'I honestly felt bad for the guy': Cashier sides with frustrated customer who leaves store without buying his groceries

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 3, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

Remember the days before the self-checkout line? 

These days, you can do self-checkout at maybe half of the places you shop. When you go to a drug store for some shampoo and cleaning supplies, you can expect to ring that up and bag it yourself. At some grocery stores, they want you to scan and bag all your own purchases, not to mention weigh your fruits and veggies and type in the right code for them. It's an irritating thing to some people, but for those who hate waiting in line, a self-checkout can be a blessing. 

We've all had the experience of being late somewhere, stopping at a store to get a last-minute item, and being stuck behind a customer who just cannot complete the checkout. Sometimes the person is trying to pay in coins, counting up pennies and nickels. Other times, they're chatting happily with the cashier, blissfully unaware of anyone else around them. In this person's case, though, they were the cashier who got stuck with an old woman who was demanding discounts on all of her groceries. She kept insisting that one item was on sale, and made an employee check that for her. Then, on to the next item, which she also insists is on sale. Ugh. No one wants to serve that type of person! You're not going to score any extra discounts just because you made them up whole cloth, lady. Check out u/JammyThing's full retail story below. 

Then, read this excellent story of a movie theater boss who was too cheap to hire actual snow removal professionals, and instead gave the task to the teenagers running the theater. 

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    GREENC MEXICO PONIONS: FO organ Rainbow Char Bette & Cande Arc Cd 119 EACH BADIS BUNCH BL Earl& farm ANIC เก CLER CELERI
    via Mark Stosberg on Unsplash
  • 02
    Today a customer got annoyed, abandoned his shopping on my till belt and just walked out....and I felt for the guy.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 03
    So this happened earlier today. I was on till serving as were a couple of others, it was busy so there were a few of us on the tills. As the number of people started to dwindle, the till in front of me closed down and was serving the last few customers who already had shopping on her belt. I had been serving for a good few minutes afterwards and started closing down too
    via u/JammyThing
  • 04
    when I noticed the number of people on at the till in front of me hadn't changed. There were two people left. A guy who had a few bits, and an elderly woman who was in front of him. The elderly woman was trying to use a coupon that, for whatever reason, was simply not working but was adamant about using it. I couldn't hear the details but
    via u/JammyThing
  • 05
    lets be honest....the lyrics. may change a bit but the dance is always the same. At this point I had nearly served everyone who was left on my belt and I honestly felt bad for the guy who, at this point, must have been stood waiting 10 minutes or more. I managed to catch his eye, smiled, and gestured for him to come over to my till.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 06
    He smiled back, picked up his couple of items and put them on my belt. I only had one customer left before I could serve him. "Those are on offer!" Demands the woman I was serving, pointing at her bakery items. "Those are buy two, get one free! I know they are!"
    via u/JammyThing
  • 07
    "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure those are not the items on offer." "Yes they are, I saw the sign! I know those are the ones on offer!" "I '...I'll get someone to check for you." A minute passes and I get informed that her baked goods are in fact...not on offer.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 08
    She doesn't say anything. "So that'll be...." "What about those?! I know there's an offer for them!" She's now pointing at some other food items. "Get someone to check them too! I know they're on offer!"
    via u/JammyThing
  • 09
    I'm only part way through asking someone to now check for another offer, when the guy who I had beckoned across mutters some something under his breath and just promptly walks out the store, leaving his shopping behind. As he left I saw the elderly woman still at the till in front of me, now with a manager there too.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 10
    Even though I knew I was going to have to put his shopping back, I honestly felt for the guy. Oh, and incase anyone was wondering... none of the items the lady at my till bought were on offer.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 11
    gogopaddy people see a label for an offer, then assume they can choose anything vaguely related to the offer, the amount of times i go check,see that they read the headline but didnt bother to check the items on offer is staggering, customers are idiots when it comes to this.
    via u/gogopaddy
  • 12
    the-lone-squid As a guy who just wants my stuff and to get out.. self checkout is the best thing to ever happen. Obviously that's not always an option
    via u/the-lone-squid
  • 13
    Sennaki Nothing worse than getting stuck behind two Karens with the same song and dance. Poor dude.
    via u/Sennaki
  • 14
    JammyThing OP I felt so bad for him.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 15
    Total_Brother7101 My guess is this is in the UK. Really feel for you OP. Not all stores in the UK have Self check outs. Most stores aren't big enough. Just hate seeing a lot of people on here complain about that. That has nothing to do with the post at all.
    via u/Total_Brother7101
  • 16
    JammyThing OP Lol yep, UK here. Oddly enough the company I work for did try self service in some of the larger stores, but removed them about a year later.
    via u/JammyThing
  • 17
    214speaking But she knows there's an offer OP! JammyThing OP Ha, yeah she did. It's a shame she managed to miss them all.
    via u/214speaking

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