormed out, leaving her trolley full of items to block the queue.

I used to work in fast food. It was near closing, so we were cooking everything to order. A customer came in and ordered. As he waited, he kept saying:

Customer: “I want my food faster!”

He kept tossing dollar bills at me to go faster. His order could only be made as fast as the grill cooked his hamburger.

He got his food, and after we closed and I counted the register, we were over by the amount he’d given me, so I shared it with my closing employee.

A regular library patron comes up to the desk and waves a magazine at us.

Patron: “I need to copy four pages out of this.”

Me: “Okay, the public copier is right over there.”

Patron: “I have forty cents credit at this library. I owed sixty cents for printing last week, and I paid with a dollar, so now I have credit.”

I look at my coworker. Our money system for computer print-outs is literally run out of an Altoids tin, and the copier is coin-operated separately. We don’t track patrons’ payments once they’ve paid.

However, we both know that this particular patron is a bit difficult, so my coworker gives me a shrug to say, “Whatever.”

Me: “Okay, we don’t have a credit system, but I can help you with the copier this time.”

I take forty cents out of the Altoids tin, drop it in the photocopier coin slot, and then photocopy the pages the patron wants, though normally it’s supposed to be self-serve.

Me: “All right. Here you go. Also, for future reference, we have no way of tracking credit. If you want your change, you can just take it when we offer it.”

Patron: “Well, I paid with a dollar. It wasn’t even my dollar; some man just gave it to me downstairs. So, I paid with that, and I told the lady at the desk to keep the change for someone else who needs it. That’s my credit.”

Me: “Okay, well… we have no way to track that.”

Patron: “It’s my credit.”

Me: “I understand what you’re saying, but we don’t track credit. In the future, you can just take your change and keep it with you for next time.”

Patron: “Look, I have two nursing degrees, so I’m not stupid. You don’t have to keep repeating that. I’m not dumb!”

Me: “Okay.”

Patron: “You know what? I’m going to take my copies somewhere else next time since you can’t even treat grown-ups with respect! I’ll go to [Office Supply Chain] and give them my business!”

Me: “Okay.”

Patron: “No respect! I have two degrees!”

Related:
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 4
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 3
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 2
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

I borrowed a large number of craft books, all pretty big and bulky and HEAVY, from our local library. The library is right next to the supermarket, so patrons park in the supermarket car park. The library book drop is literally right next to the trolley bay; in fact, if the line of trolleys is too long, they block the book drop. Yes, it’s a bad design.

I was doing my weekly grocery shop, so I piled the books into the car, parked at the supermarket, did my shopping, and took the full trolley back to my car. That’s where the fun began.

An employee was in the car park collecting trolleys, and he spotted me unloading my trolley. He headed my way with his long line of trolleys.

Employee: “Hi! I’ll take that for you when you’re done.”

Me: “It’s okay. I’ll take it back to the trolley bay.”

Employee: “No, it’s fine. I’ll wait.”

Me: “I’m going to use it to carry my books. I’ll leave it in the bay when I’m done.”

Employee: “You can’t take it away from [Supermarket]. I’ll just take it now.”

Me: “I’m not taking it anywhere! I’m just going to take my books to the book drop.”

By then, I’d finished putting my bags into the car, and he tried to grab the empty trolley. I quickly grabbed a book bag and put it in the trolley.

Employee: “This is for [Supermarket]! You can’t take it anywhere else.”

Me: “I’m literally taking it back to the trolley bay. Honestly, it’s not going anywhere else.”

As I turned my back to get the second bag, he obviously saw his chance. He put the first bag on the ground, added my trolley to his line, and started pushing them back to the store.

I picked up both very heavy bags and walked to the library. I literally walked right next to him all across the car park, across the forecourt, and right up to the trolley bay. And then I darted in front of him and stood feeding my books into the book drop. He had to wait because I was blocking him from putting his line of trolleys away. Petty? Yes. But satisfying.