To Give Credit Where Debit Is Due, Part 3

(Our card readers are different from a lot of other stores. If you swipe a debit card, it asks for a pin number. To use it as credit, the cashier has to push a button on the register. Pushing ‘cancel’ does not change it to credit; it cancels the card, and the customer has to swipe it again. A customer approaches my register with a nearly-full cart.)

Me: “Hello! Did you find everything okay?”

(The customer ignores me, and starts putting items on the counter. I start to scan and bag as usual. However the customer does not remove the bags, and instead continues unloading her cart. Eventually, I have scanned and bagged everything; however all the bags are still sitting on the counter.)

Me: “Your total is—”

(The customer tries to swipe their debit card, cannot do so as the bags are blocking the card reader. Rather than place the bags in the empty cart, she shoves them out of the way, sending two bags to the floor and knocking over a third. After sighing loudly, she puts the bags back on the counter, swipes their card and pushes ‘cancel’ when it asks for a pin.)

Me: “Did you want that as credit?”

Customer: *annoyed* “Yes!”

Me: “Could you swipe your card again, please?”

(The customer grumbles, swipes the card, and immediately pushes cancel again.)

Me: “Could you swipe your card again and not push ‘cancel’ this time, please?”

Customer: “Your stupid card reader isn’t working!”

Me: “Ma’am, pressing ‘cancel’ does not switch it to credit. Swipe your card again and don’t push ‘cancel’.”

(She swipes her card, and pushes ‘cancel’.)

Me: “Sorry, it’s not reading your card. Could you swipe it one more time please?”

(This time, I’m mashing the ‘credit’ button on the register. Fortunately, I manage to get it to switch before the customer hits ‘cancel’ yet again.)

Customer: *sees that it switched to credit* “Why didn’t pushing ‘cancel’ work before?”

Me: “I have no idea.” *completes transaction* “Have a nice day.”

(At this point, the customer finally takes the bags off the counter and puts them in their cart. After they exit, I call my manager over, who witnessed part of the exchange.)

Me: “Can I go on break?”

Manager: “Yep. Take a few extra minutes if you need to.”

Related:
To Give Credit Where Debit Is Due, Part 2
To Give Credit Where Debit Is Due