Some customers think yelling will get them their way, but it usually only makes things worse.

What would you do if a customer started screaming at you to break store policy because you couldn’t take their payment?

Would you give in to calm the customer down?

Or would you turn the tables and make them regret their tantrum?

In the following story, one grocery store cashier finds himself in this very situation and decides to teach the customer a lesson.

Here’s how he turned it around on her.

I once faked quitting to a nasty customer’s face.

So, way back in college, I worked a summer job manning a register for a grocery store.

This chain had a policy with your loyalty card; if there was an X-number on the back, you could cash checks at our stores, and cashiers could use that number as an ID on checks for buying groceries.

If it had a Y-number, then it was just a card that someone had and had almost no information on file.

It’s my last shift before I go back to school. I’m standing at this register, counting down the last half hour, when this woman rolls up with a big cart full of stuff.

I get started, beep beep beep, and give her the total. She hands me a check with a Y-number written on it. I ask to see her card, thinking maybe she’s just written it wrong.

Nope, it’s a Y-number.

Unfortunately, her check ended in the wrong letter.

Me: Ma’am, do you have your driver’s license with you?

Her: No, I don’t have it.

Me: Okay, well, I can’t take this check.

Her: It’s got a Y-number on it.

Then, the customer started screaming.

Me: I know. I can’t take the check if it has a Y-number; I can only check if it has an X-number.

Her: Every other cashier always has.

Me: They shouldn’t have. I’d lose my job if I took this. (That was my go-to answer to someone trying to pull this on me.)

Her: (starts screaming) Then YOU can go put ALL THIS BACK YOURSELF, or you can TAKE MY **** CHECK.

Knowing he was almost done anyway, he yelled back at the customer.

Now, I’m twenty minutes from being done here. The managers love me, they think I’m funny, and they’re actually not happy I’m leaving. So, I figure, well, let’s just have some fun with this.

So, I whip off my vest, throw it on the floor, and scream back.

Me: DON’T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, I QUIT!

Luckily, the manager was very amused.

I storm off to the office, take a seat, and one of the managers looks at me, confused. I ask him to go out and talk to the woman at register 2, who’s still standing there with her mouth hanging open.

He came back a few minutes later, smiling.

Me: How’d that go?

Manager: Well, I told her you were right, and that she had just cost my best cashier.

Nice! The look on this woman’s face must’ve been priceless.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit have to say about what he did here.

This person wanted to do something similar.

According to this reader, some people don’t even bring a license when buying a car.

Here’s someone who drew pictures on their last shift.

As this comment points out, leaving home without an ID is never a good idea.

This was so well played! Let’s all hope she learned an important lesson in the process.

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.