Money=Purchase

We were short today. Again. And we got out 25 minutes late.

While I was on the register covering a lunch, this woman came in a got me all kinds of frazzled. She brought a bunch of stuff, and I was too polite to ask if she had money. She had been in earlier and got to the register, and didn't have any money, but was snacking on her wanna-be purchases. This time around, she still had no money. I told her politely that she needed money to finish this transaction. She said that she has no money, but she just asks people to pay for her stuff. So I told her that she should gather her money first before coming to register. She nodded and said was very agreeable about being so difficult. Over the next twenty minutes she got people to purchase her two boxes of sleep-aid, a six pack of Diet Coke, a yogurt, and a caramel. While she was standing next to this guy who was trying to finish his transaction, she started breathing all heavy. The guy asked if she was ok, and she said she would be as soon as I gave her the cigarettes. He told her that probably wouldn't help and she got irate with him, telling him that the smokes would help. Then she told me to get them for her, so I explained that I had to finish the transaction with this gentleman. She was obviously not quite right, but I told her I would call the cops if she continued to hang around. My co-worker said I had balls for telling her how "the shopping experience" works. (I.e: you need money to make a purchase.)


I've grown to expect this kind of nonsense. But it is still stressful.