(I work at a store where every item is $1 or less. It’s an average Sunday afternoon when a woman wearing a nice dress and heels and her friend approach my register.)
Me: “Hi, how are you? Did you find everything okay?”
Customer #1: *eyes bulge as though she has been offended and glares at me.*
(I shake it off and ring her up for $2.90 worth of merchandise. The woman then pays with a $100 bill. I carefully count out her $97 dollars to her, and hand her the ten cents. At the last second, her hand overturns and the dime falls somewhere beneath the register. I try to find it, but can’t.)
Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t find your dime. It might have fallen on your side of the register?”
Customer #1: “You THREW change at me!”
Me: “Ma’am, I didn’t throw anything. I’ll call up my manager and I can get you another dime from my till.”
(I intercom my manager, who tells me she won’t come to the front because she’s on her break.)
Customer #1: *clutches the $97* “I WANT MY MONEY!”
(The couple behind her in line are watching with their mouths hanging open. The man mouths, “I’m sorry” to me and then speaks up.)
Customer #2: “Here, ma’am. Here’s a quarter. You are holding up the line, so can you please go?”
Customer #1: *to Customer #2* “I am SO sorry…” *points at me* “…SHE is horrible!”
Customer #2: “Well, take my quarter.”
Customer #1: “NO! I want MY dime!”
Customer #1’s Friend: *to me* “Yes, miss, you need to apologize to her and give her the money!”
(Customer #2 once again tries to get Customer #1 to take the quarter and leave. Finally, she storms out, stomping her feet the whole way.)
Customer #2: “Wow… do you deal with this a lot?”
Me: “Unfortunately, yes.”
Customer #2’s Wife: “Hey look, I found a dime!”
(My manager and I later reviewed the security video. In it, Customer #1 clearly turned over her hand and dropped the dime by her feet!)