Holiday rushes can turn even the most routine shifts into marathons of endurance — especially when you throw rude customers into the mix.

What began as an ordinary post-holiday shift spiraled into a standoff between awareness and audacity when a clueless customer decided to turn the checkout lane like her own personal stage.

And the line of people waiting behind her were growing more and more impatient.

You’ll want to read on for this harrowing Tale From Retail!

Customer completely ignored my existence, and made my job more difficult

After New Year’s, for some unknown reason, we got SLAMMED—pretty much equivalent to before Thanksgiving. Endless lines, customers needing help on the floor constantly, etc.

I was cashiering, which I hate doing as it is, but this rush was just stressing me out. One hour felt like five. I couldn’t even take a drink of water.

This particular customer is used to dealing with difficult customers, and they have a healthy tolerance for some types of misbehavior.

I’m not one of those people that gets ticked off if someone is on their phone or not being chatty—I don’t care. All I ask is if you’re checking out, then be checking out.

Don’t have me start and then realize you have other shopping to do and be gone forever. And don’t be so wrapped up in your phone call that you’re not paying attention and I have to interrupt you.

But one customer challenged all of this and made the cashier rethink everything.

So I had a customer—she ran into someone she knew the next line over. I could hear them talking when I was ringing the customers ahead of her.

I finally get to her, and she doesn’t move.

She’s so wrapped up in her conversation she doesn’t even acknowledge it’s her turn. Other customers are looking back and forth at them.

It wasn’t like I could just take the customer behind her because our lanes are narrow.

So I walk out and grab her cart (we unload the carts).

The cashier tries (unsuccessfully) to snap her back into reality.

A minute or two later she takes the two steps forward. I say hello to be polite.

Her and her friend are still lost in conversation—she either didn’t hear me or ignored me, whatever.

Other people are still looking back and forth between them with a look like, “Seriously?”

Now, while I was emptying her cart I noticed she had reusable bags.

I had already started bagging her stuff in paper and thought, “Well, it wasn’t important enough for her to pause her conversation for two seconds and tell me. Too bad—she gets our bags now.”

So when the cashier tries to wrap up the transaction, it became clear the customer hadn’t heard a word they said.

I finally finish and tell her her total. She looks at me confused and says, “What?” So I repeat it.

She puts her card in and returns to talking. She’s so oblivious that she doesn’t hear the card reader going off telling her to remove her card.

I tell her, and she says, “Oh.”

Just when they thought it was finally over…

Finally, I put her bagged groceries in her cart, give her her receipt, and assume she’ll move.

NOPE.

She stands there and keeps talking to her friend, getting in other customers’ way. Then her friend finishes and they stand in the walkway talking, getting in everyone’s way.

This customer was determined to be a menace until the final moment.

Someone later told me two people were blocking the door. I assumed it was her.

Usually stuff like this doesn’t get to me, but it’s like—how self-absorbed can you be?

It’s annoying when people block aisles because they’re talking—this was like a whole new level.

“Rude” doesn’t quite capture this customer’s bizarre behavior.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter has absolutely no problem with being perceived as the bad guy!

This user would have handled the situation differently if they were the cashier that day.

Sometimes you just have to be as blunt and rude as possible.

Other times, right and wrong gets muddy.

Some customers bring coupons, but she brought absolute chaos.

Blocking an entire checkout lane takes a lot, but this customer made it look easy.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.