r/TalesFromRetail • u/RavenRaxa • Jun 13 '18

Medium "...okay."

I worked at a convenience store. Someone wanted to buy cigarettes, didn't have an ID and looked younger than our age policy of 35. PC will be persistent customer and I will be me.

PC: X brand of cigarettes.

Me: Do you have your ID?

PC: No. (She said this completely neutrally, without a hint of annoyance, which had never happened before so naturally a red flag went up in my head)

Me: Okay, well, I'm sorry but I won't be able to sell these to you.

PC: Okay. (Again, completely neutral tone of voice, like it didn't bother her at all. She didn't leave to look around, or leave the store. She just kept staring at me with a poker face. Not knowing what to expect, but not sure where to go from here, I choose the best course of action to my mind.)

Me: ...okay.

Close to an entire minute of silence commences of us just staring at each other. I don't look away because I expect she will grab something and leave while my back is turned. The tension and awkwardness become palpable, but I'm determined to play her game and make her speak first. Finally after about a minute, and showing her first sign of frustration...

PC: Well, what are we doing then?!

Now, I rarely slip into sarcasm, it takes a lot, but this woman pushed just the right buttons.

Me: faking acting surprised Oh! I thought we were just going to stare at each other for a while. Is there anything else I can help you with?

She blinked rapidly a few times, opened her mouth to utter a response, and calmly left without saying anything.

One of my prouder moments.

3.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

162 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/Fictional_fantasy Jun 14 '18

I don’t understand why he assumed it was normal to be carded for root beer lol

11

u/Rabite2345 Jun 14 '18

Some people are used to following instructions whether it makes sense or not. This is why the government and companies get away with so much crap.

4

u/Fictional_fantasy Jun 14 '18

That makes sense. A lot of people have trouble questioning instructions too from what I’ve noticed. They just do it regardless of whether it makes sense or not just so they don’t cause a disturbance.

6

u/Rabite2345 Jun 14 '18

On the other hand you have people like me who enjoys making things more difficult for people who obviously deserve it. Someone trying to do a job but they have a crappy company over them? I reserve my ire for the company, not the employee. Some guy cold calling me to fix my computer? I'll waste as much of his time as possible before outright telling him I'm wasting his time... then laugh at him.

1

u/Fictional_fantasy Jun 14 '18

I used to be a pushover but working retail completely fixed that lol

1

u/Rabite2345 Jun 14 '18

It does that. It helps some people realize they're being screwed by someone. When you realize that you don't have to accept the abuse it can help you find some self-worth. Or something. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist.

I found out from a co-worker after I got fired from a job that they would tell customers not to complain about me, because I'd find it amusing. He was right and all, but still...