Have you had any memorable encounters with a cashier who was rude, or short-tempered? If so, how did the situation play out? Were you rude back, or did you just ignore it?

As you give so shall you receive

One of the clerks at the 7-11 I buy the paper at most mornings isn't exactly rude. He just doesn't smile or say anything. I figure it's:

A. He was a doctor or physics professor, etc., in his native land and working in a convenience store is the only job he could get in this country.
B. He's a terrorist who can just barely conceal his disgust for me and my country.
C. He's just a sullen asshole.
D. All of the above.

ALL THE TIME. A lot of people, especially out-of-towners, have noted that customer service around here is non-existent.

Most memorable goes to the bitch working at Victoria's Secret some odd years ago....it was before the economic downturn so I'm sure she was pissed because she was 40 working a cash register at Victoria's Secret. Sure, I was returning a bag full of items worth almost $100 (sales binge), but not only did this bitch accuse me of STEALING everything (with a receipt), she also refused to call the customer service line to verify that it was paid for on my store card (as the receipt indicated), nor did she let me use the store phone to call for myself! Normally I just act towards them how they act towards me, but this was the one time where I had to curse someone out to make them do their job properly!

Sure most of the time I just ignore them.

I have a theory that for the most part, the cashiers and other customer service people who are the most happy in their jobs treat their customers the nicest. Those employees who are treated badly may take it out on their customers.

I have shopped in stores where the employers notoriously treat their help badly and I think this reflects the way the employees treat their customers. The happiest employees treat their customers well and have a good attitude.

Minerva wrote:

I have a theory that for the most part, the cashiers and other customer service people who are the most happy in their jobs treat their customers the nicest. Those employees who are treated badly may take it out on their customers.

I have shopped in stores where the employers notoriously treat their help badly and I think this reflects the way the employees treat their customers. The happiest employees treat their customers well and have a good attitude.

I agree. Even if I had a BS job, if I was happy with my boss I was a happier employee, and therefore able to give my best work. I change bosses about once a year at my job, and my best year was with a boss who treated us with respect and made our group like family. Meanwhile, my other bosses would have been lucky to get spit out of me if they were on fire, and my performance showed that.