"Exchange cash in convenience store"
Today, while I was really very busy working at a convenience store, I encountered something which is incredibly frustrating.
A middle-aged woman, **not buying anything, not even queuing**, just walk to the cashier desk,
simply placed a **NT$1500 bill** on the register and said,
“Give me fifteen NT$100 bills.”
I hesitated for a moment, then said softly,
“I am sorry, but we do not exchange money here.”
Her face immediately darkened:
“Can you just exchange it without speaking any nonsense to save time? The service industry these days is so rude!”
I genuinely thought I misheard.
I tried to calmly explain:
“The cash register is for giving change to people who had really bought things from our shop, not for exchanging money to people who buy nothing from our shop.”
She scoffed:
“Are you not supposed to be in service? You can not even handle this little task?”
At that moment, I really snapped.
Since when have convenience stores become banks and have to exchange cash for outsiders who never buy any thing?
Since when have store clerks been forced to agree to everything?
Just then, a young man in the queue behind me spoke up to her:
“This is a convenience store, not a bank. Convenience stores sell things, they do not do everything for free. If you want to exchange money, go to a bank or a post office.”
His voice was not loud, but it was incredibly clear, every word hitting her right in the heart.
The woman's face instantly turned bright red,
she could not object him, she did not say any word, she glared at me, and she walked away.
I stood behind the checkout counter, letting out a sigh of relief.
Is standing all day tiring?
Is it tough when it is busy?
Actually, it is not too bad.
**The most tiring thing is encountering these people who take things for granted and act superior.**
People who are not there to buy, but to order others around.
People who are not there to receive service, but to demand obedience.
Strangely enough, the people who always step forward to help me are often **strangers who patiently wait in line.**
When the young man paid,
he smiled slightly and said to me,
"Thank you for your hard work."
Those three words alone lightened most of my fatigue from the entire day.
I suddenly understood: True service is not about "listening to every word or listen to every thing which other people say" .
It is about "treating each other as human beings" .
We have the right to refuse; we do not have to bow down to any unreasonable people.
Convenience stores are not banks, and the clerks are not servants.
It is such a simple truth, yet so many adults do not even understand it.
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