Just Let Her Pay Already.

[TruthHurts]

Two ladies came up to my register. As I was ringing them up we talked a little bit. I learned that one of the ladies owned a summer home here and the other lady was her guest.

I told them the total and the host reached for her credit card. The guest began to freak out insisting that she pay. The host insists on paying for it and told her not to argue.

At this point, guest whips out her credit card and shoves it in my face. I step back annoyed that she came thisclose to hitting me on the nose with it. Her friends grabs her hand and lowers it, again telling her that she is paying and to stop that.

The guest ignores her and starts giggling as she shoves the card towards me again. She told me not to dare allow her friend to pay or she'll "get mad." The host apologizes to me for her behavior and hands me her card.

I heard guest bitching to host about how rude I was for not taking her card.

[AnaKhouri]

Ironically, I've seen situations like this kind of hostile. Usually I just say, "I'll take whichever card I get first." and laugh to myself as they fumble in their wallets.

[Boozy]

I think it's rude for people to put cashiers and servers on the spot like that. It happened to me all the time when I waited tables, and I hated it.

Like AnaKhouri, my policy was to take the first card handed to me. If someone had the gall to bitch to me about it, they'd be told that it was not their server's job to play mediator between they and their dinner companions.

[Hobbs]

I step back and stare at both [or in some cases, three] until they can decide who's actually paying.

[Broomjockey]

I usually took whichever card reached me first, except for one time I remember well:

working in the box office, guy and his girlfriend getting tickets for whatever the latest blockbuster was, and they start to do the whole "I'm paying," "No, I'm playing!"

They both get their cards to me at the same time, so I take her card. He gives me the guy signal for "Dude, what the fuck? I'm trying to score some points here!" I turn the whole situation to a joke when I say "Sorry man, she scares me more than you" (of course she was one of those girls who look like they'd have trouble kicking a munchkin's butt).

[Green_Fairy]

holy beans this happens to me a lot at work. i wish people would sort this kind of stuff out before they get to the register.
funny side note tho...sometimes people are feeling really nice in the drive through and pay for the car behind them. longest chain we had was 10 cars.

[bainsidhe]

Ooooh how I hate Money Football. It's always a game of who's going to tackle who first. Talk about uncomfortable.

[fireheart]

That's the point where I'll hold their groceries (if it's one or two bags) and state to them "I do not care who pays. Decide between yourselves. I will not put anything through until then."

[Peppergirl]

My dad and his brother do this ALL THE TIME in restaurants. Drives me insane.

Bonus is if one brother invites the other to dinner/lunch, then they both fight over the bill. Then my dad (if my uncle did the inviting) will bitch about the $$$ if he wins the battle over paying the bill.

Grown-ass men!

[BrenDAnn]

I get this ALL. THE. TIME. At the c-store. Of course, they usually aren't that hostile, and I'm usually able to laugh with them about it as I take whoever's money/card. I do hate being put in that situation, though. You never know who might overreact to what!

[labgirl27]

O.o Oh boy I feel bad now... I've been guilty of doing this with my boyfriend at registers. Then again, it's usually me whispering to the cashier to not take his money, and giving him the cash (I hate it when he foots the bill :P), and if the cashier takes his money, I let it be that. I usually try to make it into a funny situation, and usually the cashier laughs about it.

I hope I wasn't being sucky though O.O

[wynjara]

Had a lady in with her (adult) daughter once, come up to me right before the daughter and hand me her credit card to pay with. Thinking back now, I probably shouldn't have held it even though she only walked about five feet away for about 30 seconds, but when they came up I accepted the daughter's card, swiped the mom's, and handed them both back. They had a tiny discussion over it when mom had to sign the receipt and not daughter, but they were both happy when they left, so I guess all's well in the end or something.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think it's rude for people to put cashiers and servers on the spot like that.

I think so, too. It didn't happen too much at the bookstore, but every once in a while. I'd just wait quietly until they sorted it out. I wasn't getting in the middle.

...sometimes people are feeling really nice in the drive through and pay for the car behind them. longest chain we had was 10 cars.

That's awesome. I've heard of people doing that for tolls (and if I didn't have EZ-Pass I might consider it).

When my dad turned 65 my mom arranged a small surprise party for him at their favorite restaurant (about 15 people or so, mostly family). When the check came my brother insisted on paying it and my mom argued. They went back and forth for a bit until my uncle told my mom to let him (it was over $400, but he could afford it). So she did. But they didn't have the server standing there waiting for them.

[Magpie]

At the very least they could learn how to do this discretely. Arrange yourself so that you are by the cashier while your companion has a shopping cart between them and where they need to put their money/card. Give it to the person in advance (like the mother and daughter did). And/or argue about it ahead of time (I did this one to my mom). And if the other person is enough of a boor to make a scene when you've clearly outmanoeuvred them, then give in. If your credit card was accepted first, you've done all you need in pretty much any culture, to satisfy your obligation to pay.

[GroceryGIrl]

I've had people argue over who was going to pay many times, with both of them shoving their card/money in my face. I just grab whatever is handed to me first and end the debate for them. I think people shopping together should really discuss and agree on the payment arrangements before they're actually at the register.