Stand There and Wait

"Okay, your total is $3.54."

The customer hands me a wad of bills. "Put the rest in gas on pump #7," he says as he walks away.

This scenario happens a lot. A customer will want their change in gas. But the problem is that they are walking away before I can tell them what that total in gas will be.

I'm sure a lot of people add it up in their heads, but most of them just trust the cashier to set their gas pump for the correct amount.

There are also the customers wanting gas that hand me a wad of bills and walk away before I have a chance to count it all out to make sure it's all there.

Please don't do that.

It's bad enough that we have to uncrumple all of your bills. The least you can do is stand there until we count it all. What would you do if I set your gas pump for $2 less than you gave me? You couldn't prove it because all of the money is safely in the cash register after you leave the store. And I'd walk out of that store with 2 crisp dollars in my wallet.

Actually, if I did this to every person that does that to us every day, I'd probably leave the store with 20 crisp dollars in my pocket. Adult bookstore here I come!

But I am an honest cashier. Others aren't though. Please take the few extra seconds and wait there until the cashier verifies the amount you have given him/her. Do that or risk having your money pocketed.

Leave Me Your Wallet

Today I was working at the register, and the pump sound went off which means that someone wanted to pump gas outside. We don't turn the pump on for anyone, the pumps are always pay first unless you are a regular and we recognize you.

So I look outside, and this guy keeps staring in at me but I have no idea who he is. Because I am a wonderful cashier and generally nice person, I decided to turn the pump on for him. But I still wrote down his license plate, just in case.

So this guy finishes pumping and comes in to pay.

Customer: Um, I don't have any money to pay for the gas.

Me: Then why'd you pump it?

Customer: Because I grabbed the wrong card and didn't realize it til now! (he said this yelling at me).

Since he had his wallet in his hand, I told him to leave his wallet while he went to go get money. He did.

Now, just so you know, if you get an attitude with me for no reason, I will look through your wallet. Which is just what I did.

I would never take anything from someone's wallet. But the reason I do look through them is:

1. To see if there's anything interesting in there to look at.

2. If you knew that I was looking through your wallet, it would probably piss you off even more.

This guy didn't have anything fun to look at in his wallet. After about ten minutes he came back in and paid for his gas. He never suspected that my dirty hands were all over it.

Maybe next time he'll remember to pay for his gas the first time and not give me an attitude about something that was his fault in the first place.

Sweet Old Ladies Need Gas Too

My favorite kinds of customers are the sweet old ladies that come in and need their gas pumped. Usually they are so small and tiny and so adorable that I can't help but go outside and assist them, even if it is -2 degrees outside.

I was at the register a few months back...

“Miss, can you hear me?” I look down to see a little old woman staring up at me. She’s so cute and has to be at least 90 years old.

“Oh I’m sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. How can I help you?”

“Miss, I’m having trouble pumping my gas. Can you help me please?”

Normally I'd find another sucker, I mean employee, to pump her gas, but she was so cute I couldn't resist. I started to follow the little old lady out the door to her car.

I pumped her gas while she sat in her car and chatted away about things only little old ladies can chat about. After her car was filled up, the little old lady got out of her car.

“Oh thank you so much, Miss. Here, let me give you some money for pumping my gas.” She started to reach into her purse.

“Oh no, that’s okay," I said, freezing my ass off.

“Oh no dear, I insist. Here, wait a second.” I don't like taking tips from people. I will always refuse and the only way I take it is if the customer insists and actually leaves it on the counter and walks away from it.

“Really, we aren’t allowed to take tips but thank you!” I said with a smile. I started to walk away from the woman but she grabbed onto my arm with a superhuman strength that I didn’t know was possible from an old lady.

“Here you go sweetie. Take this for your trouble.” She smiled sweetly at me as she pressed something into my hand.

She had handed me a quarter.

She's lucky she was adorable, keeping me out in the winter weather for a quarter.