"...this isn't a credit card, miss."

[Fleur]

I was in class a few days ago and developed a powerful craving for french fries, so on the way home I stopped by a Mcdonald's drive through.

ordered my fries, pulled up to pay, and handed my credit card through the window.
guy scans it. scans it again. gives the register a look. looks at my card and just about facepalms.

cashier: uh, miss? this is a borders gift card.
me: ah, shit. *fumbles for actual credit card*

I'm pretty sure I turned bright red and apologised about five times. The dude just laughed it off and said it wasn't the first time.

I guess I should start actually looking in my wallet when i take out my card, especially since I've scanned my driver's licence a few times at the self checkouts at the grocery store.

[Cazzi]

You're not alone!

I've frequently tried to pay in one store with the savings card from a rival store

And spent ages once rummaging for my Game card to have the guy point it out right under my nose

[powerboy]

I've done that. It is embarrassing.

[jjllbb]

As a cashier i feel just as dumb after i swipe it over and over again before realizing what's going on.

[bean]

Today I managed to check out behind a cashier's father.

Store policy is a bit.. against family checking out family, but it's not heavily enforced (though I refuse to check out family and friends). Plus said cashier basically came with the building, she's been there FOREVER.

But.. when the cashier said "Dad, when did you get foodstamps?" after he swiped his card.. apparently he swiped a Safeway reward card then chose foodstamps on the terminal. He mumbled something about the register screwing up, daughter told him "Sorry dad, but no, these really don't screw up often, you probably swiped your Safeway card". And I did see a very blue card out of the corner of my eye when he swiped it, the local "division of Safeway" out here has blue cards.

He re-swiped his card, insisted it was the same one, but it was very much dark purple with a VISA logo, not bright blue with a division of WaySafe logo. And this time, it went through. And he was still cussing up a storm saying the registers screwed up his cards.

The scary part is, this guy is still driving.