Liquor Store Diary: Customers That Beg

Liquor stores by nature attract certain types of people. On my first day, the girl training me told me that people will try their best to take advantage of you. I was immediately titillated.I then realized she wasn't talking about something sexy and suddenly I was outraged.

A lot of customers get annoyed when I say that if they don't have the full $6.47 for a pack of Camel Lights, they can't purchase the cigarettes. The concept of shopping is forever lost on some people.At first I felt uncomfortable watching grown men and women beg, but that has turned into an endless source of entertainment.

My second week on the job, a disheveled man in his 50s walked in. His face was ravaged by years of minimum wage jobs and self hatred (and crack). He wanted a fifth of vodka but said he didn't have the money.
"If you don't have the money, you can't buy it. That's how buying stuff works."
He looked hurt.
"Hear me out. I work at Applebee's down the street. I come up here all the time. I'm a real trustworthy guy. I can come back with the money, I'm only a dollar short."

I bit my lip and tried to figure out a polite way to tell this man to fuck off. Maybe if I explained to him that I would have to pay the difference if the money in the cash register was short he would stop. The man interpreted my response as a personal insult to his integrity.
"I am a trustworthy guy, I will pay you back. I promise."
Touché.
"I am not going to sell you anything if you don't have money."
The man nodded and silently grabbed a more expensive bottle. A longing sadness framed his every movement at this point. I felt bad for the guy. That is, until he pulled out a gigantic wad of cash and paid for the bottle. Motherfucker.

Of course begging isn't reserved for middle aged men who've spent most of their lives at the bottom of a bottle. All sorts people beg for discounts. One girl tried to convince me to lower the prices because when she buys from another liquor store, they give her a discount because she's pretty. She was not pretty, so I gave her the insipid girl discount, which is a 15% increase in price.

Drinking and smoking is not a necessity like food or water or online gaming. If you can't afford it, don't do it. If you must insist on doing one or both, then don't go around panhandling at stores.