They Want It All, And In Español

(During a very busy hour of my shift, I get one customer who comes through my line. She comes in quite regularly to the point that I recognize her, but I don’t I know much about her. As I ring her up she starts speaking Spanish. I’m unsure if she’s even speaking to me, since she is with her daughter, so I don’t answer. I notice she keeps repeating the same phrase, so I reply:)

Me: “No hablo español.”

Customer: *mutters under her breath* “Well, you should learn.”

(Working in a community that is mostly Mexican, this isn’t an uncommon comment. I continue on, and she gives me a coupon that my store offers. As she is about to pay she looks up and says:)

Customer: “I want the $3 off on just the food.”

(She’s paying with food stamps.)

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, ma’am; the coupon takes off the amount overall. I would have no way of focusing the coupon on certain items.”

Customer: *looks at me for a minute* “Okay, then separate the transactions!”

(I take out all her non-food items, which leaves her with less than the required amount that the coupon dictates – it’s $3 off a $30 minimum purchase.)

Customer: *starts to shout* “This is ridiculous! Where is your supervisor?”

(I point to myself, since I just happen to be the front-end manager. She gets even more angry.)

Customer: “I would like your corporate number; I shouldn’t be treated this way! I’ve been coming here since the beginning!”

(I’ve been working for the store since it opened, so I knew THAT was a lie. I gave her my name and the number, and let my coworker handle the rest since he actually spoke Spanish. I hope she actually wastes her time trying to get me fired, because I put in my two weeks notice a few days ago.)