This Time… It’s Personal

(A customer comes to my till with two tote bins stacked inside each other, filled with product.)

Customer: “I have two orders.” *she points to the totes* “This is for my business.” *then she sets a pack of batteries on the counter* “And this is personal.”

Me: “Okay.”

(I scan the totes, and then start taking the items out of them to scan those, too.)

Customer: “No, that’s separate!”

Me: “I thought you said this stuff was for your business, and the batteries were personal?”

Customer: “No, some of the things in the bins are personal!”

(She starts pulling things out and putting them on the counter. I’m confused by this point, though, and don’t keep scanning.)

Me: “Um… okay, so what’s business and what’s personal?”

Customer: “I told you!” *she points to the tote bins again* “This is business!”

Me: “Yes, but what part of it? Because the first time you pointed to the bins, I thought you meant all the stuff inside them, too.”

Customer: “NO!”

Me: “Okay… so what’s business and what’s personal, then?”

Customer: “THIS is business! THIS is personal!” *she has now grouped three items with the batteries*

Me: “Okay.”

Customer: “Doesn’t that make sense to you? I don’t want to have one bill for two different expenses!”

Me: “Mhmm.”