That Went From Pop-Tarts To “You’re Getting Fired!” Very Quickly!

I am working late at night at a grocery store. It’s about ninety minutes before close and there are two cashiers — a coworker and me — and two baggers, but one is doing closing duties, so I don’t have anyone helping me at the moment. For some reason, it’s crazy busy and both [Coworker] and I have six to seven people in our lines waiting to check out. The manager is nowhere to be found.

I scan a customer’s item and he says it’s the wrong price. I go check and the customer is correct. As I am walking back to my register, another customer stops me.

Customer: “These pop-tarts I bought earlier rang up wrong; I need a refund.”

I glance at the receipt and the sign.

Me: “Okay, sir, I can help you with that in a minute, if you can just get in line.”

This customer starts screaming at me saying I am disrespecting him and that I am being rude. He also claims he is a regular — I’ve never seen him in my life — and that he can’t believe I would talk to him like that.

I try to get a word in while I continue to check out the customer in my line.

Customer: “I am going to speak to your manager right now!

Again, I have no idea where the manager is at the time.

Me: “Okay, sir.”

Before I can say another word, this customer stomps off and starts yelling at my coworker and the bagger who have no idea what is going on. Finally, out of nowhere, the manager finally shows up and the customer demands the corporate number, all while screaming at the manager about how rude I am and claiming that I purposely charged him wrong.

Finally, the manager gives him the info and the crazy customer leaves, but not before yelling at me that he WILL get me fired.

A few days later, I got called into the store director’s office and he asked me what had happened with this customer, as he had called the regional director and told him I was rude and that I was too busy to help him. 

I explained and ask him point-blank what he would have liked me to do in that situation. I wasn’t rude, the manager was nowhere to be found, I didn’t have a chance to call the manager because he was screaming and yelling so loud, I had a line and had to help them since they were there first, I couldn’t just pull money out of my drawer and give it to him, and customer service was closed.

The store director just looked at me and told me to go back to work.