(bg: cashier at small grocery store)
This woman wasn't sucky, but she was definitely something. Perhaps something out of another age, or possibly an alternate plane of existance. She appeared to be maybe 60something, in average health (ie, no cane or oxygen, nothing along those lines. Dressed in typical older lady garb,complete with neon red lipstick, and of course, surrounded by the mandatory cloud of turn-your-stomach perfume. Nothing out of the ordinary for our little store.
First off, I overheard her ask our grocery manager the following: (exact quote)
"I'm trying to find this...thing...my sister recommended it; it's called a Kit Kat? I think it's a candy?"
Now, I dont consider myself a genius for knowing right away just what a Kit Kat is, but, um, havent they been around for decades? At eye level at every grocery store check-out lane in the country? Arent there numerous annoying tv ads for this sweet treat, running all the time on every channel? I had to turn my head to supress the giggle. And yet I couldnt get off that easy; she chose my lane to check-out.
She put her items on the belt (which indeed included a Kit Kat) and I began scanning. She thrusts a box of powdered chocolate pudding mix in my face.
Kit Kat Fan: "Don't you charge me for this!"
Me: ??
KKL: "Look at it." (I do; one side of the box is dented) "I dont think you should be trying to sell something that is not FULL!"
Me: (putting the box aside) "I'm sure the bag of mix inside is fine, but I'll make sure to give it to the grocery manager"
She cat-butt-faces me and flaps her hand as if to say she just knows I'm lying to her.
I continue ringing up her sale and out of no where, she announces "And I'm using my MasterCharge!"
Yes, friends, she said "Master-Charge". I remember the 80s too. But hasnt Mastercard been Mastercard since Mastercard was founded? MasterCharge? Sure, we accept that.
But when it came time to pay, she handed me her card, as if she expected me to pull out that big metal MasterCharge carbon-copy clunky device from under my cash register (See, I do remember the 80s!) I showed her the machine and asked her to swipe her card, and got the cat-butt again for my troubles. My CW at the next lane turned around and helped her complete her sale.
All in all, she was not really sucky. Just...wow, where has she been for the past 30 years or so?
***
And a quickie...for over a year now, our store has used the Tele-Check system. In a nutshell, it reads the account number from the bottom of the check and electronically deducts the sale from the account, just like a debit card. Our system then prints a VOID across the customer's check, which we return to them.
Today, a woman hands me her check and tells me "I want to write it for $40 over".
I explain the Tele-Check system to her, that it just runs through the sale price, we can only do cash-back on a debit card. The answer I got?
"Well, they let me do it here last week!" (Aw, yes, don't they always?)
Which, of course is total BS because the system will not allow it. Plus it was an out of state check, the woman did not have a store-card, and again, the system will NOT allow it, no matter how much you weep, whine and wail, we lowly cashiers do not have the power to override the system!
She opted to use her debit card, couldnt figure out the machine, and again, CW stepped over to help her. The amount of cash back she chose? $80, which she said emphatically, with a smug look at me, as if she had taken the money from me personally and had just pulled a good one over on me. Cant wait til she sees her bank statement and wonders WHY that extra $80 came out at our store.
How some people tie their shoes without putting out an eye continues to baffle me....
This woman wasn't sucky, but she was definitely something. Perhaps something out of another age, or possibly an alternate plane of existance. She appeared to be maybe 60something, in average health (ie, no cane or oxygen, nothing along those lines. Dressed in typical older lady garb,complete with neon red lipstick, and of course, surrounded by the mandatory cloud of turn-your-stomach perfume. Nothing out of the ordinary for our little store.
First off, I overheard her ask our grocery manager the following: (exact quote)
"I'm trying to find this...thing...my sister recommended it; it's called a Kit Kat? I think it's a candy?"
Now, I dont consider myself a genius for knowing right away just what a Kit Kat is, but, um, havent they been around for decades? At eye level at every grocery store check-out lane in the country? Arent there numerous annoying tv ads for this sweet treat, running all the time on every channel? I had to turn my head to supress the giggle. And yet I couldnt get off that easy; she chose my lane to check-out.
She put her items on the belt (which indeed included a Kit Kat) and I began scanning. She thrusts a box of powdered chocolate pudding mix in my face.
Kit Kat Fan: "Don't you charge me for this!"
Me: ??
KKL: "Look at it." (I do; one side of the box is dented) "I dont think you should be trying to sell something that is not FULL!"
Me: (putting the box aside) "I'm sure the bag of mix inside is fine, but I'll make sure to give it to the grocery manager"
She cat-butt-faces me and flaps her hand as if to say she just knows I'm lying to her.
I continue ringing up her sale and out of no where, she announces "And I'm using my MasterCharge!"
Yes, friends, she said "Master-Charge". I remember the 80s too. But hasnt Mastercard been Mastercard since Mastercard was founded? MasterCharge? Sure, we accept that.
But when it came time to pay, she handed me her card, as if she expected me to pull out that big metal MasterCharge carbon-copy clunky device from under my cash register (See, I do remember the 80s!) I showed her the machine and asked her to swipe her card, and got the cat-butt again for my troubles. My CW at the next lane turned around and helped her complete her sale.
All in all, she was not really sucky. Just...wow, where has she been for the past 30 years or so?
***
And a quickie...for over a year now, our store has used the Tele-Check system. In a nutshell, it reads the account number from the bottom of the check and electronically deducts the sale from the account, just like a debit card. Our system then prints a VOID across the customer's check, which we return to them.
Today, a woman hands me her check and tells me "I want to write it for $40 over".
I explain the Tele-Check system to her, that it just runs through the sale price, we can only do cash-back on a debit card. The answer I got?
"Well, they let me do it here last week!" (Aw, yes, don't they always?)
Which, of course is total BS because the system will not allow it. Plus it was an out of state check, the woman did not have a store-card, and again, the system will NOT allow it, no matter how much you weep, whine and wail, we lowly cashiers do not have the power to override the system!
She opted to use her debit card, couldnt figure out the machine, and again, CW stepped over to help her. The amount of cash back she chose? $80, which she said emphatically, with a smug look at me, as if she had taken the money from me personally and had just pulled a good one over on me. Cant wait til she sees her bank statement and wonders WHY that extra $80 came out at our store.
How some people tie their shoes without putting out an eye continues to baffle me....




Comment