Retail Worker Says Customer Didn’t Know $20 Was Less Than $22.93

Consumer disputes aren't uncommon in retail. There have been instances where being wary has helped save shoppers money. Like when Walmart was purportedly caught overcharging for items at checkout, which were marked differently in the store. Or when the Arkansas-based retailer was called out by customers for appending "ghost charges" for items that didn't even exist.

And while it pays for consumers to keep a keen eye on what the final bill of sale on their receipts indicates, there are indeed instances where they aren't being hoodwinked. But rather, they're just not comprehending the nature of the expenditures they accrued.

Which is what TikToker Caroline Mincks (@carolinemincks) says happened at her retail job when a shopper didn't know $22.93 was more than $20. She broke down the infuriating conversation that occurred between her and a specific customer in a viral TikTok that's garnered over 15.1 million views on the popular social media application.

Caroline begins her video by speaking directly into the camera where she breaks down her dialogue with the patron in question. "One time I had a customer whose total came to $22.93. You know how I remember that? Because I said it no fewer than 400 times," she says into the camera.

Despite this repetition, Caroline claimed that the shopper still had a difficult time understanding what the total of their order was. "So we get to the end of the transaction, I say, 'That'll be $22.93.' She hands me a $20 bill. I said OK did you want to put the rest on a card? And she said, 'What rest?'"

It appears that the person had a difficult time understanding $22.93 was more than $20. Caroline continued, and even went so far as to explain how much extra money the patron would need to complete their sale. "I said oh it was $22.93 so I just need $2.93 to finish the transaction. And she said no you owe me $2.93."

Flabbergasted, she spoke to the customer, "And I said, I haven't gotten to the giving you change portion yet. I still need the rest. Do you have like a five? Do you have three more dollar bills? Do you wanna put the rest on a card? You still owe us something. And she was like no, I gave you all you need. I gave you a 20."

Following this, an exchange straight out of Abbott and Costello's playbook, minus the comedy or wit of the situation which is replaced by sheer monetary ignorance, ensued. Caroline went on, "I said yes, but the total was $22.93. And she said yes and I gave you a 20 and I was like uh-huh, I can't understand this for you."

This prompted Caroline to elicit help from a fellow employee. "So I called over a manager, my manager was like how much was the total. And I said $22.93. And she said and I gave a 20. The manager was like we need $2.93 more. This girl goes I don't understand what you're not understanding. And we're like what a coincidence."

"And my manager, I liked her a lot for this. Cause she just sort of didn't wanna back down on this. She really didn't wanna just give the girl the thing. Like, she just didn't wanna like, cut her a break I think," Caroline relayed to her viewers.

"Cause she was just at the end of her rope on this day and you know, fair enough. We all have those moments. Cause my manager looked at her and said if you don't have the $2.93 you're gonna have to put something back. Or we'll just cancel the transaction," the TikToker shared.

According to Caroline, the patron didn't seem too appreciative of this response. "This girl goes I wanna speak to your manager. And we said that's the manager. We called the manager over. This is a manager. And the manager is saying you need to give us $2.93," she said.

Ultimately, it seems that they were able to get the shopper on the same page by engaging in a shared counting exercise. "In the end what got through to her was us going okay 20, 21, 22, and she went oh okay. And fished a five dollar bill out of her purse and handed it right over."

To close out the video, Caroline emitted a low, high-pitched scream, intoning the frustration she presumably experienced as a result of her interaction with the employee.

Have you ever had similarly exhausting talks with customers while you were working in retail?