A customer made fun of me because I work as a cashier at a grocery store.
I work as a cashier at the grocery store and am a single mom of three. A mother and her two kids came to our store yesterday. She and her two teenage children were both dressed in expensive designer clothes.
When she got to the register and I started to ring up her items, she asked, “WHAT’S WITH THE FACE, DEAR?” WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? SMILE AT YOUR CUSTOMER!”
It looks like I hadn’t noticed that I forgot to smile all day because I had been working. “I’m sorry,” I told her. After that, I gave her a smile and kept serving her. But she laughed out loud and said:
“If I worked as a cashier, I’d have that face too.” You look that way because you don’t make much money, loser.”
At this point, everyone else in line looked shocked, but I turned red with shame. As soon as I finished the woman’s purchase, she got some bad luck. She yelled, “That’s impossible!” just one minute after being rude. There must be a mistake!”
The woman had been looking for her credit card in her wallet for a while. When she finally swiped it, the screen said “Card Declined.” When she looked at him, her face was full of smug superiority. Now, it was red with anger and confusion.
She yelled, “Try it again!” and pushed the card back into my hand. She was making a scene, and I could see her two teenage kids starting to move around. They looked embarrassed. I tried to stay calm and professional, even though I felt a little sorry for what I did. The screen showed the same message when I swiped her card again.
I told her, “I’m sorry, ma’am,” but my voice was shaking. “We couldn’t accept your card.” Do you have another way to pay?”
It looked like she was going to blow up. She snarled, “This is ridiculous!” as she dug through her expensive purse, throwing out cards, receipts, and makeup as she went. “I have a lot of money!” It looks like the machine is giving this store trouble.
I took a quick look at the line of people behind her. Some of them were whispering to each other as they watched the scene play out, while others looked clearly uncomfortable. Two of the woman’s teens were looking at the floor as if they didn’t know her. There were a lot of eyes on me, but I kept my cool.
I offered, “Ma’am, I can call a manager over if you’d like,” still trying to act as naturally as I could. “Or you could try another card.”
After hesitating for a moment, the woman threw a different card at me with anger. She said, “This one will work,” but she didn’t sound sure. It looked like her hands were shaking a little as I swiped the card.
Turned down.
A few gasps came from people behind her as she let out a scream of anger. She yelled, “This is crazy!” and her voice rang through the store. “I’m not going to pay twice for these groceries!” “Do you know who I am?”
I was going to roll my eyes, but I just said, “I’m sorry, ma’am.” If the card is declined, I can’t go ahead with the transaction. Have cash on hand?”
The woman looked like I had just called her names. “Cash?” she asked over and over, as if the word wasn’t important. She looked through her wallet one more time, desperately trying to find something that would show she wasn’t where she was. She didn’t get anything, though, and for the first time, her confidence seemed to waver.
Finally, a teenage girl, one of her children, spoke up. She whispered, “Mom, just stop,” and pulled on her mother’s sleeve. “May I leave now?” I feel bad about this.”
The mom gave her daughter a mean look, but the kid didn’t say anything. She looked at the people in line, who were now looking at her with a mix of sympathy and contempt. She finally turned around and looked at me again, her face red with shame.
She said quietly, “I’ll get these later.” Then she grabbed her purse and turned to leave. But as she moved away from the register, she tripped and dropped her phone, making a loud noise on the floor.
A soft “I hope your day gets better, ma’am” came out of my mouth as I picked it up and gave it back to her. I could tell that her face had changed. I thought there might be more to her story than just a bad mood for a moment because she looked like she was about to cry.
She didn’t answer, but she did take her phone and leave, leaving her kids behind. As soon as she left, the tension in the air seemed to go away, and I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder. There was a nice old lady named Mrs. Reynolds who always bought flowers for her garden, and I turned around to see her.
“Dear, you did a great job with that,” she said with a smile. “Some people need to put other people down in order to feel good about themselves.” You should be proud of the fact that you kept your head held high.
When I smiled at her, it felt real for the first time that day. “Thank you,” I replied. “I appreciate that.”
The day kept going as usual as I rang up the next few customers. But after about an hour, something strange happened. When the woman from before came back, she wasn’t carrying her purse or groceries this time. She walked up to my register and looked a little less upset, but still obviously embarrassed.
“Hi,” she said in a strange way. “I… I wanted to say sorry for earlier.” I’m sorry for what I said; it wasn’t fair of me. I should not have acted out my anger toward you.
I was shocked. An apology was the last thing I thought I would hear, but I appreciated it anyway. “That’s nice of you to say,” I replied. “Don’t worry. Everybody has bad days.
She looked down at her hands and nodded. The fact that I’m going through some things right now isn’t an excuse, but… well, it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry. “Those things I said were wrong.”
She pulled out a small, folded piece of paper and gave it to me before I could say anything to make her feel better. It was “here,” she said. “Please, take this.”
She insisted, so I opened the paper even though I wasn’t sure. There was a $100 bill inside. I pushed it back toward her and said, “I can’t take this.”
She said, “Please,” but her voice was softer this time. “It’s not just about the money.” Though it’s only a little, it’s how I try to make things right. You were nicer to me than I deserved, which doesn’t happen very often. “Please.”
I knew she meant what she said, so I paid the bill, but I had a thought. After saying “thank you,” I said, “I have a better idea.” I could use this to buy food for some families who are having a hard time. A lot of people have had a rough year.
She looked shocked, then she smiled, this time a real smile. She said, “That sounds good to me.” “I really would.”
She looked back at me as she turned to leave. She said, “Thank you,” really nothing. “For everything.” And with that, she walked away, her face a little less serious and her posture a little less stiff.
The day got better as it went on. I bought groceries with the $100 for a young dad who was single and came in with his toddler and for an older couple who had a hard time paying their weekly grocery bill. I didn’t tell them where the money came from when I gave them their groceries, but I did feel a little better knowing that something good had come from a bad situation.
I hoped it was a step in the right direction for her, just like it had been for me. The woman might never know how much her action meant to other people. Life can happen out of the blue, and something that hurts us at first can teach us how to be more understanding and kind.