1: Know what you want.

This applies the most to when there is a rush, but if there is someone waiting behind you, and you don’t even know what you want then please be courteous, and stand to the side. I don’t have time to stare at you staring at the menu.

2: Don’t change your mind.

This goes along with number one. If I am standing at the register and you change your mind at that point, then it’s perfectly fine, but if I’ve already put something in the oven, or have already rung you up then you have ruined any chances of us ever being friends. Seriously, this means I now have to set aside whatever it is you don’t want anymore (if it’s a drink, or something cooked) and hope someone else will come along wanting the same thing. It also means the till has the wrong amount on it, and I have to write up an “over ring.”

3: Leaving the counter.

Say you ask for some nachos, a pizza, and a water. I leave momentarily to gather these items, come back, and you have left the counter without telling me, to go doddle around somewhere. This is perfectly fine if we are not busy, and you tell me you are going to pay after the pizza is cooked, but unfortunately we are busy, so now I have to flag you down by yelling, “Ma’am!” or, “Sir!” which turns several other heads, who are also waiting for something, who have already payed. If you wait to pay then you’ll have to get in the line again and wait, or you’ll do what some people do, and shove your way to the front because your pizza being ready means you have cash register seniority, right? No! (Especially don’t do this and then tell me you want something else).

4: Sending in your kids.

I love kids. Kids are great, but if your kid has no concept of money, please don’t send them in alone.

“I want Whoppers, a pizza, and a large drink,” Says the five-year-old.

“Alrighty, that’ll be $14.50,” I say as I ring up the amount.

“Here,” the child hands me a crumpled and disappointing five-dollar bill.

Now I have to write up an “over ring” and break the kid’s heart.

5: Slow Down.

Here is what I hear when you say, “I’ll have four large Cokes, two small Cokes, two large pop-corns, three small pop-corns, a pepperoni pizza, five glow necklaces, a bag of M&M's, a Mike and Ike’s, a licorice rope, Whoppers, and an ice cream.”

I hear, “ice cream,” and a lot of white noise. I’m not a machine people. However, if you want to avoid my continuous, “Can I get you anything else?” You are more than welcome to forewarn me of the upcoming barrage by asking me to be ready with a pen and paper.

6: Take advantage of my advice in #5.

This is annoying:

“I’ll have a large Coke,” Says the customer.

I bring the drink, “Can I get you anything else?”

“I’ll have a large popcorn.”

I bring the popcorn, “Can I get you anything else?”

“I’ll have a licorice rope,”

I bring the rope, “Can I get you anything else?”

“ah…can I get a…” It continues.

Please, I know this somewhat contradicts the last one, but I am capable of remembering more than one item at a time. If you think the order is going to be too long, you can split the order up into reasonable groups, or ask me to write it all down. Otherwise, we are wasting a lot of time, and the phrase, “Can I get you anything else,” Is starting to sound weird.

7: Check the prices, and count your money.

If you are paying for a breakfast for five people, and you get drinks for all of them, then you should expect it to be costly. Especially if it’s at a nice café. It also might help to check the prices, and prepare yourself instead of getting mad at me for “getting the price wrong.” It saves me some time, and prevents you from looking like a jerk, or if there is some concern about the price (because I’m only human) you can ask me nicely to re-calculate. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you treat people with kindness which bring me to #8.

8: Be nice to me.

I am here to serve you, but that does not mean you are allowed to treat me like gum on your shoe. Despite what you might think, the customer is not always right.

I will admit I am not the quickest thinker. Especially when it comes to math. If I make a mistake ringing you up, then I am more than happy to fix it for you with calm organized conversation. What you definitely don’t want to do is this:

“I don’t know where you learned to count, but that is wrong,” The woman says to me in a demeaning tone as she rips the money I’ve been hurriedly counting out of my hands. soft apologies dribble from my mouth as I try to explain to her that I don’t usually run the till, and this particular register is complicated. She orders me to take out a twenty. I do.

“Here,” She shoves some money at me, “This is what I owe you, and this is what you owe me!” She walks away haughtily, thinking she has just taught another dumbo a valuable lesson about customer service, but what she has really done is shattered my self-confidence even further by reminding me of how inadequate, clumsy, and stupid I can be. Though I am encouraged by my co-workers, I go the rest of the day trying not to cry into the other customer’s sandwiches.

Please, as a customer try to be understanding of the stressfulness of the job as well as the strengths and weaknesses of other people. Again, I am more than willing to calmly sort problems out with you. Don’t treat me like less of a person, and ruin my day just because you’re having a bad day. You never know what someone’s breaking point might be.

9: Leave!

If I’m sweeping up, that might be a good indication it’s time to start getting a move on. If it’s ten to twenty minutes till closing do not ask for anything more than a drink, or something we can just grab from a shelf. We want to go home.

10: Make my life easy.

You don’t have to do this, but a huge mess on the table is not my favorite thing in the world. It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to stack the dishes with all the trash and silverware on the top, stack the cups together, and wipe anything particularly gross off the table. Seeing this extra bit of kindness makes my day and my work a little bit better.