Taken Aback By Going Back To You

(I am at the tills and a customer approaches me with an item she wants to bring back. She also has a basket full of shopping.)

Me: “Okay, I have returned your item, so that’ll be £16.99 going back to you. Would you like me to put your shopping through the same transaction?”

Customer: “Yes, please!”

(I scan her shopping through.)

Customer: “And is that at zero now?”

Me: “No, there’s still £5.96 going back to you.”

Customer: “Okay. Let me go and find something else.”

(She leaves the till — bear in mind there is a queue building — and rushes to grab something from an aisle. A minute or so later she returns with a few items. I scan them through.)

Me: “That’s still £2.56 going back to you.”

Customer: “Really? I’ll find something else I might need.”

(Again she rushes off. She takes a little longer this time, and comes back with things from the very back of the shop.)

Customer: “Okay. What is it now?”

Me: “It’s 10p going back to you.”

Customer: “Ugh. What is there around here for 10p?”

Me: *with a deadpan expression* “Two carrier bags?”

(She actually bought the carrier bags so she didn’t have any money to go back to her. I have absolutely no idea why it was so important for the balance to level out at £0.00. Luckily I had patient customers who were as baffled and amused as I was!)