I Work In Retail

A customer comes into the store from the back entrance, looks around a little and comes up to the counter sipping a soft drink identical to one that we sell. I'm supposed to know immediately whether he got it in the store, in which case I have to ring it up with the chips he puts on the counter.

So I ask, 'And the soft drink, did you bring it in with you?'

Simple. Just accept my politeness and say yes or no, and let me scan it if you got it from this store. But instead...

'Are you thinking I stole it?' he asks.

'No, I'm just doing my job.'

Let's hope the tough guy with the tattoos and earrings is not mortally offended.

In some cases customers get angry for years at a time because one of the cashiers wouldn't let them take their merchandise away without paying for it. 'You don't trust me!' is their reproach.

I'm sharing these scenarios because they're probably familiar for anyone who has worked in retail.