You want to what a what?

[FuzzyKitten99]

This has got to be the strangest request I have had since I have been working in the general public for the past 14 years.

OfficeMax offers printing and laminating services. So, we usually get the questions about what can safely go through a laminator. Understandable.

So, a guy comes in tonight and wants to make copies. I ask if he wants us to do it or use the self serve. He opts for self serve.

He finishes up and comes to the register. He then asks if we can laminate a remote control.

No, not a misspelling or typo. That's right. A remote control.

At first I thought he said something about selling them, as he mumbled and had a very thick Asian accent. But no, he asked if we could laminate his remote, and he had brought it with him.

I was polite and said no, we only can do paper-thin documents, as long as it can tolerate the heating application. Ok, odd request but whatever.

He then proceeded to pay for all his 4 copies, totalling .38 cents, with a $100 bill...

Good thing it was the end of the night and the managers don't change drawers throughout the day like other retail stores do. I had the change, but still...

[JessEm]

Why on earth would he need a remote laminated?

Actually, on second thoughts, I really don't want to know...

[thehippie777]

Hi, I would like to laminate this...*insert a small, but not nearly flat object".

*stares at me like I am crazy*

My response: "What?"

I want to think he didn't mean "remote", and chose the incorrect word.

[powerboy]

I worked in the Copy Max section of OfficeMax before. I had a request like that. But at the time I had just started and we were only binding some papers together. But still

[Boochan]

Doesn't make too much sense, but I can see the reasoning for it. A lot of people for some reason seem to wear out their remotes rather easily, and I guess he thought if it could be laminated it would be dirt and dust free? Thats all I can think of regardless.

Be thankful I guess that you had the change in the till to do that. I had that happen three times today, though nothing to that extreme (Paying with a $100 for purchases under $5). I just couldn't be bothered arguing today.

[friendofjimmyk]

Doesn't make too much sense, but I can see the reasoning for it. A lot of people for some reason seem to wear out their remotes rather easily, and I guess he thought if it could be laminated it would be dirt and dust free? Thats all I can think of regardless.

.

That's what I was thinking. Maybe he wanted to give it some sort of "protective" coating.

[Crazeyal]

Uh you CHECKED the hundred.. right??

[FuzzyKitten99]

I want to think he didn't mean "remote", and chose the incorrect word.

No, he had it with him, and showed me. It wasn't small and nearly flat, either. It wsa pretty big and square--wayyyyyyy too big to go through the laminator.

I thought maybe he just wanted to keep it clean easier, so I can kind of understand the possible reason behind it. But still, if you know how a laminator looks and operates, it is a REALLY odd request.

[Imogene]

Uh you CHECKED the hundred.. right??

I did that to a hundred a customer gave me, and she asked me what I was doing, as she'd seen others do the same thing, but didn't know what it meant. So I held the bill up to the light for her and pointed out the security features, never once removing my hands from it. She went, Oooh, Ahhh.

[FuzzyKitten99]

Uh you CHECKED the hundred.. right??

Yes, it was fine.

[Boochan]

I did that to a hundred a customer gave me, and she asked me what I was doing, as she'd seen others do the same thing, but didn't know what it meant. So I held the bill up to the light for her and pointed out the security features, never once removing my hands from it. She went, Oooh, Ahhh.

Times like those I like been in retail in a country with the most advanced security features on our banknotes ever produced Never had to handle any funny money in a year and a half working at the same store. Can understand how frustrating it would be for anyone with paper currency with big bills to have to check that, it would freak me out for sure.
Apparently the 50 Pound bill in the UK is a terrible offender regarding forgeries.. co-worker spent a bit of time in the UK in retail and said he had to check EVERY SINGLE 50 Pound Note under a UV light and everything, and they STILL got occasional fakes.

[FuzzyKitten99]

Times like those I like been in retail in a country with the most advanced security features on our banknotes ever produced Never had to handle any funny money in a year and a half working at the same store. Can understand how frustrating it would be for anyone with paper currency with big bills to have to check that, it would freak me out for sure.
Apparently the 50 Pound bill in the UK is a terrible offender regarding forgeries.. co-worker spent a bit of time in the UK in retail and said he had to check EVERY SINGLE 50 Pound Note under a UV light and everything, and they STILL got occasional fakes.

The US has really stepped up the security with color-change ink (that changes depending on the angle) and magnetic strips in one side of the larger bills.

Plus there is a special marker that you can buy that you mark the bills with, where the ink stays yellow if the bills are real, and changes to brown or black if the bill is fake. This is because of the special paper and chemicals used to make them.

[Stormraven]

Actually, that's just an iodine pen, and it reacts to starch. You can get a lot of false positives with that. Don't trust it.