Again... Why can't I have a taser with me?

Okay, first off is the guy who walks up, puts his groceries on the belt and then holds out a little bottle of hand sanitizer for me to use before I proceed????!!!!!

Double U,
Tee,
EFF.

I appreciate that you may not want people touching your stuff, but what makes you think that the belt, for example, is cleaner than my hands? What gives you the right to assume I have not washed my hands or made every effort to keep them clean? Did you see me with my finger up my nose or something?

He came through my register about a month ago and it has been bugging me ever since. Well, he came through two days ago at the cashier next to me and did the same thing. It pi**ed me off a lot. I don't know why, it just did. I think if he does it to me again I am going to insist he wipe his hands with the Purell sani-wipes that we each have at our register. Why would I want to touch his money, credit cards etc? I have no idea where they've been.

There I feel slightly better.

*****

So, the other day, I had an early shift. Second cashier in. Its usually not too busy at that time of the day, BUT because you're second in, first cashier has been waiting for you so that she may have her first break of the day. All well and good except that six people showed up just as we were trying to make the switch over. They ALL wanted to get somewhere fast. So I go back to my register and open up when the debit machine at register one decides it doesn't like this customer's card. So she has to come to my machine to process the debit which means that both registers are tied up. Luckily the customers are all people we've dealt with before and are understanding.

First cashier finally gets to go on break and I am handling express while she's gone. All goes well. She comes back I return to my register and this lady comes up with about 8 items, ALL having discount coupons on them. I start to run them through and doesn't she decide she won't take the cheese flat-bread (x2) because they're more expensive than the plain one. Mind you she is getting it with $1.50 off which puts it pretty low, but not good enough.

SOOOOO..... in order to take it off you have to reverse the discount coupon and the item off the bill. And of course the machine says you have to return the coupon first. Tried that! Didn't work! Tried different combos and still can get it to work. She's getting more aggravated now because "she has to go!"

I call cashier one to do an override which will be the quickest way to get it off and her out of the store. She is complaining and pi**ing and moaning because"she has to go" and " can't you just take it off?"

"yes, ma'am I know, but I have to take it off your bill."

"I have to leave!"

"I know. Do you want the items then?"

"No! Can't you just take them off?"
"That's what we're trying to do, ma'am."

Finally we just did an override with the coupons back on and got rid of the $2.99 (x2) and got her the heck out of my face. Yes that's right, the two cheese flat-breads were going to set her back $1.49 EACH. all she was going to pay was FIFTY CENTS more for each one above the plain price.


And THAT is yet another reason why I want my own personal little taser. Just a little one. Enough to give them a minutes worth of time out. Maybe the pretty little silver one to go with my uniform.

*****

And one little aside. Sometimes we lose our temper with customers. We are only human and as such can only put up with so much crap from person to person. Every once in a while you get one that just pushes your buttons and you mouth off. If you're lucky they realize what an ass they've been and you realize how bad you look and if you can you apologize. Chances are VERY good that they won't. Anyway, we hope they don't complain and personally I don't care if they do. I figure for myself, I have been nice to enough of them that one little transgression is allowed occasionally.

That being said, I sometimes will insert a 'please' or 'thank you' where a customer has 'forgotten' to.

EXAMPLE:

Me: do you want bags today?

Them: yeah.

Me: you mean yes please?!

(I'm old. I'm cranky. I'm using it.)