At the dollar store, working another closing shift with just me and my good manager Friendly Friendlerson. With a little over a half our before closing, the store is pretty empty and I'm working on the many other little tasks that have to be done before we can go home.
A group walks in and starts looking around. I'm logged out of my register and stocking the drink cooler so I can see them when they come up to pay. One of them comes up with an armload of goods and dumps them on the counter. I go back, log into my register, and start scanning as I do the usual ring-up chit chat (how are you, did you find what you were looking for, want to buy the product we're pushing?)
Suddenly, she decides she's not done and goes off to look for more stuff. And, effectively, I'm trapped. See, I can't suspend the transaction, nor can I void everything to ring up again when she gets back (and it's already bagged.) Also, I can't leave the register as long as I'm logged in, I can't log out mid-transaction, and everything I need to do is away from the register.
So I wait for what feels like ages, and finally the customers return with more stuff. I finish ringing them out and they step away, though some of them realize there are more things after the registers that they may wish to purchase.
At this time, Friendly reappears from (either in the office or on a smoke break, I can't remember) and realizes he needs to do a pick-up on my register, but we aren't sure how much I have in there. Because of this he has to do it in the most round-about, and longest-taking way possible. And once you start the process, you can't stop it until you've put the money transaction through, and both of us have counted the money and signed for it.
At what seems like the very SECOND we hit the Point of No Return on this, the merch ditchers come back with another armload of stuff to buy. "I'm sorry, this will just take a minute," I say politely, which is easy because I'm so pleased with this turn of events. "I'll right you up as soon as we finish this."
So they wait through the longest register pick-up possible without slowing it down on purpose to spite them (Friendly wasn't there, so he doesn't know they were jerks.) Then I ring them out and they leave, and I log out and start putting stuff back in the aisles, because no one is currently in the store so I don't have to babysit the registers.
It happens to me all the time that people put stuff on the counter, I start ringing them out, and then they need to run into the aisles for one more thing or to go out to the car for their wallet (?!?!) They think that just because it's a very small store, they won't be holding anyone up. Yes, even if there's a line behind them. It really ticks me off not just that they keep me waiting, but that they hold up the other customers. That's just super rude. After all, it's my job to sit here and wait for you to finish what you're doing and pay, but those other people have someplace to be.
So I guess it isn't the perfect revenge, because the only person they held up was me, but I did like them getting a taste of their own medicine for once. And I would never have done this on purpose, but I'm not ashamed of getting enjoyment out of how it turned out.
A group walks in and starts looking around. I'm logged out of my register and stocking the drink cooler so I can see them when they come up to pay. One of them comes up with an armload of goods and dumps them on the counter. I go back, log into my register, and start scanning as I do the usual ring-up chit chat (how are you, did you find what you were looking for, want to buy the product we're pushing?)
Suddenly, she decides she's not done and goes off to look for more stuff. And, effectively, I'm trapped. See, I can't suspend the transaction, nor can I void everything to ring up again when she gets back (and it's already bagged.) Also, I can't leave the register as long as I'm logged in, I can't log out mid-transaction, and everything I need to do is away from the register.
So I wait for what feels like ages, and finally the customers return with more stuff. I finish ringing them out and they step away, though some of them realize there are more things after the registers that they may wish to purchase.
At this time, Friendly reappears from (either in the office or on a smoke break, I can't remember) and realizes he needs to do a pick-up on my register, but we aren't sure how much I have in there. Because of this he has to do it in the most round-about, and longest-taking way possible. And once you start the process, you can't stop it until you've put the money transaction through, and both of us have counted the money and signed for it.
At what seems like the very SECOND we hit the Point of No Return on this, the merch ditchers come back with another armload of stuff to buy. "I'm sorry, this will just take a minute," I say politely, which is easy because I'm so pleased with this turn of events. "I'll right you up as soon as we finish this."
So they wait through the longest register pick-up possible without slowing it down on purpose to spite them (Friendly wasn't there, so he doesn't know they were jerks.) Then I ring them out and they leave, and I log out and start putting stuff back in the aisles, because no one is currently in the store so I don't have to babysit the registers.
It happens to me all the time that people put stuff on the counter, I start ringing them out, and then they need to run into the aisles for one more thing or to go out to the car for their wallet (?!?!) They think that just because it's a very small store, they won't be holding anyone up. Yes, even if there's a line behind them. It really ticks me off not just that they keep me waiting, but that they hold up the other customers. That's just super rude. After all, it's my job to sit here and wait for you to finish what you're doing and pay, but those other people have someplace to be.
So I guess it isn't the perfect revenge, because the only person they held up was me, but I did like them getting a taste of their own medicine for once. And I would never have done this on purpose, but I'm not ashamed of getting enjoyment out of how it turned out.
Comment