Some things reall AREN'T your business

[carryonnow]

If the town I work in were a bar, it would be "Cheers" because everyone knows your name...and THINKS they are entitled to know your business too.

Just a random sampling of things the clientele have said to cashiers:

SC: How old are you?
Cashier: 23
SC: And you have HOW many children?
Cashier: 2
SC: You are just TOO young to have children.


REALLY??? You may have gone to school together...but this is NONE of your business.


SC: So you aren't from Podunk, are you?
CSM: No, I live about an hour from here.
SC: WOW...no one closer would hire you so you need to invade our town and take our jobs.

REALLY?? I may not live in your town...but um...last time I checked I can work any where I damn well please.


SC: (Grabs cashier's arm) WHY??!!?? Why did you do this to yourself??
Cashier: Sir, let go of my arm!
SC: Not until you explain WHY you put tattoos on your body! Are you a stripper or a hooker trying to make an honest living?


Really??? How does having a tattoo equate to working in the sex industry??


SC: Are you in a relationship?
CSM: Sorry...are you writing a book?
SC: Seems like some one like you couldn't POSSIBLY be single.
CSM: Again, are you writing a book?
SC: Well...with an attitude like that it is no wonder why you are single.
CSM: Well...with your inability to respect boundaries it is a surprise some one hasn't shot you for trespassing.

REALLY??? You are complaining about being overcharged for peanut butter...my relationship status is not part of your refund.

SC: You need to smile more.
Cashier: Thanks I will keep that in mind
SC: No, seriously...you look miserable.
Cashier: Thanks have a good day
SC: You don't get it do you...I come here and spend lots of money...I EXPECT YOU TO SMILE.
Cashier: Sorry...that I disappointed you. Please feel free to complain to my manager.

SC: That CHILD over there is miserable...she REFUSED to smile.
CSM: Oh no, that is terrible I will speak to her about putting a smile on her face.
SC: That's it? That's all you are going to do...speak to her.....she is a miserable person...she shouldn't be interacting with the public...you need to fire her.
CSM: Thank you for the suggestion...I will keep that avenue open.
SC: I DEMAND to know why she is NOT smiling.
CSM: Sorry, that you had an unpleasant experience. I will get to the bottom of this; how can I make it right?
SC: JUST F-ING smile!! And tell me why she wont smile at me.


Really?? That child who didn't smile is working while she is in a great deal of pain and physically unable to smile...but I will fire her because she didn't life up to your high standards. Next time she needs to get cortisone injected into her face...I will suggest she paints a smile on her face just to make your day complete.


I guess working in retail means that we forfeit any illusion of privacy. We are not your friends or family...we have lives...sometimes there are things that REALLY ARE NONE OF YOUR F_ING BUSINESS!!! We are people not property....we get paid to ring and bag your 96 cans of cat food, 14 bags of cat litter, and half gallon of cheap rot gut vodka...we ARE not friends...so pay your tab, shut your mouth, and have a great day minding your own damned business.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Really?? That child who didn't smile is working while she is in a great deal of pain and physically unable to smile...but I will fire her because she didn't life up to your high standards. Next time she needs to get cortisone injected into her face...I will suggest she paints a smile on her face just to make your day complete.

Perhaps your store should only employ Joker look-a-likes. Or require everyone to wear Joker make-up.

[Argabarga]

Really??? How does having a tattoo equate to working in the sex industry??

Bet they weren't a day younger than 40, there's a real hard generational line out there regarding tattoos. People under 40 don't see what the big deal is, and people over 40, well, might as well be Victorian England, so sure are they that tattoos can only ever coincide with criminality. My own Mom constantly made comments like that SC, though never to the face of the person in question. It would always be once we were out of earshot that she'd start up.... "They'll be sorry they got those when nobody important hires them!! That's the ONLY job they'll ever get!" or "Think she'll be so proud of those when she's a Grandmother? She'll really be sorry when she has to hide them from her grandkids!!!"

SC: Well...with an attitude like that it is no wonder why you are single.
CSM: Well...with your inability to respect boundaries it is a surprise some one hasn't shot you for trespassing.

Warning, your response has been stolen and stored away by me for future use. Thank you, have a nice day!

SC: You need to smile more.

I would have suggested "I'll smile if you slip me a $20" When they refuse, say "Well, guess you don't want to see one that badly after all"

[otakuneko]

Or a slasher smile.

[notalwaysright]

That is super creepy. Okay so "young" is relative, some people are never "old" enough to have kids. This doesn't stop them, of course. And geez people, tattoos? Get over it. There's a lady at my work with a bunch of motorcycle tattoos, she must be mid fifties.

Sometimes people ask if I'm in school (it's a college town) but that is relatively minor. When I say yes they ask what I'm studying, and I consider that okay. After all, we ask everyone what they are making (fabric store), it's all fairly safe superficial stuff. Sometimes a customer will want to rant about politics and I just get real quiet. It doesn't matter if I agree or not, I can't get into it at work!

I have a hard time with the smiling thing... My normal look is apparently a glare. So it's hard to smile all the time. But unfortunately if I don't people will complain, so I do what I can to look chipper. This mostly includes coffee.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I got the smile thing a fair bit too, my teeth are just crooked enough to make me self conscious, and not crooked enough to need an orthodontist, so I rarely flash the bright wattage smile. When people would demand I smile they would get the raised eyebrows with the quivering barely smile (think moe szyslak). That usually didn't impress them much.

[csquared]

SC: So you aren't from Podunk, are you?
CSM: No, I live about an hour from here.
SC: WOW...no one closer would hire you so you need to invade our town and take our jobs.

CSM: No. I simply took advantage of the fact that no one in this town is qualified to do this job.

SC: That CHILD over there is miserable...she REFUSED to smile.
CSM: Oh no, that is terrible I will speak to her about putting a smile on her face.
SC: That's it? That's all you are going to do...speak to her.....she is a miserable person...she shouldn't be interacting with the public...you need to fire her.

I couldn't decide which was better:
CSM: And how exactly is that going to make her smile?
Or
CSM: You're an even more miserable person. Why are you interacting with the public?

[MoonCat]

CSM: You're an even more miserable person. Why are you interacting with the public?

I like this response!

[XCashier]

SC: JUST F-ING smile!! And tell me why she wont smile at me.

"Oh, that's easy. It's because you're a bad-tempered bully who thinks he has the right to control our facial expressions. That's why she won't smile at you!"

[raudf]

"She won't smile, because she knows you have no life outside of her own and thinks that's very, very, pathetic. I'd suggest you get a life, rather than prying into other peoples. Preferably before she starts to cry. I really hate having to mop the floor when she cries."

I can't see how "old farts" in my neck of the deep woods could complain about tattoos on other people, but they do. I honestly think it is because their kids got tattoos and became drunks who can't keep jobs for anything, so it must be the tattoo's fault! Keep it up, Sunshine. I know why your kid became a drunk and it's because they have to deal with YOU."

I'm glad I'm a stay at home mom now.. my meds temper has seriously cut out my brain to mouth filter. Either that or having to deal with a real toddler makes me less likely to put up with grown-ups who behave like toddlers.

[Cat Herder]

"Oh, that's easy. It's because you're a bad-tempered bully who thinks he has the right to control our facial expressions. That's why she won't smile at you!"

If I owned this store, I would add, "Now get the F**K out of my store, and don't EVER set foot in here again, douchebag!" Oh, I have never wanted so badly to own one of the businesses mentioned on CS!

Oh, and that arm-grabby thing? Couldn't that count as assault or something?

[MelindaJoy77]

I get the smile comment sometimes too, usually because towards the end of my shift, I am TIRED. It's WORK. I've yet to challenge a customer to come on in and be a cashier for a day at our store. I've had a couple of people get mad at me for it, but what I usually get is some guy in his 50's trying to be funny/trying to flirt with me. Ugh!

On a side note, because of your thread title, I wear my rings on a hemp necklace that I made while I'm working. This is because I hate having rings on my fingers when I'm working with my hands, and also because they tend to tear holes in the bags. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me if they are all wedding rings. Like why the hell would I keep a bunch of wedding rings from previous marriages??? Either way, it's none of their business. On the upside, I've also gotten a lot of compliments on it, especially from teenage girls If I get tired of the wedding ring comments, I just pin the necklace to the inside of my pants pocket for a day or two.

[AccountingDrone]

Bet they weren't a day younger than 40, there's a real hard generational line out there regarding tattoos. People under 40 don't see what the big deal is, and people over 40, well, might as well be Victorian England,

I am 53 and this is the visible tattoo I have.

[Food Lady]

I'm 40, and while I prefer not to have tatoos, I don't care if others do. And I HATE the smile thing. Ugh.

[Shyla]

I wish I could do that really fake smile that Sheldon uses on Big Bang Theory. That would work in so many situations. But even a little stage makeup for a fake black tooth might help that cashier when she's in pain and idiots try that.