(A man comes up to the pharmacy registers to purchase a bottle of hair growth product. These items come with coupons attached to the box so customers receive instant savings.)

Customer: “I’d like to purchase this, and I have a coupon for it.”

Me: “Excellent. I’ll ring this up for you.”

Customer: “I also have two coupons from previous boxes that I forgot to use before but I don’t have them with me. You can just take the ten dollars off my purchase now, though.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but unfortunately I can only use one coupon per purchase of this item as it says here at the bottom of the coupon.”

Customer: “Well, I didn’t get to use them before so I would like to use them now.”

Me: “So you would like me to give you a discount for coupons that you do not currently have with you today?”

Customer: “Yes. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but that’s not the way it works.”

Customer: “Well what do you expect me to do with the coupons, then?”

Me: “Give them to your friends or relatives?”

Customer: “They won’t use them. They have hair!”

(I work in a well-known national chain pharmacy. The particular store that I work in provides medicine to at least half of our well-sized county, so we stay rather busy and have a lot of customers. This exchange happens far more often than it really should:)

Customer: “I’m here to pick up a prescription.”

Me: “All right, what’s the name?”

Customer: “Johnson.” *or some other common last name*

Me: “Okay, and the first name?”

Customer: “There’s more than one?!”

Me: “…”

(I’m a pharmacy tech working the drive thru. An older customer pulls up, and we go through getting her prescriptions.)

Me: “Okay, your total will be $67.29.”

Customer: “Okay.”

(I go and grab her prescriptions from our waiting bin and come back to finish the transaction.)

Customer: “Was that $68?”

Me: “$67.29.”

Customer: “$67.34?”

Me: *now trying to not laugh* “$67.29”

Customer: “Oh, 29.”

(I looked back at my pharmacist and he’s trying to not crack up while in view of the customer. I finish the transaction and close the window.)

Pharmacist: “Where on earth did she get 34 from?!”

(I’m in line at the pharmacy. It’s been a long day, and I just want to pick up my prescription and go home. The customer in front of me has a basket full of groceries.)

Customer: “I need to pick up my medicine! And I want to pay for my groceries here. I only have six things.”

Pharmacist: “Sure, let me get those for you.”

(The customer puts way more than six grocery items on the counter. I am beyond irritated at this point since she’s making me wait. As the pharmacist scans the groceries, however, I decide not to let it get to me. The wait isn’t that much longer, and I’m next in line anyway.)

Pharmacist: “… and there you go. You’re all set. Have a nice evening!”

Customer: “You too.”

(The customer turns to go and notices me standing in line behind her.)

Customer: *to me* “Excuse me.”

Me: “Oh, it’s no problem—”

Customer: “I SAID, EXCUSE ME. THE SIGN SAYS YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR THE PHARMACIST, NOT CROWD AROUND THE PEOPLE AT THE COUNTER. YOU ARE IN MY WAY!”

(She grabs her stuff and storms off in a huff, leaving both me and the pharmacist speechless.)

(I work as a cashier and am finally at the end of a long, frustrating split-shift. About 10 minutes to closing a group of guys in their early 20s come in and head straight for the confection aisle. They seem to be having a hard time deciding, and become panicked when my supervisor makes the closing announcement. They shove their candy, chips, and pop into the arms of one guy, and push him toward the cash. They leave the store, leaving their friend to pay. He places the items very slowly on the counter, blinking with confusion a number of times, swaying a little on his feet. I ring his items through.)

Me: “That’s $14.59. How will you be paying?”

Customer: “Uh… debit?”

(He slowly pulls out his wallet and fumbles for his card. He finally places it in the debit machine, and then stares at it, unmoving. The machine times-out, so I reset it. He manages, with some difficulty to make it through the rest of the transaction. When I place his bag in front of him, he looks confused.)

Customer: “Is this mine?”

Me: “Yes, it is.”

Customer: “These are the things I bought?”

Me: “Uh… yes. Are you all right?”

Customer: “Huh? Oh, yeah, don’t mind me, I’m just really fried.”

(He pulls a 2 dollar coin out of his pocket and puts it on the counter.)

Customer: “Don’t tell; my parents know the owner.”

(He left, marveling at the automatic doors as he did. He has been back to the store a number of times, in the same state, and makes my day whenever he shows up.)