Two tales of interest and possibly amusment.

I've had a few interesting experiences in the last several days. One of which, was yesterday.

I got called into the manager's office in the early afternoon over a customer complaint. This is the first one about me that I am aware of, and to top it off, I'm not even the cashier that initially upset the customer.

Sometime back in late June or early July (after my vacation and shortly after Father's day) there was an older man (I was told he was 71) at the self check out register. I was passing by, on my way to do something else, possibly get breaks going, or check to see who was coming in, but certainly not just passing idly by. Anyway, as I'm passing one of my cashiers 'K' waves me over. I stop in mid-step and turn to her, and ask her what she needs.

The older man is standing at her counter looking annoyed, and she is giving me that helpless deer-in-the-headlights look she is prone towards. It may well have been a well earned look of confusion or being overwhelmed, I can't say, because I barely remember the incident.

The customer has just used the last of his gift card, and as our registers prompt us to do, K took the empty card and slid it under the drawer of her register. The customer is demanding the card back.

I explained that our policy is to collect the cards upon them being used up, and that bookkeeping processes them at the end of business day.

The customer argues that the transaction is complete so the card is already processed, and he wants it back. He then begins SCREAMING in our faces that the card is HIS property, and it was bought especially for him and he wants HIS property BACK.

So I inwardly rolled my eyes and quirked a brow, but put on my customer service smile and retrieved the card from the register, handing it back to him. I believe I apologized for the inconvenience and told him to have a nice day.

A few minutes later our manager on duty passed, and I relayed briefly that I'd just had the most bewildering interaction with a customer demanding his used up giftcard back. I told her that I'd given it to him, and left it at that.

Fast forward to yesterday, August 9th. I'm called into the managers office with the store manager, and the manager that happened to be on duty the day of the incident. P, the store manager tells me that I'm there for because a customer wrote a 5 page complaint about me.

He asked me if I remember the incident in question and after he said it was about an older man wanting his gift card back, I turned to the other manager and blurted "I TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS WHEN IT HAPPENED!". She barely remembered it too, and certainly it didn't ping either of our This Customer Might Be Crazy radars. Cause he didn't go into all that detail at the time. He just stood there looking furious and screaming about how the card was HIS and he wanted it back.

This guy, apparently wrote five pages, at least a month after the fact, about how I was an aggressive, rude person, who probably kicks puppies in my spare time. He didn't actually say that part, but I wasn't given the chance to read the complaint so for all I know he did. He goes on for five pages about how I am a jerk, and unfeeling, and I don't understand his plight.

He wrote a story about how the gift card was a special present from his grandson who is differently-abled and saved up to buy this card for "Pappy" and how he went on and on about Pappy's special gift card, and the card was an heirloom to be treasured etc.

This guy didn't tell me even half this story when I initially told him we don't give back used up cards. We collect them because the computer tells us to. If you shop at the Home Depot, and you use up a gift card, our register says "Please collect card". It's not a plot to persecute you, I promise.

And I GAVE the crazy old man his card back, so I don't know why he felt the need to write a 5 page letter, call my store manager (who explained that I was going with store policy) and THEN apparently write another letter and send that straight to corporate. What. The. Hell.

I was told to write my statement regarding the event, to which I responded "I've been on vicodin the last week because of my impending root canal. I barely remember the events of this week, let alone this event which happened like a month ago." I did write what I could remember but I'm still baffled.



And in less crazy events, something that amused me greatly happened today before work. Osaka has been babysitting some kids who are connected to a friend of Pherret's, on and off for a few weeks. They are two boys about Ringo's age, one of whom is also ADHD like Ringo, and unmedicated, unlike Ringo. They're sweet boys, with pretty good manners, and they get on well with Ringo.

Well today I was sitting on the sofa in conversation with the older boy, who has been using male pronouns for me, when the younger one interrupts and says "She".

Older boy looks at him with a questioning expression, and says "No, clearly a he, I mean just listen to his voice." and gestures towards me.

The younger one eyes me skeptically and says "I don't know, I can't put a finger on it but I think she's a she."

Older boy gives his brother a quirked brow and responds "Then why did Ringo's mom say HE had to go to work later? Hmm? He's obviously a he."

Younger boy turns to me "You're a she right?"

"Nope, I'm a he." I respond, smiling.

He looks from me to his brother and starts shaking his head, "I don't know.."

Older boy says "See! I told you. You're just being dumb."

Osaka says the debate continued even after I left for work. I was very amused, and a bit delighted, because the older boy used male pronouns from the start when he saw me. It wasn't like anyone was making a big deal over it, or emphasising. I don't correct pronouns in the house because it's not usually a big deal and I know it takes a long time to adjust. Osaka is great about it, Pherret is 50/50, and Ringo just doesn't seem to notice or care, and that's just fine.

So my point is, I've never made a point in front of these boys about establishing that I am male. I just woke up the first morning he (the older of the two boys) was over, and rolled out to the living room and greeted the boys as I was getting ready for work. I'm still pre-surgery and everything, so it's purely from whatever changes I've got going on. Osaka says my voice is pretty deep now, and with the physical changes subtle as they may be, it's enough that I pass about 50% of the time.

I am about a year on testosterone now so it makes sense that I would start getting some people (correctly) assuming male without my having to say anything now, even taking into account my chest. People seem to chalk it up to me being kind of a heavy person.