Retail Horror Stories!

If you work in retail, you know that there are random things that can happen. My first retail job was as a cashier when I was 18 years old. It was a horrifying experience. Here are some terrifying moments I experienced working retail for the first time.

Catching My First Counterfeit

I vividly remember when I caught my first counterfeit. It was around 10 p.m. when a woman came to my register with a couple of items to buy. I rang everything up, totaled her the amount, and then she hands me a $100 bill. It looked fishy. After scrutinizing the bill I paged for a supervisor and the customer said, “I’ll give you a $20 instead.” I told her I was having complications with my register opening. Her facial features look liked she was content with my answer. Little did she know I was buying time because I caught her counterfeit! The supervisor arrives and I give him the counterfeit. He tells the customer it’s not a legitimate bill, therefore we cannot accept this and we can’t give it back. The women cooperated and said she doesn’t want the sheriff to be contacted for a fake bill. Distinguishing between fake and real money is hard and it’s a skill learned through practice. Always check your money!

My First Mental Breakdown at Work

When I first started working I lacked confidence as a cashier. So naturally, within a week, I started working at the front end as a cashier. A woman was in line with her children and she had a bad attitude with me. She tells me that the price that was rung up was wrong and she wants the item for the price she found it in. I told her I need approval from the manager and she became aggressive. She began shouting in profanities and insulting me. After she paid and left the store, I started crying. I couldn’t stop the tears. A manager saw me being emotional, so she excused me and let me have a moment to cry and refresh. I cannot forget this story because it was my first breakdown at work. After this terrible experience, I had time to myself to reflect on the situation and move on from this experience. I can’t change the past, but I can move forward and learn from it. Don’t let negative people ruin your day!

The Time I Caught a Thief

Another crazy thing I experienced was the time I stopped a shoplifter. A few months back I was working late shifts. My manager asked me to go to the self-checkout to supervise and assist the customers. There was a couple who had a cart full of expensive merchandise including an electric toy car. This couple looked sketchy. They completed the transaction but I approach them when I realized they didn’t ring up the toy car. I asked if they needed help but the girlfriend instantly gave me an attitude and had a rude tone towards me. I left them alone and after a few moments I saw the guy try to pay but he still hadn’t rung up the big item. I told him that he hadn’t rung up the item. He tried to act all smart but I indicated to the screen that the item is nowhere to be seen. He finally rung up the item after wasting so much time. That was the time I caught someone trying to steal.

Throughout my time of working in retail, I’ve had some ups and downs. From having my first breakdown in front of my coworkers to stopping a shoplifter. Everyone should experience working in retail at least once in their lifetime to understand what it’s like. Maybe then people would be more considerate and less problematic towards those working in this field.