Over the course of the last two years, we've seen just how crucial shop workers are to keeping life going as normal - and we've also seen how they very often don't get the credit they deserve.
People working as cashiers in supermarkets and discount shops are often faced with disgruntled customers, and anyone who has worked a retail job knows exactly how tough it is.
But thanks to one woman on TikTok, those of us who don't work in these positions can now see what it's like firsthand, as former Wilko employee Holly Laing has dedicated her account to sharing the funniest and most irritating customer interactions she's had while on the clock.
Posting on her account @holly_laing, the experienced shop-floor worker revealed her biggest pet peeve when it comes to customers is the number of mistakes they make while paying - and one particular incident saw her running after someone who had walked out before their payment was processed.
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Holly revealed the introduction of contactless payments has become a nightmare for cashiers, as people will tap their card and begin walking away before the till has accepted their payment - which can lead to complicated matters if their card is declined.
Acting out the experience in one video, Holly told the fictional customer that their shopping came to £20, and the shopper - who was also played by Holly in the sketch - said: "Right cheers. Contactless? Thanks."
After tapping their card, the customer walked out of the store, leaving Holly to chase after them to get them to come back and try to pay again.
She said: "Hey sir? Excuse me, sir?! You didn't pay properly, it didn't go through. Do you want to just put your card in the machine this time?"
Holly's videos have also touched on how annoying it is when customers attempt to hand cashiers their card to pay instead of just using the pin-pad themselves, as well as a more recent pet peeve that has arisen since the Covid-19 pandemic, with people being warier than ever about using cash.
The woman explained in another clip that when customers do decide to use cash, they sometimes ask the cashier to put the change directly into their wallet because they "don't want to touch it".
Impersonating the customer, Holly said in her video: "Oh ... would you mind just putting it back in [my wallet]? I just don't want to touch it."
To which Holly then fumed: "Don't pay with cash if you don’t wanna touch it!"
Holly's videos have been resonating with her 886,000 followers, and many commenters who also work in the service industry shared their own irritating interactions with customers.
One person said: "The worst thing is when you ask them to insert their card the second time but they tap anyway and (shocker) it doesn’t work."
While another added: "Someone sneezed in their hand then used that same hand to give me the money..."
And someone else posted: "I once had to chase after a customer and he went into another shop."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
