But my debit card doesn't have a PIN!

[dbblsanta]

So this lady in her 50s or so comes up to my line. She goes to pay:

Lady: Why is it asking me for my PIN?
Me: Are you paying by debit?

Lady: Yes, but my card doesn't have a PIN!
Me: Isn't that your bank card? [it was clearly a Bank of America card]

Lady: Yes! But I don't have a PIN number [ick I HATE it when people say PIN number] for it!
Me: Well when you pay by debit you're accessing your checking account, so you must have a PIN. You couldn't walk up to an ATM and just put your card in and get money. It's the same idea here.

Lady: I have never heard of that before in my life!
Me: [thinking: ARE YOU SERIOUS???] Ma'am you need to have a PIN to access funds in your checking account, which is what you are doing when you pay by debit. If you don't know your PIN, you can pay by credit and sign for the charge instead.

Lady: I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. I'm going to go ask my husband in the car.

She leaves to ask her husband, luckily the store was dead. She comes back in:

Lady: Oh my god I am SOO sorry! Of course you need a PIN to use debit! I had no idea what I was thinking. I'm so sorry.

She pays and goes on her way. A brain burp that was luckily corrected.

[Broomjockey]

I had no idea what I was thinking.

That makes two of us. Though I'd wager it's along the lines of "nothing."

And ditto your aggravation on "PIN Number."

[Food Lady]

I'm not even gonna post my story now; it's nearly the same. But she said she had a pin she didn't know. Her statement to her daughter was that every other time she used it as debit she just had to sign. Her daughter said, "That's because they ran it as a credit." And I had just asked if she wanted to run it as a credit & she'd said no, she'd write a check. So, of course she got pissy when the system asked for her ID for the check. She was sucky on top of the brain burp.