This Story Is About Nothing At All

I am working the checkout, and today, the computer is being temperamental. It means I have to scan a little slower than usual, and most customers seem to take this in their stride. One customer, however, an older man, seems to be taking personal offense to this.

Customer: “Oh, my God! Could you go any slower?!”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but the machine isn’t allowing me to scan too fast or it’ll freeze.”

Customer: “Jesus f****** Christ! I have places to be, you stupid woman!”

Me: “Sir, I don’t want this transaction to last any longer than you do!”

Customer: “You stupid—”

As the customer is about to continue being a jerk, a child steps up to him. He’s a little boy, maybe four or five, and his mother is the customer immediately behind this jerk.

Little Kid: *Creepily, while pointing at the jerk customer* “Nothing at all!”

Customer: “What?!”

Little Kid: *Still pointing, and somehow even more intense* “Nothing at all!”

Customer: “What are you… what… what are you doing?”

The mother comes up and puts her hands on the kid’s shoulders.

Mother: “Sorry, I just taught him that if you don’t have anything nice to say to a nasty person, then you say nothing at all.”

Little Kid: “Nothing at all!“

Mother: “The misunderstanding is my fault, but, well… he has a point, don’t you think?”

The jerk customer glared at all of us, except the child; he somehow couldn’t make eye contact with the little boy who had called out his bad behavior. He finished our transaction in silence and grumpily grabbed his groceries. 

Mother and child got a staff discount!