Customer service workers get used to strange misunderstandings, but some moments still manage to catch them off guard.

One cashier’s routine question about a rewards program quickly spiraled into a baffling exchange with a customer who clearly wasn’t listening to a word they were saying.

Read on for the full story!

Phone number isn’t a payment, sir

I work as a cashier at a hardware store that uses a rewards system.

Today I did my typical greeting at the register, asking if they have a rewards number before continuing with the rest of the transaction.

This may have seemed like a simple question, but the customer quickly made things more complicated than they needed to be.

The following ensued:

Me: “Do you have a rewards number, sir?”

Customer: “No”

Me: “Okay, would you like to sign up?”

Customer: “No, I want to pay with cash.”

The cashier tried to explain, but the customer still wasn’t getting it.

Me: “…Sir, the rewards system has nothing to do with whether you pay cash or card. It gives you points which give you rewards.”

Customer: staring at me blankly
“I want to pay cash.”

The customer clearly wasn’t going to budge on this issue.

Proceeds to hand me cash even though I haven’t scanned anything.

Me, giving up: “Okay.”

By far one of the dumbest things I have heard regarding the rewards system and/or payment. He was acting as though signing up for the rewards system meant he couldn’t use the form of payment he wanted.

It’s tough to reason with people who refuse to understand reason.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter has had the misfortune of dealing with similar customers.

Some customers even kick their annoying behavior up a notch.

Other customers don’t even deserve the benefit of the doubt.

The customer in this story could really work on their listening skills.

There was no reasoning with him, so the cashier just decided to let the moment pass.

He may not have been the cashier’s worst customer, but he certainly was among the most senseless.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.