It’s sad, but true that there are all kinds of folks out there that try to lie, cheat, and steal anytime they think they can get away with it.

In today’s story, a retail worker talked about how they weren’t about to let a scheming customer pull a fast one on them.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

“I hope the kids enjoy not eating!”

“The day before yesterday, a man and two women (one his age, one much older, I presume they were his wife and mother / MIL) came up to my register with a 20” Sanyo flat-screen TV.

As they are approaching, the older woman (hereafter, “MIL”) calls out “Help out the homeless!”

The man sets the TV on the counter and the following occurs:

Him: It’s Christmas. Help me out.

Me: [Scans $44.99 price-tag] Your total is $49.49.

Come on…

Him: You can’t help me out a little bit?!

Me: No, sir.

MIL: We don’t have a pot to go to the bathroom in right now!

He sets $35 in cash on the counter, tells MIL the total and walks out.

MIL steps up to the counter, asks me the total three more times, and sets down a bunch of ones.

Me: [Counting the fourteen (14) ones] And forty-nine cents, please.

MIL: [Loudly] Are you kidding me?!

Sorry, those are the rules.

Me: No, ma’am, I am not.

MIL: [Brings out fifty cents in change] Keep the penny if it’s that much trouble!

As I am giving her the receipt, I am greeted with this brilliant accusation:

MIL: I hope the kids enjoy not eating!!

She and the ever-silent wife storm out, get into their Jeep and drive away.

I was tempted to remind them that they were less than a hundred yards from a grocery store. They were paying in cash, it’s not like I was gouging them on a store-credit.

Who the hell buys a TV with food money?

Why get mad at me?

I don’t set the prices, and I sure as hell don’t write the tax laws.

It seems my store has a higher-than-usual concentration of stupid customers this month.”

Reddit users spoke up.

This person shared their thoughts.

And another reader had a lot to say.

They weren’t about to fall for this nonsense!

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.