Today, I met the real Customer from Hell.

[no_hypocrisy]

Background: I'm a cashier at a food emporium which also has a general liquor section.

Three minutes before the end of my shift, here he comes. A cart just loaded (literally) with boxes and bottles. All liquor. Never have seen anything like it before. I gird my loins and start processing the order on the belt.

Customer is a guy, 40-something, with an authoritarian streak. I'm older than he is and a woman. (This isn't going to end well, thought I.)

First he wants to tell me how many boxes and how many bottles. I can't do that. If there were 10 or less, I could scan and verify the numbers. There had to be 30-35 pieces of liquor to process. And not organized; they're all spread out. So he's mad at me at 0:45. He's trying to get me to skip steps by telling me that he comes to the store every week, implying I was about to lose a loyal customer. I hope my supervisor doesn't notice and I'll be under scrutiny.

I have to attach "PAID" stickers to each piece. That slows down the process and Customer gets more angry. Pressure cooker mad. I'm just glad to be able to concentrate, not missing a single item, not dropping any glass, etc. He's talking AT me and I keep a neutral demeanor, you know, professional.

He's insulting me in front of me to customers waiting for their turn. I give him great service notwithstanding.

Finally, time for payment. The tab is $ 1,229. Not kidding. This is the biggest tab I've ever done. I was expecting a credit card. But he whips out a roll of $ 20's. That's right. And he's counting them and practically throws them at me. Of course, I now have to count the bills -- 62 of them. And he's talking at me again, trying to distract me while I'm trying to account for the money.

I counted 62, but thought maybe this is a good time to Cover My Ass and called over a supervisor. While I didn't mention the difficulty of the past 15+ minutes, I did ask for her to confirm the wad of bills before I put the sale through. She had to take it to the Money Room for counting. And this guy is almost screaming. I asked my supervisor if she could finish the sale and she looked at me with understanding and told me I could leave.

I returned about 10 minutes later and my supervisor told me that when he tried to complain about me, she told him that she had been watching the entire transaction and he had been abusing me.

I love it when management has your back.

[Skittles]

1. I pay cash at the liquor store because I can get a discount

but.....wtf was that guy's problem

if I was going to pay that kind of money in cash I would have had a bank give me some 100's

what an asshole

[Xipe Totec]

38. I get the same discount, cash or debit. nt

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Paying for over a grand worth of booze with a roll of 20's? Could be...

no big deal, but something doesn't quite pass the sniff test.

[brush]

6. Some kind of illegal transaction money there if you ask me.

[SCantiGOP]

26. Of course it's something illegal

Buying that much, especially if he was telling the truth about it being a weekly purchase, he could save a lot by buying from a wholesale liquor provider. But you have to pass a background check and get a permit to do that.
He might be reselling it to underage kids or it may be for an illegal gambling operation, but it’s not on the level.

[brush]

27. Yeah, probably gambling. He could be the host of a game...

where he also sells liquor.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

49. Plus your purchases can be tracked for tax purposes when you use a wholesaler.

The IRS has formulas for this kind of thing.

Definitely sounds like buying off the books for resale. It’s done all the time. Bars will keep one “legit” bottle behind the bar and keep filling it up.

Even at the higher retail price, it probably saves a ton of money.

Iirc, my buddy who owns wine stores told me you can’t legally buy liquor from one wholesaler when you are delinquent with another wholesaler. This was in Illinois many years ago. The distributors in Illinois own the state legislature.

That’s probably why he is using small bills (probably skimmed before taxes) and no credit cards.

[AdamGG]

55. It makes sense if they're filling empty Chivas Regal & Stoly bottles with off brand stuff

[cannabis_flower]

59. Or it could be

After hour sales. I used to have an alcoholic boyfriend and he knew a guy who sold alcohol out of his refrigerator after legal hours for jacked up prices.

[PatSeg]

31. Yeah

Everything about it seemed suspicious like he was trying to get away with something. And all those twenties, my first thought was maybe they were counterfeit, hence the way he kept trying to distract the cashier.

[niyad]

51. That was my first thought as well. Sure smelled like a scam of some kind. Quick

change artists do the same.

[PatSeg]

62. Having worked for years in retail,

I'm familiar with these odd tactics and usually the person is running some kind of scam. Very common with quick change artist. Sounds like you've experienced it as well.

[niyad]

63. I worked retail, trained cashiers in all the little tricks. The only time I encountered

a quick-change artist, .I slapped my hand down on the money and called security, who did not mess around,

[PatSeg]

66. I warned my young employees

over and over again about what customers might try, but inevitably one of them would get scammed because they didn't adhere to my guidelines. The scam artists know that young people are good targets and easy to fluster. I really loved calling their bluff - "If you want to leave your name and phone number, we will contact you once we count down the drawer if it is over by $XX.XX amount."

Once I even offered to count down the drawer right there in front of her, but she was in a hurry and wanted the name and phone number of the "company" so she could lodge a complaint. I looked over my shoulder and said, the owner is right there if you'd like to speak with him. That really pissed her off and my boss and I had a good laugh afterward at her expense. I am always so careful with money, I am not the person one wants to target.

[Warpy]

56. Probably bootlegging it out to a reservation or dry county.

Unfortunately, that's their problem, they're the ones who have to catch him bringing it in.

Chances are the supervisor had to deal with the asshole before she became a supervisor.

I know when I'm in line behind a Customer from Hell, I always look at the clerk with understanding and say "I've worked retail, too." It tends to lower the tension immediately.

[peacefreak2.0]

3. So glad your supervisor covered your butt.

A wad of $20’s end of day? Good way to pass a few counterfeit bills. Good on you both.

[Quakerfriend]

9. Yes, exactly what I was thinking 🤔 n/t

[Rebl2]

20. Hopefully

when the supervisor went to the back room to count the money she used that pen they use to check for counterfeit bills. I know I’ve had them use it when I gave a clerk a twenty.

[TheBlackAdder]

70. Problem is, by taking the bills out of customer view, if one was bogus he could claim a switcheroo.

.

This is one of the issue with drive-thru teller windows. The teller can say the bills left their view.

Some banks don't like to eat counterfeit bills, if a teller accepts one by mistake, so they'll pass it on in drive-thru.

.

[elleng]

4. Good work!

[MLAA]

5. Well done!

Asswipe is what I would call him. Was he wearing a mask?

[no_hypocrisy]

8. No, and I WAS.

[MLAA]

10. I didn't think he was based on his general assholery-ness

[krkaufman]

43. mask

Good chance that triggered the snowflake.

[Irish_Dem]

7. He was either a severe A-hole or he was trying to run a scam on you.

By yelling and being verbally abusive he was trying to get you off track so you would not count all the bottles and also get confused about the cash. I had the same thing happen to me years ago when I was a teenager working a cash register.
I was so thankful my manger had my back when the register came up short, the guy had pulled a fast one.

I am glad your manager took care of you. Keep an eye on this guy if he comes back. Maybe just have the manager handle him from now on if you can get away with that.

[Diamond_Dog]

11. These kind of jerks

Like to treat a more mature woman as if talking to a feeble minded three year old, and I hate that. You did great.

[lapucelle]

12. I am shaking my head and sighing for you at home.

You take pride in your work, you do the right thing, and keep cool in a toxic situation.

You're a better person than most.

[no_hypocrisy]

13. To all DU-ers who read this piece:

[Alice Kramden]

46. Aaaaah!

Pure love

[dixiechiken1]

47. Awwwww...

That's cute overload there.

[Scrivener7]

14. You are a better woman than I am. I'm so glad she had your back.

[yonder]

15. I'm not sure what cockles of the heart are but

they sure warmed up after reading your last two lines. Good to have a boss backing you up AND you done good. Real good.

[AverageOldGuy]

16. Counting the money !!!!!!

So -- you counted all his $20's, then, the Supervisor took the money to the counting room and counted the money all over again ?!?!?!?

YEEEHAAAAA!!!!!

Never give an asshole a break!!!!!

[grantcart]

53. I am guessing they also had to check for counterfeiting

[smirkymonkey]

17. Good for you, and your manager!

I am so sorry for the way you were treated. What the hell is wrong with people?

And do you ever notice that men like this are always abusing people who are physically weaker than they are? Women, children, older people? He never would have treated a younger, physically intimadating looking man that way.

[rurallib]

18. Gotta ask - was he wearing a mask?

I am guessing no

[no_hypocrisy]

21. Nope!

[Thomas Hurt]

19. this dude did it on purpose, probably a narcissist, all to show you he is rich and entitled.

[Demobrat]

22. I've had small stores check to make sure bills were real.

I wonder what the guy would have done if you had started holding each bill up to the light.

I’m glad your supervisor double-checked. Something fishy is going on.

[Fla Dem]

23. Girl, you earned your stripes today. You did yourself proud.

I too am thrilled your supervisor had your back.

[packman]

24. Kinda amazed the asswipe didn't demand to go in the backroom

to supervise the recount or accuse the manager/you of shortchanging him. I worked as a grocery store cashier at one time and of all the jobs I had, it was the worst. You are obviously a saint.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Anyone who needs that much booze has a real problem to begin with

I'm so sorry that you had to endure that, but glad that your supervisor had your back. I'm surprised that none of those he kept waiting and were witnesses didn't say anything.

[Kath2]

28. I can relate.

I used to be an auto claim representative for a major insurance company. Every day I would pick up the phone and have people screaming and cursing at me before even telling me who they were or what the call was about. It was very stressful.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. I would have stopped the scanning and called supervisor immediately. No excuse for abuse. nt

[dupagelib]

30. What are the odds this ashole is a trump-humper?

I say 95%, but he probably isn't registered or sober enough to vote.

[Anon-C]

32. ...

[Duppers]

33. You deserve a bonus!

And a round of applause!!

👏👏👏👏👏

[Bluethroughu]

34. Sounds like he stocking a restaurant.

Not smart to be making a scene.

[IronLionZion]

35. They don't want to lose good employees

and depending on where you are, the supervisor might be encouraged to report large weekly cash transactions to law enforcement. Banks have to if it's above a certain threshold.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

42. For banks it's $10k.

I'm an old guy. I think if he started talking to me at any point were I in the same spot I would have to start over just for fun.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

50. I thought I saw something in a Citibank branch recently that said the threshold is way lower now.

The sign, iirc, basically said if you deposit cash you are getting reported.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

60. You could be right.

Individual banks can also set some of their own rules.
This is all I know: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/understand-how-to-report-large-cash-transactions

[IronLionZion]

67. They also report structured payments

so if you deposit/withdraw a large amount of cash every week for example. Then they look if you're doing this with several banks. It doesn't mean they're coming to arrest you or anything, it's just a way to keep an eye on suspicious people who may be laundering money for the drug trade or something like that.

[Mosby]

86. SAR

https://www.occ.treas.gov/topics/supervision-and-examination/bank-operations/financial-crime/suspicious-activity-reports/index-suspicious-activity-reports.html

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

87. Memory isn't so great but...

...IIRC FinCEN is active at EPIC and maybe Liberty Crossing also. There have been developments over the last 20 years of different organizations w/i the intelligence community sharing information in collaboration. I don't really know if that's happened to a substantial degree or if it's more for PR. I am rather sure there won't be any more Pollard type agents of fortune but there will likely always be Hanssen-like folks developing.

Do you think Binney was being candid and truthful or somehow still on the payroll?

[Blue Owl]

36. Fuck that guy

Seriously, just FUCK HIM, the goddamned piece of shit. You’re a saint for putting up with such a vile wretch. I’d have run out of patience before he even approached the register…

[Niagara]

37. I wouldn't have dealt with that crap.

You're a much better person than me.



I hope that your day got better.

[Grins]

39. $1,229? And "he comes to the store every week"?

Either he works for a bar or he’s an effing liar.

And if he’s not, look on the good side - he’s soon going to die. Suffering.

[krkaufman]

41. worst case

he’s soon going to die. Suffering.

Seems like this guy is going be suffering any which way. What a miserable existence.

[soldierant]

57. I realize that every human bosy is different from every other human body,

even identical twins ... but seriously, is there - has there ever been - a human who could drink $1,229 worth of booze in a week and still be alive to walk in for more the second week?

Even half of that - assuming a spouse/partner - seems unlikely to me.

[NurseJackie]

58. I would presume that such a large purchase was for a party, or a wedding...

... and he could still be a "regular customer" who makes smaller purchases. His claim of being a regular customer doesn't necessarily mean that he buys THAT much each week.

[soldierant]

84. Good point.

[krkaufman]

40. well...

... when he tried to complain about me, she told him that she had been watching the entire transaction and he had been abusing me.

I love it when management has your back.

Great that she did that ... but it seems like she could/should have stepped-in sooner if she is able to acknowledge that you were being abused.

[Niagara]

69. That was my initial thought reading the OP. n/t

[marble falls]

44. Me, too. It's a good thing, when it happens. And good to have a union, when it doesn't.

[malaise]

45. K & R

[Alice Kramden]

48. Agree with the above comments

Kudos to you and your supervisor

[niyad]

52. So very glad that management had your back in this dreadful situation. And I applaud you

for remaining so cool and professional under such trying circumstances. I would probably have been swearing at him under my breath.

May he receive everything he deserves.

[MyOwnPeace]

76. niyad......

your post says EVERYTHING I was going to say so, I'll DOUBLE THAT!


BOO! - Uncivil behavior!
YEA! - Managements backs you up!

[calimary]

82. I'll double it yet again.

That customer was 50 ways of suspicious. AND an asshole.

Why do some people just have to be schmucks? We’re all just trying to get through life without sustaining too much damage. Why deliberately be one who causes that damage?

[edbermac]

54. That's why I won't work customer service jobs

After about five seconds I’d start screaming back

[Lady Freedom Returns]

61. Kevin's and Karen's......

Makes the job oh so fun don't they?

[True Blue American]

64. Good for you Superviser.

It is always the one who comes in right at closing time and demand special service.

Glad she backed you!

[NNadir]

65. Take solace in contemplating his liver tissue. n/t.

[seta1950]

68. I worked retail

I always used to have my boss count the money before the client left, I’m talking about thousands of dollars.

[OldBaldy1701E]

71. And people wonder

Why I would rather live in a box under a bridge than work in either retail or customer relations. (I don't, but I sure would. I spent enough time in my life trying to please people who could not be pleased. Never again.)

[Champp]

72. Your nomination for Sainthood is moving through channels

Dealing with Republi-a-holes is a cross that Americans are being forced to bear.

[DFW]

73. You must have some kind of internal ice pack to keep your cool like that

If I ever want to pay cash from a $1200 transaction, you better believe I'll have twelve $100 bills and the patience while the cashier checks every one of them.

I will say that I HATE the control state having a record of everything I do and everywhere I go, so I do try to pay cash wherever and whenever I can. I can't give an opinion on alcohol, because I never drink it, and thus never buy it. When my wife wants a bottle of white wine to make some sauce for dinner, she has to buy it because I have no clue about what I should be looking for (people who have read my book will say "HUH? WTF!" but it's true). My wife was visiting a friend in Vermont one time, who pulled out a credit/debit card to pay for a cup of coffee. My wife still talks about it as if she had met ET and had lunch with him.

[Glaisne]

74. This reads just like something right out

of https://notalwaysright.com/
The customer is NOT always right!
Enjoy.

[llashram]

75. well look at the upside

I can presume he drinks a lot. He probably won't last much longer. Unless this purchase was for a private club or something like that. I hope it's a personal purchase myself... People like this otherwise stress themselves at every turn. That'll kill him sooner rather than later. And "I don't care, do U?"

I applaud your patience and professionalism

[Martin68]

77. Nice to hear you had a happy ending. You both taught him a lesson about harassing women who are

doing their best to do their jobs.

[left-of-center2012]

78. What the heck is a food 'emporium' ?

[no_hypocrisy]

79. More like what it isn't: a grocery store.

We sell upscale food items. We have sections for imported cheese, storemade mozzarella, fish/seafood, meat/poultry, deli, massive dairy and produce, a bakery, store-made meals, etc. The people in each section are experts on their line. For example, fish/seafood will direct you how to prepare what you're buying. Even cashiers (like me) well give you advice on your choice of wares. Typical check-out tabs are between $200 and $400.

https://www.stewleonards.com/

USA Today took a poll on the best food markets we were #6 this year.

[LisaM]

80. What a nightmare!

I tend to pay cash for liquor myself (no real reason, I guess I just think anonymous is good). But I would NEVER abuse a cashier, since I have been one myself and I am sorry you had to deal with this weasel.

I recently bought a modest amount of alcohol at Total Wine on my way to a pool party. I paid cash and needed some change where the coin amount was 36 cents. I'm kind of used to young people being unable to make change (hugely frustrating to me, that's part of being a cashier, and it's not hard). Anyway, this guy knew that the amount was 36 cents. What he couldn't do was look at the coins in his hand and give me the correct amount, in other words, he couldn't see that it was a quarter, dime, and penny. He broke out in a sweat and gave me a quarter, nickel,.and penny, in other words, he shorted me by a nickel. I let it go and went on my way, but clearly, it still bugs me!! Sorry for the digression.

[Orrex]

81. What a shitty experience for you, but with a positive ending at least!

When I had a customer threaten me credibly with a baseball bat, my supervisor suggested that I’d done something to provoke him.

There’s management, and then there’s management.

[wryter2000]

83. So glad you have good management

Otherwise, it would be intolerable.

[lunatica]

85. I'm sure everyone, including your manager

We’re watching the entire time, so you did good to stay professional throughout. Good on you AND your manager!