Peeves

[AmbrosiaWriter]

The poltergeist! Just kidding.

Two customers, one that is a regular so I get to deal with this behavior every freaking day, and another who just came in today and annoyed the bejeeeezoos out of me.

(Oh, and the lady who pulls the decaf out while it's still brewing came in again today. Luckily I had left the old decaf on there just for her, so HA on her!)

Old, cigarette stealing dude:

This older guy comes in every day, maybe twice at times. He always does the same thing. He takes a cigarette out of the ash tray outside (UGGHHH!!!) comes in for a scratch ticket, when I turn away to get the ticket, any pennies in the "leave a penny - take a penny" tray immediately get swiped and put into his pocket. Then he takes his ticket, swipes a free pack of matches, and leaves.

In his $30,000 car - I didn't know it was a $30,000 car until one of the other regulars (WHO IS AWESOME AND I WANT HIM TO BE IN THE STORE ALL DAY EVERYDAY!) informed me of it. He also wears pretty expensive cologne - yeah, I can recognize it by scent, a friend's father would use it, but less liberally.

All of that just rubs me the wrong way, so when I see him coming I swipe the pennies and put them back in when he's gone Just builds up over time that I need to rant a bit.


The young "tough voice" guy (I think he was trying to be all Christian Bale as Batman as Howl.) Asks for something off the grill, then notices we have a special going on that if you get something off the grill you can get a specific size fountain soda and a bag of chips for only a little more. Now, our sizes have cute little names, which are written on the cup, but they basically go:

"Drink" "Big Drink" "Really Big Drink" and "Giga Drink."

The special is for item off the grill and "Big Drink." So he asks if he has to get a specific size and I mention it's for "Big Drink." He turns and complains "But they all say Big Drink!"

Yeah. No they don't. It looked like he was about to throw a tantrum when his GF (who had been giving him annoyed looks at his posturing) marched over and started to point at each cup while loudly proclaiming. "DRINK. BIG DRINK. REALLY BIG DRINK. GIGA DRINK. I knew you were stupid but I thought you could at least READ."

Yeah, I had to go into the back before I bust a gut laughing. She looked much more content and pleased after that little out burst though. Seriously the look of righteous smug on her face was up lifting for me, because I am always so happy when someone will call out their significant other on their BS.

[Amina516]

Old, cigarette stealing dude:

In his $30,000 car - I didn't know it was a $30,000 car until one of the other regulars (WHO IS AWESOME AND I WANT HIM TO BE IN THE STORE ALL DAY EVERYDAY!) informed me of it. He also wears pretty expensive cologne - yeah, I can recognize it by scent, a friend's father would use it, but less liberally.

All of that just rubs me the wrong way, so when I see him coming I swipe the pennies and put them back in when he's gone Just builds up over time that I need to rant a bit.

Reminds me of that one old movie, where the guy is panhandling on the street and then gets into his limo...I cant remember the name. But if hes wearing this shirt next time: .


I suspect he may be lying.

[Sapphire Silk]

That old guy ain't poor. He's a skinflint. Nickel and dimeing people to death is how he makes his living.

[MoonCat]

I'd put a bunch of brass washers or something under a few pennies in the tray.

[XCashier]

...his GF (who had been giving him annoyed looks at his posturing) marched over and started to point at each cup while loudly proclaiming. "DRINK. BIG DRINK. REALLY BIG DRINK. GIGA DRINK. I knew you were stupid but I thought you could at least READ."

BURN!

Yeah, I had to go into the back before I bust a gut laughing....I am always so happy when someone will call out their significant other on their BS.

I think we're all very happy when someone calls someone else out on their BS. I know I love seeing SC pwnage!

[wolfie]

I'd be tempted to leave ONE penny in the "take a penny/leave a penny" tray - with a drop of Krazy Glue on it.

As for the drink sizes, if this C-store is "first roll wins at Craps", I remember when the "Big Drink" was first introduced and the TV commercials were bragging about the enormous 32 ounce fountain soda. Now, a lot of places 32 ounces is "medium".

[Rhania506]

The first guy reminds me of one of my old customers. He would come in to the bank every day, sometimes more than once, and ask for candy. It didn't start out so bad, but then he started getting weird. He would ask for specific things (Tootsie Rolls, Snickers bars, etc). Then he would go to each teller and hold his hand out demanding his candy. He would interrupt us if we were with other customers. Then he started going into our break room when we were at lunch. He eventually went to live with his daughter in another state.

It always irritated me because this guy has more money than I will ever see in my life.

[An Haddock]

One of our town crazies is like the first guy but there's no question that he's poor and crazy. He wanders around talking to himself and usually the only thing he says to anyone is "how ya doin".

He's the How Ya Doin guy.

I've seen him pick up partially-smoked cigarettes off the ground and take partially-full sodas out of the trash can. I don't know if he steals pennies or not but eating out of the trash is bad enough. Rumor has it his sister is a prostitute in the next town over and he lives with her or at least sleeps in her house at night.

[Brojekk]

The first guy reminds me of one of my old customers. He would come in to the bank every day, sometimes more than once, and ask for candy. It didn't start out so bad, but then he started getting weird. He would ask for specific things (Tootsie Rolls, Snickers bars, etc). Then he would go to each teller and hold his hand out demanding his candy. He would interrupt us if we were with other customers. Then he started going into our break room when we were at lunch. He eventually went to live with his daughter in another state.

It always irritated me because this guy has more money than I will ever see in my life.

He interrupted bank tellers and started going into your breakroom? How did he not get kicked out and banned on the spot for doing stuff like that? Especially in a bank.

[Rhania506]

He interrupted bank tellers and started going into your breakroom? How did he not get kicked out and banned on the spot for doing stuff like that? Especially in a bank.

Oddly enough, our manager thought he was charming. She did finally tell him he couldn't go in the break room. But when he was leaving, she bought him a whole bag of Snickers bars.

[sms001]

when he was leaving, she bought him a whole bag of Snickers bars.

So the whole "Don't feed strays" lesson went right by her, eh?

We had a "Aha! Free pennies for me!!!" guy at my c-store too, Ambrosia. I couldn't care less, but my regular partner would practically break into a run to empty those trays when she saw him coming, which tickled me.

[EricKei]

Now, a lot of places 32 ounces is "medium".

A few years ago, it gradually began to become obvious that fast food joints were doing the obvious....What was once the Small size is now called Medium, and doesn't cost any less. This is especially evident at "red-haired girl's" burgers, tho it seems to be enforced inconsistently depending on which store you go to. It does seem to apply universally to their malted-milk-like gelatinous fluid "dessert" offerings, however.

Also, a gas/c-store chain (national, but I can't think of a clever nickname for them x.x so let's just say, not "heraldric symbol" and not "yellow crustacean home") began a promo a year or three back wherein ALL fountain drinks cost as set price, say, oh, 69 cents...Within a few days of them starting this, all of the drink cups in sizes that normally cost MORE than 69 cents ran out incredibly quickly, for obvious reasons. Restocking them came reeeallly slooowwwly, and within a few weeks, they simply stopped getting anything in the larger sizes at all... More recently, they've dropped the facade and removed the "service tubes" that once held the larger sizes entirely.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

We had a "Aha! Free pennies for me!!!" guy at my c-store too, Ambrosia. I couldn't care less, but my regular partner would practically break into a run to empty those trays when she saw him coming, which tickled me.

I just find it annoying because they're really freaking useful for making coin-change much simpler for other customers.

You'd be surprised how much people appreciate it when you yank a penny or two out of the tray on your own so you can give them a quarter or dime instead of a ton of pennies.

[sms001]

You'd be surprised how much people appreciate it when you yank a penny or two out of the tray on your own ....

Indeed, exactly the reason Dorothy would do it. And we had three or four VERY common purchases that landed at X.01, so those people were especially happy.

Just out of curiosity EricKei, why did you obfuscate the businesses in your reply?

[bainsidhe]

Why bother protecting the thief's feelings? He doesn't steal it while you're standing in front of him watching, so I'd wait until he's watching before moving the take-a-penny tray behind me.