/r/talesfromthecashier

Photograph via snooOG

Deal with a bad customer? This is the place for you! Have a heartwarming story of how you were able to help someone out? This is the place for you! Feel free to share all your cashier related stories.

There is only one rule: Cashiers of any kind can only post.

/r/talesfromthecashier

174 Subscribers

2

okay what the hell y'all

So I had the weirdest night at work tonight.

I'm a cashier so I'm mostly up front. Because they keep moving me back and forth between all three cashier shifts, other than some people I've worked with when I worked in other departments, I have no idea who works there and when.

We have this one guy I'm gonna call Bobby that I literally have no idea what he actually does. I've seen him work liquor. He has bagged for me before. Sometimes I see him in the Bakery and most recently they've been bouncing him to the Deli.

Bobby is umm... interesting. I've heard rumors that he lost his house/apartment around Christmas and is living rough outdoors. He seems permanently stoned or otherwise impaired. The first time I met him, he was bagging for me and literally hit on the combo clerk (for those of you who don't know a Combo is someone that is a full time bagger BUT can also cashier, they just normally don't) that was also working with me. She's not even 20 yet and he walked up to her that first day and said "What's your name? You look like trouble." This wasn't cool.

Bobby has also been kicked out of a local business next door to us for refusing to show ID while trying to get a beer after (or maybe during) work. When the owner who is a friend of mine asked for his ID he called her a racist and had to be thrown out.

Tonight though took the fucking cake. Bobby came into work about the time I was about to go to lunch. If the rumors are true and he's living in a bush, it was showing. His pants were down around his ass. He started verbally harassing the pick up girl (cubrside delivery), the former combo clerk and started to "play" fight with two of the shift managers. He was supposed to be in deli so we all kind of shooed him back there and stared at each other. Next thing we know he's back in the deli trying to close it two hours before they closed. He was slamming dishes and cussing out customers.

Bakery is right next door and my BFF works in Bakery at night and used to work in the Deli when I worked back there and got Bobby's attention and told him to go do the floors in the meat department instead. My BFF called up front to tell us what was going on and offered to close Deli.

My shift manager decided to take his lunch to call our front-end manager who said go get Bobby and send him home (where ever that is) and to take written statements from anyone he interacted with.

Shift manager played high school football and is a pretty level-headed kid so he went back and sent Bobby home. SM then took written statements from everyone who dealt with Bobby.

My involvement in this nonsense is that I am the Union Store Steward and if Bobby is to be disciplined it is within his right to ask me to go to the meeting with him and make sure his Union privileges/rights aren't being fucked with, but I'm actually not sure if he is ACTIVE Union. Apparently he got "fired" awhile back BUT the proper paperwork wasn't turned in so he got unfired.

The absolute one thing the Union cannot save you from is being intoxicated or on drugs at work. Although we have to be able to prove it and again if his dues are current and he's active Union he has the right to request I go to his drug test with him to make sure it is administered properly.

The other fun option Bobby has is to request the AREA Union rep comes out to defend him and make sure he didn't violate any rules that the Union cannot protect you against. Those also include violence, documented sexual harassment, time-card doctoring and 3 no call no shows in a row without any excuse like a doctors note or arrest paperwork.

I know this guy is an entire fuck up and I actually plan on speaking to our regional Union person to get perspective on this shit, but y'all might think grocery store life is boring. Nah son, it's the same 3 ring circus, just different players and roles.

Oh, and someone tried to shoplift a bottle of Patron tonight, that went about how you would think it would given the whole alarm tags and all....

All I know is I was never so glad to get off work in my whole ass life

0 Comments
2023/03/15
08:33 UTC

6

Wholesome moment at the McDonald's drive thru

I worked at McDonalds for most of high school and I was mainly working as a cashier. One night after the dinner rush, this elderly lady pulled in and ordered nothing but a mocha frappe. I can't remember why (she probably had a coffee card), but she got the frappe for free. She was so delighted when I told her that she didn't need to pay and she drove up to the second window. She began thanking my sister (who was also working, but she was at the second window) and asked her, "How did they know it was my birthday?" Apparently, this sweet old woman's children (who were now parents) were unable to come and visit her for her birthday and so she had to spend it alone, so she decided to order herself a frappe to celebrate by herself. Needless to say, we wished her a very happy birthday and my sister and I cried together about it after.

0 Comments
2021/11/16
17:12 UTC

1

She wouldn't be in which a rush if

I had a bit of a line going at the travel center and was sneaking in some small talk and questions about what's been going thru my head recently. I had just finished with a gentleman when a lady quickly came up to the counter, droped off some cash and left just as quickly as she came while leaving behind a "$x.xx on pump x." Now it's not unusual for those paying in cash to drop, state, and leave. I'd usually have around 10 or so each shift, but the speed she came and went with was much faster then others and had me dropping a quip to the next in line. "She wouldn't be in which a rush if she owned an EV and had it plugged in last night."

0 Comments
2021/03/25
05:51 UTC

3

Ma'am please don't speak over me.

I work as a cashier on some shift at a very well known fast food joint in the Western US. While we aren't known for our quick service we are known for our really good food and really expensive prices. I'm changing the names and all that for obvious reasons. Now onto the story.

A couple of nights ago it was late (9:30 pm) and we only had two people on the floor. The team leader "Cherry" was in the back cooking and assembling all the food and I was in the front making drinks, cashing people out, and handing out food. You'd think this would go quickly but it was a weekend and we had an employee walk out on us. I took an order for a small salad and some other miscellaneous small items. They get to the window and the lady in the passenger seat asks for a specific type of croutons that only come with one of our premium large salads. Since it's late and I just want these people to leave I say yes. Now our salad packets we put together in a small bag. It comes with a fork, napkins, the croutons, the dressing, and I think some type of veggie. To give this lady these croutons I have to take apart the package... I give them their order and here's where it gets messy.

Me: Here's your order sir. Just letting you know they might charge you for the croutons next time if-

The Lady: EXCUSE ME they have never charged me for it so I'm not paying for anything

Me: Yes, I understand that I didn't charge you for not asking you to pa-

The Lady: YOU ARE BEING RUDE AND TAKING OVER ME AND WERE DONE HERE!

Now cue me trying to make her understand that if she just asks for the whole packet she wouldn't be charged and her talking over me and rolling her eyes for a good few minutes. I give the extra sauce to her husband who looks either tired or embarrassed I couldn't tell. Then I start to ask if they need anything else when she immediately starts in again telling me off about the croutons. I look her dead in the eyes and shut the window. She looked like a fish out of water. Her mouth opened and closed like she couldn't believe I did that. Then they drove off. This was my first night working up front all alone and this lady upset me not going to lie. But the man behind her heard all of her yellings and gave us a $20 tip. So I guess it wasn't too bad. I can't wait to see her face when she gets charged for the stupid croutons.

0 Comments
2020/10/23
20:54 UTC

4

The (Would-Be) Industrious Stoner

I work at Craft Store in a suburb so high-falutin’ that I’m more used to dealing with trust fund kids and trophy wives than anyone else. The people who make more money in a week than my whole life is worth then get pissed at me when I can’t scan a coupon. So this dude in somewhat dirty casual clothes kind of stood out. Now, having dirty clothes is no crime, but this dude reeked of pot. Well, we have medicinal marijuana legalized; maybe he has a prescription. But he seemed to be strung out on something other than pot: eyes wide and darting around, swallowing hard and frequently. Well, whatever, he gave all the usual niceties as best he could while looking around like waiting for someone to jump out at him. As I rang up his purchases (mostly jewelry items) he showed me some decorative corked bottles he was buying. He asked if me and the other cashier thought it was air-tight. He elaborated that he was looking for something that “looked medicinal.” I took in his other purchases in, and I saw he was buying items that could decorate the bottles and plastic bags... the size that could be called dime bags. And I realized this dude is likely not just using something, he’s also probably dealing. Well, my fellow cashier pointed out the corked bottles were likely not airtight, and she brought up some bottles that likely were. Dude was swallowing hard, looking around, asking if there was any coupons or whatever to make it cheaper. At this point, I felt bad for the guy and we had coupons that could be scanned for anyone, so I scanned it. I will say, this whole time the guy was super polite. Dude thanks me and fumbles around with his card before inserting it in the chip reader. The card was denied, which I quietly told him. Dude mumbles nevermind, says sorry, and leaves everything at the register. Again, I want to reiterate that this guy was more polite than at least half of my other customers, and I gotta hand it to him that if I was correct in my assumption that he was dealing, at least he’s trying to make something nice for his customers. So hats off to you, would-be industrious stoner: #youtried

0 Comments
2019/10/03
22:57 UTC

6

Old Lady went from Hydrogen Peroxide to Slurpees

An older lady that comes into my store asked if we could order a gallon of peroxide for her to clean with, and mid conversation she immediately switches to ask me what kind of slurpee that I liked from the gas station down the street and me thinking she was asking for a reference or another opinion, I tell her red or blue, she then proceeds to say that she's gonna buy me one and bring it back, she left her groceries and 5 minutes later she comes back and gave me a slurpee, very weird and odd experience but im blessed

0 Comments
2019/07/27
00:33 UTC

4

The Exploitable System

I work for a [x] Cafeteria and we have a [x] list for people we let in abnormally. Instead of the usual transaction we just ask for their name, check it off, and mark it in the machine.

Well, the list is usually sitting on the cash register, isn't particularly hard to read, and we sometimes let the customer point at their name if their names are difficult.

This dude. Cracked it.

He gave a name, changed it as needed. Ate every day. No consequence.

It wasn't until the real owner of the name on rare occassion came to eat. Suspicions were raised. It appears he knew which people on the list weren't actually using their meals.

We now have a mugshot of the man on the cash register proclaiming "this man is not an [x]. Do not let him in."

The joys of certain cafeteria work.

0 Comments
2019/02/24
09:41 UTC

6

Guess I’ll go second...

I work at a 24/7 national drugstore chain and I frequently work shifts ending around midnight.

About a year ago, on a slow night while I was idly standing at the register, a woman-let’s call her Grumpy Pants (GP for short) storms in. The whole interaction goes a little like this....

Me: hears automatic doors open “Hi! Welcome t-“

GP: “WHAT DO YOU USE TO PAY FOR THINGS?!”

Me: blinks rapidly from confusion “Ma’am I’m not sure what you mean...”

GP: “WELL DO YOU USE A CREDIT CARD OR A DRIVER’S LICENSE TO PAY FOR THINGS?!”

Me: “Ma’am that would be a credit card.”

GP: “FUCKING HELL I ONLY BROUGHT MY LICENSE!”

I then watched her angrily storm out, and if someone could ever slam an automatic door, she certainly did.

1 Comment
2018/10/09
23:15 UTC

11

Seems a bit empty so might as well be the first one to post

I am a part-time cashier at a drugstore and I work here with my mother from 6 PM to 10 PM. One time 2 50 year old women came into the store and they asked for a vaginal wash kit and i give it to them, and then they asked if they could see it, then my mom arrived and said:

-It might be too big for you

Then she proceded to take it out of the box and yes: it was big, but also was kinda shaped like a dick. When the 2 women saw it they immedieately said:

-Oh, a penis! It looks like a penis!

And they (along with my mother) started laughing loudly. Being the only guy in the building it was very akward for me and i just kinda had to stand there and grin until the laughs calmed down. In the end they didn´t even buy anything.

0 Comments
2018/06/09
04:13 UTC

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