Won’t Say Anything Different So Send Them On Their Way

I work for a gas station that has a loyalty program. The customer needs to swipe their loyalty card, I then hit a button on the register, and they have to hit a button on the card reader. If they are paying with a card, they can insert the card after this point. However, if they insert the card before the loyalty is processed, there is a chance that it will freeze the system and it will need to be restarted before I can proceed with their order. It’s an annoying system. So many people swipe their loyalty cards and immediately insert their debit/credit cards.

I have a customer do this one morning and the system freezes up. We aren’t busy, so I move him over to the other register so we can finish.

Customer: “I don’t understand what I did wrong. I did it like I do every day.”

Me: “The reader doesn’t like it when you put the card in before finishing the loyalty. Sometimes it just freezes up. Go ahead and swipe your loyalty card.”

Customer: *Swipes card* “Can I put my debit card in now?”

Me: “Just give it a second. When you see the button on your screen, just hit OK and then insert your card.”

Customer: *Hits the OK button* “Am I allowed to put my debit card in now?”

Me: “Yep.”

Customer: “I don’t understand! That’s exactly what I did on the other machine!”

Me: “Oh, all you did over there is put your card in a little too early, and the machine is being stupid. It happens every now and then.”

Customer: “But I didn’t do anything different!”

Me: “Okay… would you like a receipt?”

Customer: “I didn’t do anything different!”