Being “too busy” to acknowledge a cashier rarely ends the way customers expect.

When a phone-absorbed customer brushed off basic courtesy at checkout, one retail worker let the five-cent bag policy do all the talking.

Keep reading for the full story!

Come to my register while speaking on the phone and tell me rudely to stop talking, aight!

Let’s say about seven years ago, I worked as a cashier in a pharmacy—think Shoppers Drug Mart.

I didn’t like the job and had a very low tolerance for rude or disrespectful customers.

There’s one particular customer behavior that really irked this cashier.

Whenever a customer came to my register while talking on the phone, I took great pleasure in saying all the usual things I was required to say—just loud enough to disturb their call.

They cranked their fake kindness to the max, which really annoyed customers.

In a friendly voice, I’d say: “Hi, how are you! Have you found what you were looking for? Do you have the fidelity card? Would you like to donate to X…?”

I was usually met halfway with a gesture or words that clearly meant they wanted me to stop talking. And stop talking is exactly what I did.

This customer was about to be in for a rude awakening, though.

In my city—and according to store policy—plastic bags couldn’t be given for free.

They cost five cents, and because they weren’t free, I needed consent from the customer before adding them to the bill.

If the customer were more polite, the cashier would be able to communicate this charge to them, but alas.

Unfortunately for them, the bag was the very last thing I would have asked—if they had let me speak.

But I was told to stop talking, so I did just that.

So the cashier just continued with the transaction, and finally the customer caught on.

I scanned the items, left them sitting on the counter, didn’t say the total amount, waited for the customer to realize it was time to pay, let them pay, and continued waiting.

Usually, this was the moment they finally spoke to me and asked, “Why aren’t you bagging my stuff?!”

That’s when the cashier called his attention to the sign — and he wasn’t happy.

Without saying a word, I would point to the bright yellow sign on my counter that read: “Bag – 5 cents.”

Most of them would pull their wallet back out to pay.

Some would grab their stuff hastily and leave—still on the phone.

It made me happy.

Oh sweet payback!

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

No customer service worker should be forced to talk over someone else’s phone call.

Many stores now just plainly refuse this kind of treatment.

People apparently do this to their very own doctors.

If there’s one type of person who doesn’t mind wasting time, it’s hourly employees.

Looks like this rude customer finally got the memo.

Retail workers are people too!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.