Cashiers see thousands of purchases every week, but when we surveyed them, these were the items they said are hardest not to judge.
Last-minute diet products
Cashiers get confused when they see a shopping cart full of junk food with one diet shake or weight-loss pill added to the purchase. Was that a healthy impulse item thrown in there to compensate for all the bad stuff, or is the customer following a diet that they haven’t started quite yet?
Whatever the reason may be, when these extremes are brought together in one transaction, it just feels ironic.
Massive energy drink hauls
While buying one energy drink is completely understandable, buying an entire case at once might cause the cashier to question how little sleep the buyer is getting.
Bulk purchases will often leave the cashier wondering if the consumer has an extremely long workday, a study binge, or maybe even a gaming session coming up.
Relationship apology bundles
Flowers, candy, a sorry card, and maybe a bottle of wine all bought at once can speak volumes.
Cashiers see these purchases enough to know someone is apologizing for doing something wrong or trying to avoid conflict after a fight. They may never know the details, but they usually have ideas, judging by how frantic the buyer is.
One banana
Few purchases strike cashiers as more bizarre than a banana. Even when it’s thrown into a cart full of dozens of items worth hundreds of dollars, the banana stands out.
It’s the most peculiar item because it’s so specific. Cashiers wonder why someone needed exactly one banana and no more.
Laxatives
Laxatives are probably the most embarrassing purchases customers make. Cashiers try to act professionally, but they tend to remember these transactions.
Nine times out of ten, the customer looks ashamed before they are scanned because digestive problems are never something people want to publicize.
Embarrassing combinations
Some item combinations are just curious. Cold medicine, tissues, ice cream and multiple bags of chips imply that someone is having a crappy week or just feeling sick and stressed out simultaneously.
While none of these items are weird on their own, together they usually present a story that cashiers might notice.
December shopping
There is something about people who come rushing into the store on Christmas Eve to purchase everything at once.
Odds and ends of candles, gift cards, chocolates and wrapping paper say, “I waited until the last minute!” every time. Cashiers deal with this frantic sight every year, so they know it instantly.
Huge lottery purchases
Most people buy a ticket or two. Lottery players who buy giant rolls of tickets sometimes leave cashiers baffled as to whether they’re just really optimistic, trying to win big or if they just love the game.
Whichever the case may be, it always seems memorable because of the time it takes and the sheer volume.
Fifty identical items
Whether it’s canned soup, ramen noodles or frozen pizza, purchasing excessive amounts of one thing tends to raise suspicion. Cashiers wonder if you’re prepping for the apocalypse, having a party, or are obsessed with that item. Buying so much of the same thing is hard to ignore.
Pregnancy tests
Buying a pregnancy test is totally normal, but interesting because anyone can wonder simply because it’s such a life-changing possibility for customers.
Cashiers can glance at the customer and wonder what gender excites them, how nervous they are about telling their spouse, or how nonchalant the buyer is about purchasing one. Either way, there’s always a story behind buying one.
Obviously forgotten essentials
There’s a story behind every customer who walks into the store late at night to buy toilet paper, batteries, diapers or a phone charger. It doesn’t take words.
They just ran out at the worst time possible and suddenly remembered. Cashiers see it all the time and know immediately.
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