Sucky cigarette customer

[aurelemsrealm]

This one was minor, but still annoying.

I had an old man come in and ask for a pack of cigarettes. He was old enough (I'd guess 50-60), so I didn't ask him to show me ID. Our register system is set up to automatically block out age-restricted sales until a birthdate is entered. Yeah, sure, I could always enter one, but it's just as easy to ask the customer for a birthdate. That's what I do when the customer is obviously old enough to buy cigarettes or I know the customer as a regular.

So, I asked him for his birthdate.

He just stares at the screen, "How much is it?"

"It'll ring up tax and all once I get your birthdate entered."

He starts fumbling through the money in his wallet, "I don't care about that. How much is the total?"

"What's your birthdate?"

"It's all right, you don't have to get me a present."

Yeah, okay, asshole, just give me a birthdate! "Don't worry, a hard time is always free around here." Besides, I wouldn't waste my money on a crochety old bastard like you.

He just gives me a dirty look and rattles off his birthdate.

I just grin real big, "See how easy it can be. Your total is $x.xx."

He throws his money just short of my hand, like it's an affront. It just means that I'm not going to bother to hand your money to you either. I intentionally unfolded the money and sorted it, then set it on top of the open drawer. Then, I pulled out his change, gently placed it on the counter despite the obviously wiggling fingers of impatience on his outstretched hand, and went about putting the money on top of the open drawer in the register.

"Your change is $.xx." Enjoy your lung cancer.

You want to dish it, so can I. It may not accomplish much else than that, but at least I make myself laugh about it.

[Jadedcarguy]

I can understand his point of view.

Nope. Sorry. He was being a dick. No understanding or sympathy here.

[South Texan]

Upon seeing that he was obviously old enough, I wouldnt have harassed him for his birthdate. I would have just entered in whatever.

That is what cashiers do with me whenever I buy alcohol, but requesting a correct birth date to enter into the register was NOT unreasonable.

The old guy was a jerk - especially since aurelemsrealm explained why it was needed. His attitude was not necessary or warranted.

[CanadaGirl]

At my old job we had a code to enter into the computer if we deamed the customer was of age to buy cigs. We used '19010101', as in year/month/day.

[It's me]

He just gives me a dirty look and rattles off his birthdate.

I just grin real big, "See how easy it can be. Your total is $x.xx."

If I was that customer, I would have walked out of the store and never returned.
The fact that your register requires you to enter a date is no reason to hassle the guy. You could have explained that you CANNOT finish up the sale without entering a date rather than just insisting he tell his birth date. But you didn't. As far as I am concerned, from the customer's perspective you were being an asshole. Plain and simple.

[Peppergirl]

Not to take away from your frustration with sucky customers, I don't know if I would agree that this man was an SC.

Think about it. The man has been purchasing cigarettes forever, and now all of a sudden because the world has to be all PC, he has to give his freaking birthdate ? I can understand his point of view. It's insane.

Upon seeing that he was obviously old enough, I wouldnt have harassed him for his birthdate. I would have just entered in whatever. Like I said, he's old, been buying smokes forever and doesn't need any grief over it.

I disagree. The cashiers don't make the rules, and with the laws getting increasingly more strict, perhaps it doesnt accept the old standby of 01011901 for the birthdate.

Regardless, being asked your birthdate is a very simple question. It requires no thought when answering.

Like many SC's, he spent more time arguing and being an asshat than just answering the very simple question.

[Jadedcarguy]

If I was that customer, I would have walked out of the store and never returned.

You were being an asshole. Plain and simple.

He was being a bit of a smart-ass, not an asshole. We've all done it.

The customer was being an asshole.

If you walk out of every store you feel "inconvenienced" at eventually you run out of stores to go to.

[wagegoth]

The customer wasn't an asshole to start with. He turned into one with the help of the OP. The OP should have said, "For legal protection, we have to enter the birthdate in the register of anyone purchasing cigarettes or alcohol. I can't complete the sale until I have your birthdate."

If I suddenly have a cashier asking for my birthdate, I would want to know why. The amount of identity theft, including by underpaid, overworked cashiers is significant.

At Sears they ask for my phone number when I buy kids clothes, but that's because we're in the discount club.

[Peppergirl]

The customer wasn't an asshole to start with. He turned into one with the help of the OP. The OP should have said, "For legal protection, we have to enter the birthdate in the register of anyone purchasing cigarettes or alcohol. I can't complete the sale until I have your birthdate."

If I suddenly have a cashier asking for my birthdate, I would want to know why. The amount of identity theft, including by underpaid, overworked cashiers is significant.

At Sears they ask for my phone number when I buy kids clothes, but that's because we're in the discount club.

I promise I'm not being a smart-ass here when I ask this question: Is identity theft possible by asking for a birth date? Especially when paying cash?

I know credit card numbers and social security numbers are ripe for fraud, but I can't imagine it would be possible to victimize someone by knowing their DOB.

Whenever I'm asked and am purchasing alcohol or cigarettes, I just...well, I just give them my DOB. I guess I really don't see what the big deal is.

::

[blas]

Sorry, but being an ex gas station employee, whenever a customer gets huffy over having to share a birthdate or show ID or anything of the sort, THEY are sucky. Period.

Age is no excuse. Over time, these items have become more age restricted. It sucks. Yes, it sucks the big one! Yes, it's a hassle even for grampa sometimes to buy smokes. But does acting like a jerk to the cashier, refusing to give a DOB or show Id, etc etc, does acting like a jerk make it any better? If enough people act like assholes, do you think they will stop putting age restrictions on stuff?

Nope. And more and more people will refuse to work retail or be cashiers because of people like this.

Acting like a jerk because you are buying an age restricted item and you have to show ID or tell your DOB won't make you look cool or anyone. You are not proving ANYTHING to the cashier othan the fact that you're an asshole. Policy is policy. A lot of older people don't understand that a lot of cash registers prompt for DOBs on ciggs and alcohol.

Oh, and saying "I've been buying smokes since before you was born" won't help your case either.

Sorry, that just really struck a nerve with me. The second that man refused to tell me his DOB I would have told him to go somewhere else.

[Stockholm Syndrome]

I just grin real big, "See how easy it can be. Your total is $x.xx."

He throws his money just short of my hand, like it's an affront. It just means that I'm not going to bother to hand your money to you either. I intentionally unfolded the money and sorted it, then set it on top of the open drawer. Then, I pulled out his change, gently placed it on the counter despite the obviously wiggling fingers of impatience on his outstretched hand, and went about putting the money on top of the open drawer in the register.

"Your change is $.xx." Enjoy your lung cancer.

You want to dish it, so can I. It may not accomplish much else than that, but at least I make myself laugh about it.

Good for you, you treated this "gentleman" exactly as he deserved to be treated. It would have been much easier for him to have simply given his birthdate but he chose to waste several minutes of your AND his time just to be a jerk.

I have my ID out and waiting EVERY time I buy alcohol no matter how old I may look or how many times I've bought at a certain place. Much easier than hassling a cashier for doing their job.

[JustAGirl]

Yeah, sure, I could always enter one, but it's just as easy to ask the customer for a birthdate. That's what I do when the customer is obviously old enough to buy cigarettes or I know the customer as a regular

Its obviously not as easy as you thought.

IMO, if the person looks old enough, I'd put in a birth year that I knew wouldn't bounce back, such as with your case right now.

If the person is obviously over the age of 25 I'd put in a birth year and leave it at that. It is far easier to do that then to deal with someone being stubborn about telling their birth year.

You should have explained that you have to enter a DOB in order to proceed to the total cost, instead of acting like you were.

[theredbaron47]

I agree with those individuals here saying that you should have explained policy to this customer.

While I know it can be extremely difficult to be the better person in the face of rudeness, that might have helped defuse him in this case.

After that, though, anything goes.

Summary: you were a bit rude, but your customer was much more rude to you. AND he wasted your time arguing about it than just telling you his DOB.

Working retail for so long has quelled my urges to mouth off to people when treated in a rude manner.

[Broomjockey]

"It'll ring up tax and all once I get your birthdate entered."

For everyone saying "He should have explained it" ... There you go. First response. Granted, he could have said "I need your birthdate" or "the system won't proceed unless I have a date of birth input" but the semantics boil down to the same. He said the transaction goes ahead after he's told a birthdate. Old guy quickly moved to suck, far out of proportion. The guy has been around long enough to have seen the introduction of these features, but that doesn't give him a right to blow them off. Frankly, I think it SHOULD be ID everyone, just to eliminate the "But I'm OLD enough" whining. And it would eliminate buttwrinkles like this guy too.

[powerboy]

If I was that customer, I would have walked out of the store and never returned.
The fact that your register requires you to enter a date is no reason to hassle the guy. You could have explained that you CANNOT finish up the sale without entering a date rather than just insisting he tell his birth date. But you didn't. As far as I am concerned, from the customer's perspective you were being an asshole. Plain and simple.

It's true cashiers don't make the rules, but he could have used his own mind to make a decision. That being not to hassle an old man buying cigarettes whose been buying them before that cashier was ever borne.

I don't blame him for being annoyed. He comes from a time when there was still common sense and people thought for themselves and made judgement calls based on that.

You should have explained it to him. What would that take, 5 seconds.