I work in retail and there’s a regular customer who comes in almost every day. I’ve worked here for about a year. He’s always polite and so am I, but we’ve never really had much conversation.
The other day he bought his usual things and paid with cash. When I gave him his change, I dropped the coins into the palm of his hand. By “dropped” I mean the change just went from my hand into his palm not from a height or anything, just the normal way you’d pass coins to someone.
As I was doing this I looked away for a second to close the till. Suddenly he took both of his hands and covered the hand I was using to give the change. It completely caught me off guard. He looked at me and said he did that because I’m “always dropping change into people’s hands.”
He said it was rude and offensive, and that people might think I’m doing it because I think their hands are dirty.
Personally, I don’t think I do this in a rude way at all. Even if I did slightly “drop” the change, I thought that was pretty normal. Also, I’d honestly prefer not to make direct contact with strangers’ hands anyway for hygiene reasons. To me it feels more awkward to place the change on the counter and make them pick it up.
What bothered me the most was that instead of just saying something, he grabbed my hand with both of his. I found that really uncomfortable and unnecessary.
So now I’m wondering if I’m overreacting. Is it actually rude to drop change into someone’s hand like that, or was his reaction a bit much?
NTA. What the fuck. This is the best way of doing it and I’m a retail worker. The other options are putting it on the counter (Feels degrading like you said) or like… gently and tenderly caressing it into their hands..?
Dropping change into someone’s hand is a thing. Pressing it into their hand is a bit wierd. Your customer went over and above in making it weird.
Most people don’t want to make unnecessary contact with other people. Placing it on the counter has always seem more rude to me, because then the customer has to pick it up/slide it into their hands.
NTA
NTA.
I’ve never touched someone’s hands to put change in it. They usually cup their hand and then yeah you kind of dump it in lol.
Imagine we touched EVERY hand we gave cash to 🤮
i mean… you ARE supposed to assume everyone has dirty hands, kind of. that’s how you keep yourself and others healthy. what does he want you to do instead, smush your hand into his palm and smear the change into his hand? NTA. he’s weird and creepy.
why do I feel like this is more of him being a creep. I’m assuming OP is female.
yeah I am, genuinely I didn’t think much of him until that interaction today
Yeah, I would just be careful with that guy. If he doesn’t want you dropping it in his hand I would put it on the counter. Him touching you was inappropriate and the fact that he felt that was ok to do is concerning.
Tell him that touching people without their consent is rude and offensive.
NTA.
OP are you by a woman by any chance? This customer is being a creep
yes I am
My solution to this was always putting it on the counter and sliding it to them. Nothing like creeps knowing where you work.
NTA I used to be a checkout chick and I never made contact with others hands. And this was early 00s well before C19 made hygiene top of everyone’s mind. If someone had grabbed my hand like that I would be so uncomfortable
>Suddenly he took both of his hands and covered the hand I was using to give the change.
No no no no no. That is super creepy behavior and might technically assault in some places. Just because you are a service employee does not give anyone the right to touch you. NTA.