This Act Was The Tip Of The Iceberg

I’m in my twenties, and this customer is in his late sixties and married. He’s a regular, and he comes off as a little creepy, but I haven’t been able to figure out WHY until today.

Customer: “Oh, look at that! It’s [My Name], all ready to go this fine morning!”

Me: “Good morning, [Customer]. What can I help you with today?”

Customer: “So efficient. So prompt. So cheerful. You’re just a shining star for this bank.”

Me: “Um… well, I don’t think that’s quite the case.”

Customer: “Come on, you can admit it.”

Me: “I’m just trying to do my job, like everyone else.”

Customer: “So you’re not one for over-the-top stuff. You must be wondering what I want from you by complimenting you so much. Well, I don’t want anything.” *Leans in* “At least, not yet.”

Me: *Scoots back* “Pardon?”

Customer: “I’d like to give you a tip. How about [amount]?”

Me: “We are not allowed to accept tips.”

Customer: “Sure you are. I’ll just leave it right here, and oops, it’s yours!”

He actually does pull cash out of his wallet and lay it on my desk.

Customer: “Now I’ll walk away.”

Me: “[Customer], this is a bank. We’re a federally regulated institution. Tips of any kind are considered bribery, and that’s a fireable offense.”

Customer: “But I didn’t tip you. You found it. And you decided to keep it. Got it?”

Me: “Since I saw you take it out of your wallet, and the camera over my head saw you take it out of your wallet, I’d just put it right back in your account. That’s how it works.”

He grumbles, shoves the cash back in his wallet, and walks out the door.

Coworker: “What the h*** was that?”

Me: “He just tried to tip me or something. I don’t know. It was so weird.”

I stopped helping him after that. My coworkers took care of him. After a few instances of this, he complained that I was ignoring him and would sit in the lobby and stare at me when I walked by. He even followed me out of the parking lot at closing one night.

I made it known that his behavior was getting progressively creepier, but no one could do anything, since he hadn’t actually touched or threatened me.

It all came to a head when I filled in at a branch in another town. He followed me over there. The employees at that branch, who’d heard the story, sent me into a back room and didn’t let me come out until he was gone. I found another job not long after that.