I work as a cashier at a smaller grocery store on the edge of town. Many customers are regulars, so I normally don’t have bad experiences with customers because of the familiarity. I always try to be friendly and patient with all customers, no matter how demanding and problematic. However, one busy afternoon in the summer I had quite an amusing ordeal.

A rough looking man who looks to be in his forties in a wife beater and cargo shorts, grabs a cart and speeds toward my register. Our registers have a divider in between them, so customers have to bring their carts behind the register rather than the front, because the carts won’t fit through the front of the registers. Due to instinct, I assume the man is attempting to bring the cart through the front very fast, which could lead to an accident.

Me: (before he could slam the cart between the divider and register) Oh, sir, your cart won’t fit through there.

Man: (cutting me off, in a hateful and grouchy way) I’m not going through here. Where is your frozen prune juice?

I was quite thrown off by his rude response, and since our store had a huge reset just a few days before, I wasn’t quite sure where all of the products were. My coworker and I were also dealing with a line of customers, so he couldn’t be my first priority. If he hadn’t snapped at me while I was occupied, I probably would’ve been able to go search for it when it died down. Also, frozen prune juice? Why was he so desperate to get it?

Me: (I’ve given up trying to be friendly) Um, I’m not sure, we’ve moved around a bunch of product. (I turn to ask my coworker if she has an idea)

Man, as I’m asking: *scoffs* Do you even work here? Like c’mon. (Keep in mind this was a dude who was frantically asking for frozen prune juice)

My coworker: I’ll call the produce guy and ask if he can find it. (She red lines him)

Because it was so busy, I wasn’t sure if the guy checked out or not. Neither me nor my coworker attempted any friendliness at all to him, since he had no desire to be patient or cooperate. He could’ve looked himself because we were busy. But here’s some advice to all customers: Don’t expect good service if you do not wish to give us respect.

(My boyfriend and I are at a drive thru ordering a meal. Instead of a coke I ask for a mocha frappe which is a type of crushed ice drink that is chocolate flavored. We’re asked to pull aside to wait for the drink. When the man appears:)
Worker *handing us a tray of drinks*:”Here you are”
Me:”is that a frappe?”
Worker:”Yes”
Me:”But it’s hot?”
Worker *Blank look*:”Yes”
Me:”It’s supposed to be frozen? That’s coffee…”
Worker:”oh..”

(Eventually when I got the drink bank they’d added crushed ice…. to very watered down coffee and covered it with cream hoping to disguise the taste. Watered down coffee and a mocha frappe are not the same thing guys.)

[I am working in an upscale sandwich/cafe chain where you order at the counter and then wait for your food at your table.]
Woman: “Hi, I’d like a chicken pesto sandwich with a fruit cup for the side. Can I get the fruit cup without pineapple?”
Me: “Well, our fruit mix is pre-made. The cooks just scoop it into a cup when it’s ordered.”
Woman: “Well you can just pick it out, that’s fine.”
Me: “Ma’am, I’m not the one who makes the food, and the cooks are busy. They won’t be able to hand-pick the pineapple out of your fruit cup.”
Woman: “FINE. Just give me a side salad instead.”
Me: “If you really want the fruit cup, you are welcome to take the pineapple out of it when the food arrives at your table.”
Woman: “NO! When I pay this much for food, I shouldn’t have to pick things out that I don’t want. Just give me the mixed greens salad on the side.”
Me: Ooookay. Your total is $7.78.”

So I decided to go to a fast food restaurant that is on the way home. This particular restaurant has a well earned reputation for hiring people who aren’t the brightest bulbs in the pack but its near my house and I am too tired (or lazy) to make my own supper. The drive through is backed up,like normal ,so I go in and order at the counter. The clerk who takes my order looks to be an older teenager.

Me: I would like a plain cheeseburger to go, please.

Clerk: Uh, a cheeseburger?

Me: Yes, plain please.

Clerk: Ummmmmm what do you mean plain?

Me: ………no ketchup, or anything. Just cheese.

Clerk: soooooo you just want cheese?

Me: Yes,

Clerk: (in all seriousness) Soooo you dont want meat on it?

Me: ……

By now a manager is behind him and does a face palm.

Manager to clerk: Go clean the bathrooms.

I did get my plain cheeseburger with meat and cheese.

When taking in lottery winners, we often would pay out the ticket for small winners ($1-$2 winners) before scanning it if we were busy. Then we would scan it once we had a break. One day I had a fairly new cashier working and she scanned the tickets when the customer was still at the counter. They came back “already redeemed”. The person had been a customer for a long time, but currently was working at another convenience store 2 miles down the road. We told him the problem and he gave a lame excuse and left. Pretty soon, the lottery commission called and asked for information on the customer. The ticket had been scanned at the convenience store that the customer worked, so he was running a scam. I don’t think he ever came in our store again. I’m sure he was fired and probably prosecuted. I congratulated the cashier for being on top of things and doing a good job. It’s ironic that some time in the future, that I had to fire that cashier for stealing lottery tickets.