So when I first left school aged 16, I started volunteering in a local nursery. This nursery was within a church which meant it was open plan to the public. Obviously we kept the children in the rooms and kept an eye on things at all time. So one day while washing the dishes I saw a man walk pass towards the nursery area.
I immediately came out and asked him what he was doing! This guy stopped dead in his tracks looked at me and said āIām checking the alarms.ā (He had no uniform)
So I asked if he had ID,
Still in place this man was like āurmmā¦ no.ā
So I told him that he would not be allowed any further and I would have to alert my manager. As I was about to shout her so that I didnāt lead him into the nursery but didnāt leave him to run, a lady who ran the church came over and asked what was wrong. I told her and she confirmed that he was checking the alarms. He looked terrified I was 16 5ft 1 and he must have been 30+ and 6ft 5.
Uniform shop
During the summer of my first college year I worked in a school uniform shop and as you can imagine it got very busy! When I first started, we were told to ask what they need and then ask if they need any āJumpers, shirts, ties, trousers, PE kit, socksā
so I was serving this woman who had 3 children; I asked this lady what she was after and she said she wanted school trousers, I measured the children and asked if she needed and (long list of items.) She said she just needed trousers. So, I went to the stock room (up a big flight of stairs) came back down and handed her these trousers. Then she said she needed school shirts so again I asked if she needed any ālisted itemsā no, this woman only needed shirts so I measured them, went to collect them from the stock room and gave them to her, this woman then said she needed pe kits š¤¦š»āāā so yet again I rhymed off all the items on the list minus what she already had and she assured me it was just pe kits, so I measured them, went to collect them from the stock room and came back. THIS WOMAN THEN SAID SHE NEEDED JUMPERS!!! seriously. So, with a smile I politely went through the list of items and she said she just needed pe kitsā¦ thankfully that was the last order from her.
While this was going on, I could see the manager behind the till trying not to laugh while serving other customers. Once this woman left, she came over to me burst out laughing and said āI canāt believe how well you handled that.ā
Oh lord, the stories I could tell from my 2+ years in cashiering at grocery stores! A few off the top of my head:
I was on the closing shift, and this woman came in, she was in workout gear and looked super tired and sweaty, and in heavy makeup. I canāt remember what she got but her total was about 100 dollars, and she paid ENTIRELY in small bills! Like ones and fives! I didnāt really care because the store was dead, so when I was counting them, I asked āDo you own vending machines? Because thatās totally cool I kinda want to buy one blah blah blahā (this is pretty common in my town because itās right next to a major city with plenty of office buildings, venues, etc) and she straight up said āNo, Iām a exotic dancer and I just got offāā¦I was like āOh okay!ā but inside I was like, literally dying because it was so unexpected. Sis was just trying to get that coin though so
On the other side of town, thereās a HUGE retirement community. Everyone who lives there is age 50 and up, and 99% of them drive around exclusively in golf carts. One morning, I had an older couple come in a buy literally $500 worth of wine. The cheap kind too, thatās only about 6 dollars a bottle. They told me that they were āstocking up for a shut in party at [their retirement community]ā. Old people get wild, I guess.
A middle aged couple came into my line and they seemed super normal, like making normal small talk. I ring up a rather embarrassing kind of medicine, and then the wife tells me itās for the husband. I guess the husband wanted to get back at the wife, so he starts telling me that she gave him an STD when they started dating because she was in that kinda film acting. And it doesnāt end there! They just start airing out each others business all while Iām staring at them like thinking āyāall I got three other people in my line, please pay and leaveā
A short one: A regular at my current job comes in every night around 8pm with a pet lizard on his shoulder (named Pongo). I havenāt seen him in a month though because Iāve been working morning and afternoon shifts
I love these but what do you mean by a vending machine? Iāve also worked on till before in a Ā£1 shop! So yes everythingās Ā£1 unless on offer for something like 4 for Ā£1.
We had a woman come in every 2 weeks and Iām sure she came to me on purpose. She would spend Ā£90 in a Ā£1 shop
I was changing the till roll and got a paper cutā¦ not just any paper cut but one where my hand wouldnāt stop bleeding. So I stopped serving, rang for a manager who brought my a very tiny plaster which I bled straight through. The line was getting kind of big so I had to continue serving with a plastic bag over my hand because I couldnāt call a manager again but needed to carry on serving customers.
I had a customer try to return an item for a refundā¦ I took her receipt but it was out of date by 2 weeks so I apologised, pointed out the returns date on the receipt and told her I couldnāt do itā¦ this led to her demanding to see the manger who came over took a look at the receipt and gave her a refund anyway!
We had a man come in regular who had special needs and he collects 50ps so when I could I try to give him at least 1 50p in his change. One day he came to buy something and showed me a handful of money as he needed her with working it out. He asked me not to use his 50psā¦ I had to explain to him that I would need to use one of the 50ps because he didnāt have enough money without using one he was fine with it but I felt so bad.
I meant to explain lol, (itās late where Iām at and I need to go to bed ) I asked her if she owned one because she was paying in small bills, and usually at a vending machine youāll put in 1 dollar bills or fives lol! So when the person who owns it collects the money made from it, theyāll have like a bunch of money but only in smaller bills
Heās actually really friendly! I held him once lol.
looked at me and said āIām checking the alarms.ā (He had no uniform)
thinking āyāall I got three other people in my line, please pay and leaveā
which I bled straight through. The line was getting kind of big so I had to continue serving with a plastic bag over my hand because I couldnāt call a manager again but needed to carry on serving customers.
he was fine with it but I felt so bad.
) I asked her if she owned one because she was paying in small bills, and usually at a vending machine youāll put in 1 dollar bills or fives lol! So when the person who owns it collects the money made from it, theyāll have like a bunch of money but only in smaller bills