The Customers That Assume This Are Beyond Number

Following a recent redundancy, I’ve taken a job in a supermarket as a cashier to keep an income coming into our family until I find something better. I’m a man in my early thirties. I’m also known for my tendency to be very direct with people who annoy me.

The supermarket where I work offers a rewards card, and cashiers have the ability to look up a customer’s account using their phone number if they don’t have their card.

One particularly quiet day, I’m logged in to my till, standing and watching the few customers we have wandering slowly round the shop. A young woman, who I assume is in her mid-twenties, comes to my till to check out.

Me: “Hi! How are we today?”

She sighs and doesn’t answer. I start scanning her items.

Me: “Do you have a rewards card?”

Customer: *Sighs again* “I forgot it.”

She seems annoyed that she has to talk to me.

Me: “Okay.”

I continue to scan her items. At the end, I look at her and smile.

Me: “Can I have your phone number, please?”

Customer: *Gives me a dirty look* “Okay, two things: one, I already have a boyfriend, and two, even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be interested in a loser like you! So no, you won’t be getting my phone number. Ever.”

Me: “Okay, three things: one, I’m actually happily married, and I’m not really interested in cheating on my wife, especially not with a random woman in a supermarket. Two, you definitely aren’t my type anyway, and three, I need your phone number so I can look up your rewards account and apply it to your shopping so you can maybe get some discounts.”

She looks at the floor, clearly embarrassed.

Me: “So? Do you want to give me your phone number or not?”

She gives me her phone number, and I look up her account. With her rewards account applied to her shopping, the total drops by a few pounds.

Me: “Okay, that’s [price].”

Wordlessly, she holds up her debit card. I activate the card reader and she taps it.

Me: “Would you like your receipt?”

She shook her head. Silently, and with a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp, she picked up her bag of groceries and stalked off. My manager later told me that the customer tried to complain about me, but since my manager was awesome, it never went anywhere.