Food for Thinkers: Wait, How Many Cooks Spoil the Broth?

Many people have been a cashier at a business at some point in their lives. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are over three million cashiers working in the country today—and they all have stories. If you've ever worked behind the register, you might have some stories, too. Annoying stories about customers who irritated you, yelled at you, or were just jerks. Or positive stories like the time a customer bought you a coffee or offered a, “Have a nice day!” every time they showed up. Then, there's the other category: the odd stories.

For every hundred stories of an angry customer that brought an expired coupon or a customer that kindly bought the groceries of the person in line behind them, there is one bizarre tale from the world behind the counter. It could be a case of an odd but happy happenstance, over-the-top bad customers, acts of heroism, or just plain weird interactions that aren’t typically a part of a cashier’s day-to-day experience.