They Need A Nicotine Patch… For Their Mouth

(In Australia, or at least, in Sydney, cigarettes can’t be on display; generally, they’re in white cases which have doors that you push up. In my particular store, we’re phasing out the selling of cigarettes and have very few left. I’m not a smoker and know very little about cigarette brands. Because we’re phasing them out — and have advertised this — my employer has told me not to bother learning all the different brands.)

Customer: *walks up to the tills and barks out a brand of cigarettes I’m unfamiliar with*

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, what was that?”

Customer: *repeats the name and then, in response to my slightly blank look* “Cigarettes, you f****** idiot. I want my cigarettes!”

Me: “My apologies, sir, I’m a non-smoker and we’re phasing out cigarettes in this store, so I don’t know all the brands.”

(I unlock the cabinet and start looking for the brand he wants. It’s hard since most of the cabinet is empty and we only have about three packets left.)

Customer: “You’re taking too f****** long! Give me my f****** cigarettes!”

(The owner comes behind the counter to figure out what the commotion is.)

Owner: “Can I help you, sir?”

Customer: “This b**** is taking too long with my f****** cigarettes. I want my f***–“

(He can only get half the word out because the owner interrupts him.)

Owner: “You need to leave my store, now!”

Customer: “But my—“

Owner: “No. You’ve been incredibly rude to my cashier, when she has been nothing but polite to you. In two more days, we will no longer be selling cigarettes here, and you’ll be lucky if we serve you for anything else after your rudeness today.”

(The customer left, swearing under his breath about my incompetence. The owner made sure I was okay before going back to what he was doing and I kept serving. I understand that it can be frustrating when someone doesn’t know what you’re talking about, and had we been fully stocked and continuing to sell cigarettes, I would have learned the brands, but regardless, there’s no need to be so rude to your cashier! Thanks to my awesome boss for being so protective of me.)