Retail workers need to be patient and smart when dealing with customers.

This man met an elderly customer with a vague request due to a language barrier.

The customer gave him twenty dollars, and he thought he wanted to get gas.

After several guesses, he eventually found out what the customer really wanted with his $20.

Check out the story below to find out what it is.

Money lost in translation

Yesterday was pretty busy at the gas station food mart.

Lots of cigarettes to be sold, snacks, scratchers, and of course, gas.

We sell to everyone, too. And we have a wide international client base.

So sometimes, there’s a language barrier in the way of customer service.

This man was serving an elderly customer who didn’t speak English well.

This elderly Asian gentleman, at the end of my shift, came up to the register.

He dropped a bill on the counter, and said, “Twenty dollars.”

Ok. I waited patiently.

Sometimes, it takes a minute for them to remember the word for what they want.

He just smiled and repeated, “Twenty dollars.”

He tried to guess what the $20 was for.

Okay, so I tried to guess.

What was our most common $20 purchase?

Ah! Gas! So, I asked, “Which pump, sir?”

All I got was a confused look.

“Pump number?”

The customer kept saying, “Twenty dollars!”

He points at the money.

“Yes sir,” I say, “That’s twenty dollars.”

“Twenty dollars!” he repeats cheerfully, and… nothing.

“What do you want?” I say, trying to be direct.

“Twenty dollars!” he insists.

After some guessing, he learned the customer wanted some lottery tickets.

“Do you want gas?” and I point at the fuel pumps.

“Do you want cigarettes?” and I point at the packs of smokes.

“Do you…?”

“MEGA!!!”

Lottery tickets. He wanted lottery tickets.

Let’s find out how others reacted to this story.

This person shares their unpleasant experience working at a gas station.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Whoa! This one’s dealing with the Mega Rush at the moment.

Finally, here’s a sweet and kind comment from this one.

Sometimes, a little guessing is part of the job.

If you’re good.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.