(I live in Canada. We have just dropped our one-cent coin from circulation. Prices on cash transactions are now rounded up or down to the nearest five cents, while debit and credit transactions are left “as is.” This is all handled automatically by our tills, and our receipts still show the rounded cash price even on debit transactions. Shortly after the switch, we receive this through our online survey:)

Complaint: “I wish to report an act of FRAUD on the part of your restaurant. I ordered [combo], and my total was shown as $10.10. However, in reality, I was charged $10.12. This is not acceptable, as you are blatantly overcharging customers for their food. I wish to have this error corrected, and as a reward for pointing out this GRIEVOUS ERROR, I will accept my thank-you in the form of three large [sandwich] combos and a $25 gift card.”

(I don’t know if he ever got his “reward” or if anyone explained the changes to him, but he wanted over $50 in freebies over two pennies.)

(I’m ringing up a customer and now it’s time for payment. She hands me her debit card and I slide it for her.)

Me: “Okay, you can go ahead and enter your PIN.”

Customer: *verbally tells me her PIN*

Me: “…”

Customer: “Oh…” *enters her PIN on the pinpad*

(I was left dumbfounded.)

Related:
PIN-Headed, Part 3
PIN-Headed, Part 2
PIN-Headed

(I have finished ringing up a customer and have given her the total. We have the new chip reader in our pin pads, but it only works for credit.)

Customer: *with card ready to stick in* “Chip or slide?”

Me: “Will that be debit or credit?”

Customer: *angrier now* “Chip or slide?”

Me: “Well, ma’am, that depends; will it be debit or credit?”

Customer: “It doesn’t matter! Chip or slide!”

Me: “Well, ma’am, it does matter. If it is debit you need to slide it and if it is credit you need to insert the chip.”

Customer: *grumbles under her breath* “Fine.”

(It’s the day before Canada Day and the store is insanely busy. It’s going smoothly, however, until, this customer comes to my register. He has already spent about five minutes doing “unprepared” price matching: not knowing where something is, not highlighting, circling or flagging the items that he wants to match, not writing down page numbers of items on sale.)

Me: *coming to the end of the transaction* “So your total today is [relatively low price].”

Customer: “What? That can’t be right.”

Me: “Well, there is tax on the popsicles and ice cream.”

Customer: “Can you check that?”

Me: “You want me to check the prices on everything?” *at this point, a number of significantly long lines have started to form*

Customer: “No, can you calculate that it’s correct? Did you price match the cherries right?”

(I hold back a sigh and pull out the register calculator, adding everything, including tax. Unsurprisingly it’s the same total as what I and the computer say it is. I show the customer and he skeptical accepts it.)

Customer: “Well, can I see a supervisor or a manager about it? I didn’t think it would be this much, so maybe I can get a discount?”

Me: *taken aback by the question, but calls the supervisor down* “All right, she’ll be right down.”

(My supervisor comes down and is thoroughly taken aback by the question like I was, but basically says the same thing I did: the computer doesn’t make mistakes and that’s the price of his groceries. Finally he concedes.)

Customer: “All right, fine. But I’m gonna calculate this myself and if it’s wrong, I’m coming back later and I want a full refund if I’m right.”

Me: *handing his change* “Have a good weekend, sir.”

(He never came back later.)

(I’m a waitress at a Thai restaurant at the beginning of summer. Recently we’ve had a lot of customers due to the cruise ships visiting and we’ve run out of a couple of drinks. I’m waiting on a table of three who’re staying at a very expensive hotel.)

Me: “Hi there, are you ready to order?”

Customer #1: “Just drinks at the moment. Could I get a soda water?”

Me: “Sorry, sir, but we’re out of soda water today. But we do have tonic water.”

Customer #1: “Well, I’ll just go buy one somewhere else.”

Me: “Okay, but I’ll have to go check with the manager and see if that’s allowed; otherwise you may have to pay a corkage fee, which is usually around $5.”

Customer #1: “That’s ridiculous. It’s not my problem you don’t have what I want.”

(I quickly take the other two’s orders and when I come back out with their drinks, a complimentary jug of water, and an extra glass, I find out the man has left to go buy the soda water.)

Customer #2: “I’m sorry about the other guy. I’m afraid there’s not much you can do when they’re brought up like that.”