Teen cashier delivers perfect clapback to rude customer after she insulted her co-worker

Rude customers can be frustrating to work with, but this teen cashier was not going to let it slide. When a customer made fun of her co-worker using a calculator to do her math, the teen cashier (u/SryInOtherRealities) decided to teach her a lesson with the perfect clapback she deserved. Sharing the story on December 9 on Reddit, the post quickly amassed over 2,000 upvotes.

Nineteen-year-old u/SryInOtherRealities works as a cashier at a local grocery store in a small city. While rude customers are not new to her, one customer, named Mary, consistently irritated the workers. She always pays in cash to avoid new credit card fees and sometimes gives extra change, which forces staff to recalculate her refund. "It's annoying and a whole process, but whatever, the customer is always right, I guess," the young cashier wrote. However, one particular incident led her to her breaking point. Her co-worker, who struggled with dyscalculia and was usually slower in math, pulled out her calculator when Mary was at the checkout. "Mary then comments, 'That's the problem with this generation. You younger generations don't know how to do math anymore.'" The said comment from the customer did not sit well with the author, who was angry at her for insulting her co-worker.

"I was fuming but kept my best customer service face and just waited until she left to lose my cool. I kept replaying the moment in my head and kept thinking of what I could've done when finally it hit me." To teach her a lesson, when Mary came to the store the next time, the teen cashier decided to check her out. As she asked for change, the cashier pulled out the calculator like her co-worker and heard Mary make the same snarky remark. "I put on the best acting performance of my LIFE and said, 'I suppose that's what happens when you have a brain tumor.' Mary went PALE. I pretended to hold back tears as I gave her back her change and watched her leave," she wrote.

A 2019 study by Valentina Sommovigo found that exposure to customer incivility increases stress and reduces overall well‑being among employees. The study also noted that such behavior can affect mental health, increase stress, and degrade job performance among workers. By mocking the co-worker who struggles with math, the customer showcased poor behavior, but was thankfully put in her place, which hopefully helps in changing her attitude towards workers.

Soon after the post went viral, many users hailed the cashier for standing up for her co-worker. u/CatlessBoyMom wrote, "She's a scammer and trying to get someone to mess up and give her cash she shouldn't get. She's pissed because you guys being careful defeats her attempts to confuse you into slipping up. Good job!!!!" u/TackleHefty7676 commented, "'The customer is always right in matters of taste.' Meaning if the customers are buying red shirts, that’s what’s popular. No that they can trample all over everyone and can do no wrong." u/USCDiver5152 wrote, "'This younger generation is stupid because that can't to basic math.' 'This older generation is too slow to get their change out before making a transaction. have a nice day, see you next week.'"

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