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Just a couple to share tonight.
Sourpuss
So I'm working on one of the registers, as usual, and have a fair line of customers. A whole string of them paid in a row with credit/debit cards (no cashback), which means my till stayed shut tight (since we lowly cashiers don't have authority to open the tills on our own). Finally, one customer pays with cash and the till pops open. I notice that I'm running low on two slots of change and singles. So I grab out the appropriate amount of money in larger bills and shut the till, ready to use the handy register-PDA system Wal-Mart now has for requesting CSM assistance. There's only one more customer in line (though it wasn't likely to stay that way for long).
I look the customer (a late middle-aged woman) in the eyes and say, "I'll be with you in just a moment," before I start keying the change request into the register.
She immediately looks like I just told her to take a long walk of a short pier at that point. She puffs up her chest like a fighting hen and levels me the Death Glare. "Oh no, you don't," she huffs. "You don't need any change for me; I'm paying with credit." This is said in that you-must-do-as-I-say SC tone.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," I respond, "but some of my change is running low. I need to send the request while I still have the money in my hand." Which is true, because otherwise I'll forget about the $60-$80 in my register bag, and might also later run out of change before one of our overworked CSMs brings me the much-needed coin.
"I don't believe this," she growls to her husband (who didn't seem to be partaking in any emotion this day). "I'm the last customer in line here, and I've been waiting a long time already." As if she expects me to throw policy out the window.
I simply apologized at that point, finished my change request (within 1 minute, tops, I might add), and rang her out as fast (and as quietly) as I could manage. Her attitude literally had me about ready to lose my cool or, worse, cry in public (I hate public crying).
Mr. Impatient
I had another line of customers about four deep, and just got to a male customer (I refuse to call him "gentleman"). I don't recall the exact holdup in the haze of the workday, but it was either another change request, or the need to put away leaky/cold merchandise. Either way, I told him it'd be just a moment (as with Sourpuss).
His response? "I don't have time for this. I've been waiting half an hour already."
My problem with this complaint? He'd only been waiting five minutes, tops (I was keeping track, since I was also watching the clock for my next break). Look, sir, I know you're tired of shopping for your whole three items, but that's no reason to gripe and whine at me when you're just full of it.
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Also had a guy who appeared to be under 27 (the age cutoff for IDing people for cigarettes) come through my line while I was on the cig lane and request a pack of cigarettes. And then tell me he had no ID on him when I asked. If you're young-enough-looking to be IDed, make sure to have said ID on you when you go shopping for your restricted merchandise. Ain't no way I'm selling you cigarettes without ID, bub.
Heard two stories second-hand from my coworkers today, too.
Door-Greeter Lorraine related an anecdote to me about a customer who had just come through the self-checkout lanes when he was in the store about a year ago. Apparently he's one of those winners who hocked and spat right on the floor on his way out. She saw and called him on it (I believe her recounted words were, "Excuse me, sir, don't do that in the store."), and apparently he's never done it since, though he didn't clean it up on the day in question, either.
Cashier Margaret told me about a customer who went through her line today who claimed to have handed her a $20 instead of a $10 to pay. Margaret, of course, is wise in these matters and promptly called for a manager to count the till. I'm still surprised the customer actually was willing to stand there and wait for the till to be counted. The till was spot-on; good for Margaret and bad for the customer. No scam for you!
Sourpuss
So I'm working on one of the registers, as usual, and have a fair line of customers. A whole string of them paid in a row with credit/debit cards (no cashback), which means my till stayed shut tight (since we lowly cashiers don't have authority to open the tills on our own). Finally, one customer pays with cash and the till pops open. I notice that I'm running low on two slots of change and singles. So I grab out the appropriate amount of money in larger bills and shut the till, ready to use the handy register-PDA system Wal-Mart now has for requesting CSM assistance. There's only one more customer in line (though it wasn't likely to stay that way for long).
I look the customer (a late middle-aged woman) in the eyes and say, "I'll be with you in just a moment," before I start keying the change request into the register.
She immediately looks like I just told her to take a long walk of a short pier at that point. She puffs up her chest like a fighting hen and levels me the Death Glare. "Oh no, you don't," she huffs. "You don't need any change for me; I'm paying with credit." This is said in that you-must-do-as-I-say SC tone.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," I respond, "but some of my change is running low. I need to send the request while I still have the money in my hand." Which is true, because otherwise I'll forget about the $60-$80 in my register bag, and might also later run out of change before one of our overworked CSMs brings me the much-needed coin.
"I don't believe this," she growls to her husband (who didn't seem to be partaking in any emotion this day). "I'm the last customer in line here, and I've been waiting a long time already." As if she expects me to throw policy out the window.
I simply apologized at that point, finished my change request (within 1 minute, tops, I might add), and rang her out as fast (and as quietly) as I could manage. Her attitude literally had me about ready to lose my cool or, worse, cry in public (I hate public crying).
Mr. Impatient
I had another line of customers about four deep, and just got to a male customer (I refuse to call him "gentleman"). I don't recall the exact holdup in the haze of the workday, but it was either another change request, or the need to put away leaky/cold merchandise. Either way, I told him it'd be just a moment (as with Sourpuss).
His response? "I don't have time for this. I've been waiting half an hour already."
My problem with this complaint? He'd only been waiting five minutes, tops (I was keeping track, since I was also watching the clock for my next break). Look, sir, I know you're tired of shopping for your whole three items, but that's no reason to gripe and whine at me when you're just full of it.
---
Also had a guy who appeared to be under 27 (the age cutoff for IDing people for cigarettes) come through my line while I was on the cig lane and request a pack of cigarettes. And then tell me he had no ID on him when I asked. If you're young-enough-looking to be IDed, make sure to have said ID on you when you go shopping for your restricted merchandise. Ain't no way I'm selling you cigarettes without ID, bub.
Heard two stories second-hand from my coworkers today, too.
Door-Greeter Lorraine related an anecdote to me about a customer who had just come through the self-checkout lanes when he was in the store about a year ago. Apparently he's one of those winners who hocked and spat right on the floor on his way out. She saw and called him on it (I believe her recounted words were, "Excuse me, sir, don't do that in the store."), and apparently he's never done it since, though he didn't clean it up on the day in question, either.
Cashier Margaret told me about a customer who went through her line today who claimed to have handed her a $20 instead of a $10 to pay. Margaret, of course, is wise in these matters and promptly called for a manager to count the till. I'm still surprised the customer actually was willing to stand there and wait for the till to be counted. The till was spot-on; good for Margaret and bad for the customer. No scam for you!
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