Talking Bologna

Due to hearing loss, I sometimes have issues understanding people. This is the first time I’ve had an issue due to someone giving their own name to something, though.

Customer: “I’d like a pound of meat bologna.”

I’d never heard bologna being referred to that way, so I process this as beef bologna. I get it out and cut it the way the customer wants. I put the label on the bag and gave it to them. The customer’s wife stares at the label.

Customer’s Wife: “We wanted meat bologna.”

Me: *Blue screening a little.* “All of our bologna is meat. Our regular bologna has pork and chicken.”

Customer’s Wife: “Yes, that one. Meat bologna.”

I cut a pound of the chub that just says “[Brand] Bologna” on it and give it to them.

Me: “Next time you come, just call it ‘regular bologna’ and we’ll know what you mean.”

Customer: *Gesturing to himself and his wife.* “We call it ‘meat bologna’.”

After they left, I asked a coworker if “meat bologna” was a thing, and she confirmed that no one else called it that.