musings of a cashier and a peek through the facade separating customer and employee: a catalog of many moments

15 Sep, 2023

foreword ✦

im a cashier - the apron and nametag i wear 4 days a week define this clearly. customers greet me, unload their groceries, you know the drill. though sometimes, someone will break this script placed on us by forces unknown... and in that moment i am no longer cashier, and they, customer; we both become humans removed from label.

i figured i would catalog a few special simple moments for you reading this and hopefully youll find comfort in these musings¹. maybe you'll even break the script next time you find yourself talking to your favorite cashier. with this, i hope you can put yourself in my place and admire these sparkles of human connection.

cookie

"if your days are bad and looking worse"

a woman says as she walks up to the register

"keep a cookie... in your purse!"

she lays two oatmeal raisin cookies on the conveyor belt

22222

a woman hands me two muffins to scan

total: 2.02

"two o' two" she remarks

girls are scary

a girl that works at the brewery across the street came in for her usual tea and celcius, but today she spoke to me past my facade of 'cashier' for the first time

she asked if the song playing through the overhead speaker was sza

i didnt know so i told her i dont listen to sza

and she asks the dreaded question - "so what kind of music do you listen to?"

my mind blanks and i fumble to tell her the name of my favorite band - repeating their hard-to-pronounce name no less than three times and finally resorting to spelling it out

she leaves with a warm smile and no further words to console me

i scream internally

compulsive liar

a woman on the phone comes up to my register

"hold on, my moms calling - can i let you go? can i call you back?"

she hangs up and completes her purchase with me

this interaction was not in fact a phone call with her mom

hi[iiiiii]

im gathering chairs from the outdoor patio when a little boy walks by with his mom

"hi" he says under his breath

i offer a "hi" back

this time he says, louder, "HEY!"

and i comply with a "HEY!"

he giggles and runs to catch up with his family, repeating "hi hi hi" to himself - toying with the idea that i might keep playing along

play is intrinsic to humanity.

afterword ✦

im drinking a mug of coffee and eating a bagel at 1AM pretending its sunday and im at my favorite diner. i think its time i slam the rest of my bean juice and promptly pass out. i love you all - sleep well for me.

i wrote this in thanks to the customers that reach in and pull me out of the depths of papas pizzeria [Cashier Simulator.] make a point to offer respite to your weary cashiers, we need it.

footnotes ✦

#woof