April 9, 2026 at 12:55 am

Convenience Store Clerk Could Not Remember A Regular Customer’s Exact Cigarette Preference, So When She Said He “Should Know It By Now,” He Tried To Explain Short Term Memory Loss

by Heather Hall

Woman smoking a cigarette and acting entitled

Pexels/Reddit

Some people just love to feel important.

So, what would you do if someone who shops at your store a few times a week expected you to memorize their exact cigarette order and got upset when you didn’t? Would you ignore her? Or would you try to explain why you don’t remember?

In the following story, one cashier tries the latter, but the lady isn’t buying it. Here’s what happened.

Karen is disappointed that she’s not the exception to my aging process, so I try to explain short-term memory loss.

Regular customers are a retail store’s bread and butter. I know this, and after 5 years at this convenience store, I try to engage those folks personably as friends, not just clients.

I try to remember their jobs, kids, hobbies, and of course, their product preferences.

I know that if I see somebody coming in and pulling their favorite cigarette brands down, ready to go as they get to the register, they’re going to appreciate my customer service.

The woman was upset that he didn’t recognize her.

Well, about a year ago, a Karen started working nearby and chose our establishment as her go-to cigarette stop. While I did recognize her face when she came in, after two or three stops, she seemed to expect me to know her orders ahead of time and got a little huffy when I had to ask what she wanted.

Again, it’s been a year, so the other night she was disgruntled that I had to ask yet again what she wanted. (I knew it was cigarettes, and what brand; I just couldn’t remember if she wanted ‘longs’ or ‘shorts’).

To respond to Karen’s accusation that, “I should know this!” …I explained to her that life and age, had afflicted me with ‘short-term memory loss’ which is a verified, medical thing. And add to that, the high number of individual preferences people had every day meant that she wasn’t so special that I’d remember her.

He wants to fix it, but can’t.

Karen counter-whined, “But everybody has memory issues!”

“Okay,” I replied aloud, “I’m just trying to tell you why I don’t remember you.”

I’d LOVE to not have memory loss, but sorry, Karen, I can’t control it just for you.

Wow! Entitled people are so annoying.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit think about people who act like this.

This person would embarrass her.

Crazy Cig Lady 3 Convenience Store Clerk Could Not Remember A Regular Customer’s Exact Cigarette Preference, So When She Said He Should Know It By Now, He Tried To Explain Short Term Memory Loss

Yet another person who would mess with her.

Crazy Cig Lady 2 Convenience Store Clerk Could Not Remember A Regular Customer’s Exact Cigarette Preference, So When She Said He Should Know It By Now, He Tried To Explain Short Term Memory Loss

For this person, it would be giving her a nickname.

Crazy Cig Lady 1 Convenience Store Clerk Could Not Remember A Regular Customer’s Exact Cigarette Preference, So When She Said He Should Know It By Now, He Tried To Explain Short Term Memory Loss

Here’s someone else who can’t remember names.

Crazy Cig Lady Convenience Store Clerk Could Not Remember A Regular Customer’s Exact Cigarette Preference, So When She Said He Should Know It By Now, He Tried To Explain Short Term Memory Loss

That woman is beyond ridiculous.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.