To Give Credit Where Debit Is Due, Part 6

(I work in the garden center of a large department store. We only have two cash registers, but only use one unless it is really busy. We are incredibly busy one day, with a line six or seven deep, so I open up the second register. Just as I do so, the first register requires a manager override.)

Me: “Ma’am, I can help you over here.”

Customer: “Thank you!”

Me: “Are you paying with a debit card today? This register will freeze if we try to use a debit card and we would need a manager to reboot it.”

Customer: “No, I’m not.”

Me: *checks out her items* “That will be [total], please.”

(Customer uses her debit card. The register freezes.)

Me: “You processed it as a debit card. The register won’t accept it and it’s frozen now.”

Customer: “Well, just cancel it.”

Me: “I can’t. The register won’t let me do anything at all.”

Customer: “Then check me out on the other register.” *the other line hasn’t moved for several minutes*

Coworker: “We can’t. I need to void an item that needs manager approval.”

Customer: “Then call a manager.”

Me: “We have. The only manager that can unlock the registers is on the other end of the store, and they have to deal with the registers up front first. It could be a little while depending on how busy they are.”

Customer: “Well, maybe you should learn how to use your machines.”

Me: “We know how to use the registers. I told you it won’t take debit cards, you used a debit card, and now both machines are frozen.”

(This goes on for about ten minutes, with me explaining over and over that, no, I couldn’t do anything without a manager, yes, I have called for them multiple times, and no I didn’t know how long they would be.)

Customer: “Well, fine! I’ll just go up front where they know how to do their jobs!”

(A manager came back about two minutes later. The line was cleared five minutes after that.)