Fairly average tales of a supermarket cashier

I asked the customer if I could just give her a few paper bags instead, as I had already bagged her items in plastic bags. She then started yelling at me, calling me lazy and stupid. But, sure. Sure. Let me just hold up the line of people behind you even longer by un-bagging and re-bagging your items because you couldn't have asked me for paper bags at the beginning of your checkout.

I understand and try to comply when a customer has a specific bagging request, but please don't yell at me for fulfilling your request! If you're truly concerned about the environment, we have a place for you to bring bag the plastic bags at the front of the store, or you can purchase some re-usable bags.

"But I've been standing in line forever!" I'm sorry ma'am. If we had been less busy, and I didn't have ten lanes to oversee and just as many customers to help simultaneously, I may have noticed you in line and asked you earlier, to save you that wait. "But I'm already here, just let me checkout. Everywhere else is backed up!" There isn't enough space on the weighted bagging area for your items. "You're just making me leave because you want me to spend more time in the store to get me to spend more money." Uh, no. I'm asking you to move so that I don't get in trouble.

This lady was easily in her 60s or 70s, and didn't think that little ol' me could handle lifting a couple 40lbs (18kg) bags of salt. She then asked me if I could get her a guy to help load them for her, as she wasn't strong enough to lift them on her own. Normally, I humor the customer in their misogynistic ways, because I'm supposed to keep the customer happy. But we didn't have any guys on shift at the time. She didn't believe me, and wanted to speak to my manager. While they were talking, I loaded the bags into her cart, my manager trying not to smile. She was annoyed when she saw the bags in her cart, but didn't say anything and left.

I specifically brought a pocketful of pennies to work each shift for kids in case their parents didn't have any change, because I know a lot of people don't carry cash on them. It also is nice for me, because then the kid doesn't try to take items off the belt or spin the turnstile like crazy while I'm bagging items. But the parent, assuming that I'm inferior to them because I'm working a minimum-wage job, was insulted and made the little girl give the penny back to me.

This customer was at the self-run checkout and made me come over to help him. He was outraged that his fruit cup was ringing up at $2.50, when "It said that cost $3." I then explained that, since the sale was 2 for $5 that each individual fruit cup was priced at $2.50. He didn't believe that my math was correct, and started calling me stupid etc. Once I finally convinced him that $2.50 is indeed half of $5, he continued to say, "Well, you people will probably accuse me of stealing it if I don't pay the $3," and tried to make me increase the price to $3. I personally figured that eating 75% of the fruit cup before checkout might've been a bigger issue than a difference of $.50, but that's just me...

He said it was defacing the flag, which is a federal offense, and wanted me to take them off the shelves. I wasn't really mad at him, but I have zero control over what the store sells.

It's the law in the state where I worked that we could not sell alcohol from 2am - 7am (and it might go later on Sundays, I don't remember). Even if I wanted to help you, the computers do not allow alcohol to be scanned after 2am.

As previously mentioned, I could not sell alcohol after 2am. It's also against the law where I worked to sell to someone 'under the influence', lest I lose my job. I've seen some of my coworkers deny the purchase of alcohol because the customer was exceedingly rude to them, but said to our supervisor, "His eyes looked really bloodshot," or "I thought I smelled alcohol on her breath."

And please, please, please don't drink and drive.

Here's the template

I know that there are crazier stories out there, so have fun. Although these are some of the negative things, I always appreciated the genuinely kind people that I encountered. I became pretty good friends with my fellow night-shifters, and gained new amounts of respect for those who work minimum waged jobs all the time.

But also, it was greater inspiration to do well in college, as I would never want to have a job like that for the rest of my life.