September 27, 2026 at 10:48 am

He Refused to Give His Phone Number Claiming “I Don’t Open Store Credit Cards”—Then Screamed When His Discounts Didn’t Apply

by Jayne Elliott

hardware store employee

Shutterstock

A lot of stores have rewards programs customers can sign up for. Some of these rewards programs are completely free. You just have to scan your card, enter your rewards number or sometimes even enter a linked email address or phone number to get the points and discounts.

In this story, a cashier works at a store that has a rewards program; however, one customer clearly didn’t seem to understand how the rewards program worked or what it was. Instead of continuing to try to explain, the cashier finally decided it wasn’t worth the argument.

Keep reading for the whole conversation.

Phone number isn’t a payment, sir

I work as a cashier at a hardware store that uses a rewards system.

Today I did my typical greeting at the register, asking if they have a rewards number before continuing with the rest of the transaction.

The following ensued:

Me: “Do you have a rewards number, sir?”

He tried to explain.

Customer: “No”

Me: “Okay, would you like to sign up?”

Customer: “No, I want to pay with cash.”

Me: “…Sir, the rewards system has nothing to do with whether you pay cash or card. It gives you points which give you rewards.”

The customer probably didn’t understand.

Customer: staring at me blankly

“I want to pay cash”

Proceeds to hand me cash even though I haven’t scanned anything

Me, giving up: “Okay”

By far one of the dumbest things I have heard regarding the rewards system and/or payment. He was acting as though signing up for the rewards system meant he couldn’t use the form of payment he wanted.

To be fair, there are some stores where the rewards system is tied to opening a store credit card. That might’ve been what the customer thought OP meant.

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

This person shares another frustrating customer interaction.

2026 09 23 at 11.01.33 AM He Refused to Give His Phone Number Claiming I Dont Open Store Credit Cards—Then Screamed When His Discounts Didnt Apply

Another person can relate to this story.

2026 09 23 at 11.01.48 AM He Refused to Give His Phone Number Claiming I Dont Open Store Credit Cards—Then Screamed When His Discounts Didnt Apply

I completely agree with this comment.

2026 09 23 at 11.02.06 AM He Refused to Give His Phone Number Claiming I Dont Open Store Credit Cards—Then Screamed When His Discounts Didnt Apply

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who cleverly shuts down customer arguments about closing time.

Another person shares what they find frustrating.

2026 09 23 at 11.02.17 AM He Refused to Give His Phone Number Claiming I Dont Open Store Credit Cards—Then Screamed When His Discounts Didnt Apply

Sometimes, it’s not worth explaining. Maybe the employee is required to ask, but if the customer isn’t interested or isn’t listening, there’s no point in continuing to make sure they understand. That would just be frustrating for everyone.

Letting it go is the right decision.

Enjoyed this story?

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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