You have to wait your turn in line lady!

[BowserKoopa1]

The other day a customer decided to buy a sunday paper, but someone was ahead of her. She puts it down on the counter and pulls out $2.
SC: Excuse me, can I just leave the money here?
Me: Huh?
SC: Can I pay for my paper now and leave?
Me: I'm sorry, I have to finish with this customer first.
SC: I just wanna leave you with the 2 dollars and take my paper.
Me: I'm sorry, I can't do that.
Yes she gives me the "my customer service skills suck" look. I don't give a fuck. I also did not know how much the papers were, and even if I did I still would make her wait.
Me: I'll be done in just a minute with her.
I finish the transaction and try to be polite, but of course she acts like the world is coming to an end because she had to wait a couple of minutes. When I tell her have a nice day, she walks off in a huff. Stupid bitch.
Ok I know a few of you might say I could've been nice and just let her do what she wanted to do, but I do not care because that is not the way it works. I cannot and will not do an order within an order. You want to buy something, you have to wait in line just like everyone else. If not, go somewhere else, I really could care less.

[emax4]

Some people go into a store so often that they staff may "know" them to some extent and allow that. But the customers who truly recognize that they're a regular also know the rules of the store. Perhaps she wanted to give you that impression that she was there all the time and could just leave the money for the paper.

Smaller convenience stores can do it, but probably not larger, corporate stores. You didn't do anything wrong though.

[AquaGirl]

When I worked in a gas station I never allowed that either-if I could help it. This was in the days before prepay or pay at the pump and people would rush in while I was busy, throw money on the counter and rush out, throwing "$10 in gas" over their shoulder. These were always, ALWAYS the ones who got $10.02 or $10.05 and while that never sounds like a big deal, if a lot of people do it, it adds up.

[XCashier]

Don't you need to scan the barcode of the paper anyway? If she's in that much of a hurry, she could've gotten it from a vending machine.

[dragon_wings]

she could've gotten it from a vending machine.

And it'd probably be cheaper too. Taxes, in my experience, are added only when buying a newspaper in the store. It could be different other places but in both Tennessee and Maryland you pay tax at the register.

[tropicsgoddess]

I guess that SC (or the majority of them) don't know that patience is a virtue they sorely lack in.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

The world has changed. I don't know how old the lady in your store was but maybe she was from an era and/or small town where it was fine to just take a paper and leave the change on the counter....but obviously this was not the same time or place and she should have just waited like everyone else. Sorry toots.

[blas]

Most stores need the barcodes because they get credit for unsold papers, and it also helps them with deciding how many to order.

I know of a few ghetto mom/pop stores where they let people get away with that, but that's mostly because they just don't want to deal with those kinds of attitudes.

And yes, I remember the days of working at a gas station and people walking in and trying to throw a 10 or 20 at me and walk off, when I looked at their pump, it was $10.03 or $20.05. How irritating. Or just the fact that they felt they didn't need to wait because they pumped an even amount of gas. Hey, you saw how busy it was when you get here. Deal with it.

[mattm04]

We used to allow that unofficially. Now we scan the bar code. Yes it is a "just" a paper if you want it with out stealing it it you will have to wait and pay.

At least in my store, as BeenThereDoneThat mentioned, it was usually the older customers who tried to do it.

[Greenday]

Back when I worked at a pharmacy, we didn't have barcodes. Working Sundays, I got to know my regulars so there was a lot of handing me money and just walking out even if I was ringing someone out. At least newspapers weren't taxable.