Convenience Store Employees Admit The Bizarre Item Combinations Customers Have Bought
Being a cashier is already slightly uncomfortable.
But watching customers purchase some odd/interesting items back to back can make it that much worse...
Reddit user wanderingherpes asked:
Cashiers, what is the weirdest combination of items that you have seen someone purchase?
Here are some of the answers.
Um...
I was working at a store that sold used entertainment items (books, DVDs, that kind of thing). We also had a cabinet of porn. One night this little old lady comes up to my register with a stack of items. Now, to fully appreciate this story, please picture the sweetest most stereotypical grandma your brain can conjure. That is what this woman looked like. Her stack of items were mostly scrapbooking and crafting magazines, but shoved in the middle of the stack was a DVD called "She-Male Blowjobs 6." It was so hard not to die laughing. Senorita_Sativa
Don't Follow Me...
I recently went to Walmart to buy things for my work. While checking out I realized I had six rolls of electrical tape and 3 gallons of bleach, and nothing else because they didn't have what we needed.
I work at a karate studio, we clean with bleach and use tape as stripes for the belts, but I'm pretty sure the cashier thought I was killing someone that night... makethatnoise
Like Clockwork
There was this guy that came in everyday and bought a liter of Jack Daniels, a 2 liter bottle of coca-cola, a box of condoms, and a 10 pack of blank CD-R discs. PeanutButterOnBread
Turkey Lurkey Time
Our Shop rite gives you a free Turkey if you buy 400$ of sh*t before 11/26. So what people do is buy cartloads of crap and then return it after they get their turkey. One dude bought 400$ worth of condoms and returned them as a joke. Management wasn't too amused but the returns guy was crying with laughter when he saw the cart. skywardsword596
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other
Not a cashier, but I was standing in line watching a guy at the cash register buy a stuffed animal, a box of crayons and a coloring book. And a bottle of lube. Lechubbybunny
Bakery Blues
I have two.
First of all, when I worked at Kmart as a cashier, I had this lovely, adorable little old couple come through my line. They were looking in each other's eyes and hugging, holding hands, just completely in love. They happily placed a larger bottle of KY jelly on the counter and a box of light bulbs, this was before we had the hologen and LED bulbs. I rang them up, thinking to myself that this was a weird order. She kept looking up at her man, smiling and giggling and he had his arm around her shoulders. I gave them their receipt and watched them leave. It was.. interesting to say the least.
The second, I had moved on to Kroger and was working in the bakery. I had a group of three guys in sport coats come in late Sunday night and hand me a frozen Oreo cake. I was trained to write on cakes at that point and i figured they just wanted Happy Birthday or something on it. No. They wanted me to put a phallic symbol (that's how they phrased it) on the cake. I asked them for ideas and we ended up puling the Oreo off the top of the cake and splitting it in half for the balls. I used chocolate icing to draw a shaft, a M&M for the tip and some Oreo crumbles for hair. I still wonder what the lady at the register thought of that cake. Kyttengyrl
Cornshine
When I was in high school I was a cashier at a local grocery store. I had one particularly awkward experience working there. One night just before close a man came through my line and put down two husked ears of corn, a bottle of lube, and a newspaper. Veruka
I'm Alive
I once bought a hammer, industrial strength bin bags and rope from a discount store. The cashier looked at me like she was completely dead inside, probably from working in a discount store. KingLeonidatass
That Pesky Duct Tape
Can of tomatoes, onions, peppers, stock cubes, chicken, and condoms. No biggie right? Guy clearly had a romantic dinner planned and was hoping to get lucky? Well the duct tape alarmed me a little.
EDIT I just remembered the guy who was the absolute spitting image of Santa Claus, buying two bottles of bourbon and a four pack of caramel Wispas. I was so tempted to say "do you need a receipt for this, Mr. Claus?" Volfgang91
Baker's Dozen
I worked in a mall bookstore about ten years ago. Every month, this nice middle-aged guy would come in and buy one of each of the porn magazines we sold and a single computer magazine. So, a baker's dozen of porn magazines and a computer magazine ... rubyfisch
Stuffing
Late to the game, but I'll add.
I worked at a store that sold those fake boobs that you'd put in your bra to make your bust bigger. They were sold in different sizes and kind of looked like uncooked chicken breasts. Anyway, I had an older guy (maybe 60) buy two sets, a size B and a size C. Okaaay. fujiko_chan
Y.I.K.E.S.
Toilet plunger, Lube, and non-slip sneakers. It was hard to look him in the eye... Jsdestroy
The Candyman Can
At a candy store: our entire stock of maple syrup (like $200 worth) and one single piece of taffy, which he tried to return. Zouea
Up All Night
I was opening one Saturday morning. The first customer of the day was a gal, probably around 50. She smelled like she was a heavy cigarette smoker, also smelled a bit like stale beer. She wanted to buy a single beer. She was looking like she might have been up all night and was waiting for the store to open to come in and get one more beer. The interesting thing is that she tried to pay for it with foreign currency. Not Canadian money or pesos, but what looked like money from an African country. I said, sorry ma'am we can't accept foreign currency for alcohol. It must have been the only money she had and was just hoping it would work somehow. coryandtrevorforever
No Not These
Condoms, then realise he didn't want them and went to put them back. Came back with rubber bands and cling film. Vods
Does This Work?
Box of donuts, box of donut holes, and glue. _ampere
Straight Up Mess
A 60+ middle class lady brought a bottle of gin, an Eton mess, ribbed condoms and a lottery ticket. (Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries or bananas, pieces of meringue, and cream, which is traditionally served at Eton College's annual cricket game against the pupils of Harrow School.) hkh25
GIPHY
Thinking...
2 litre bottle of coke, a cucumber and latex gloves....that got me thinking for a while. Blitzphoenix12
Remember, Remember
Two young men bought two $80 electronic penis strokers and two V for Vendetta masks. Not all that weird for where I work, but they said it was for a prank on a friend. Barrel_Monkeys
Awkfest
So, when my friends and I were 15~ years old we gifted our friend a dildo for his birthday as a joke and it cost like 5 dollars, we ordered it online so not much hassle. But then it was my birthday and he wanted to do the same thing, so he asked his dad to go and buy it at the store because he was too young, so his dad walks out of the store with a 50 dollar thing that's like a condom but it's made of silicone and supposed to make your penis feel bigger. We still don't know why he bought that thing, probably because he was too embarassed to buy a dildo. walrusgoz
For The Doggies
I used to manage a dog daycare in southern California. We went through about a dozen bottles of bleach a week, so I'd sometimes buy as much as a flat (a dozen cases) at a time, if the price were right and I had storage space available. People give you very weird looks when you buy too much bleach all at once.
I quickly learned it was best to wear my work shirt with the daycare's name and logo. When questioned, I'd just point to the dog picture and make a comment about how much of a mess dogs make. archonsengine
Interesting
Twice, I've come across a guy who bought a ridiculous amount of enemas, laxatives, and ice cream. [deleted]
Going For A Jump
Condoms, bleach, and two bungee cords. _PM_ME_YOUR_NIPPLES
Bedknobs And...Hey...
He bought a broomstick and a box of condoms. Fourteen year old me felt pretty uncomfortable. PloverLover
Mexiconfusing
lube, duct tape, taco shells. mrsladyperson
At Least You're Honest
To be honest, my own order.
Ever since starting work at Taco Bell, I've found the potato bites are the sh*t. As are chalupas, the chicken, and pretty much everything else.
But nobody seems to grasp that if you ask for it, we'll probably make it for you. I personally always order something along the lines of a chicken quesadilla with Fritos chips, extra 3 cheese blend cheese, add nacho cheese, add bacon, add potatoes.
This has recently been made a thing through our new Boss Wraps. Which makes me happy. romannumbers96
Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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When we first meet someone–whether through mutual friends, at school, or in a new work setting–we generally feel people out to determine if they're worth getting to know.
While the process could take time, some people make our jobs much easier after spotting instant red flags.
Curious to hear about our general radar of people, Redditor xxFluffie asked:
"What is something that makes you immediately dislike someone?"

Some people just think they are absolutely hilarious and never realize they're the only ones laughing.
Next In Line
"They laugh about having screwed someone else over. If you think you're not next, well, you'll learn."
– whiznat
Unfunny
"when you mention you don't like a thing and they immediately do that thing 'as a joke.'"
– wayfinder
Playing Devil's Advocate
"Kneejerk contrarians. People who, no matter what you say you like or believe, just have to dismiss it and say they like or think the opposite."
– BubbhaJebus
People who put others down get slammed here.
Bad Parents
"When they treat their kids sh**ty in public. I don't mean handling tantrums, setting a rule, having to hurry to the train etc. I mean perfectly normal-behaved kids getting in trouble for trailing along peacefully, looking at things, asking questions etc."
"If you don't like tiny humans who learn the world, why have them??"
– raxeira-etterath
Public Humiliation
"Treating people sh**ty in public for laughs. Like being rude to service workers because they think it’s funny. Big red flag."
– Ok_Personality_1080
Simply Uncalled For
"Someone who is a d*ck to other people or animals for no reason."
– xebt1000
Those with ulterior motives rubs people the wrong way.
The Scheme
"If they try to get me to join their MLM scheme."
– spazmcgee1
Hard Sell
"A guy I used to be friends with in high school reached out a couple of years after graduating about a business opportunity he wanted my opinion on because 'you've always been smart', then he set up a Skype call and brought some other dude into the call and they started trying to sell me on what was clearly an MLM scheme. The guy went from friend to 'I'm never talking to you again' in a matter of 10 minutes."
– Mental-Afternoon-164
A Timeline
"Good gawd, this! I've had more than one exposure to this abject bullsh**tery..."
- Back in the late 80's/early 90's I was invited to a meeting of literally the OG "Pyramid" where you're recruited to pay in, and then you go out and recruit others to pay in, and the last in line got f'kall.
- In 1995 I had a coworker try to reel me into Amway, which was a hard no.
- In 2000 it was Pampered Chef, though to be fair they did have useful products.
- In 2009 a coworker tried to get me into some stupid video calling service that was obviously stupid from the description. He even got offended when I called bullsh*t.
– Mystical_Cat
Too much ego is a no-go.
I Can Do Better
"Being a b*tch just to stroke their own ego."
"We get it, you can lift 5lbs more than the 12 year old, you don't have to rub it in their face just because you're slightly better"
– Livia_Pivia
Can't Top This
"Oh, you did <story that's been told>? That's nothing! I did <implausible story>.
"I get the whole empathy through relating common experience, and I'm someone who does that (which drives some people crazy on its own), but there's a big different by empathising through common experience, and one-upmanship."
– Tisarwat
Lacking Conversational Etiquette
"Starting to talk over me when I was already talking."
"Stop it you rude, arrogant jerk."
– R33Gtst
If one or more of these traits sound familiar to you, you're not alone.
We don't have time for braggadocios, pyramid-schemers, and conversation interrupters.
And that's just for starters.
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Children tend to believe just about anything they hear.
That there are monsters under your bed, watching too much TV will make your head explode, and silly faces will be permanent if you make them too often.
The sky is truly the limit when it comes to silly things that children will believe.
Some call it naivitée, other's youthful innocence.
But it's hard not to look back with embarrassment on certain things we believed as a child, that today might simply seem dumb.
Redditor Disastrous_Toe_6548 was curious to learn the multitude of silly things people believed when they were children, leading them to ask:
"What's the dumbest thing you believed as a kid?"
Pleading to deaf ears...
"My dad told me he had hearing loss and couldn't hear me if I whined because my pitch would get too high."
"Would completely ignore me until I asked him questions in a normal voice."
"Trusted him implicitly until I was 12 and he yelled at my younger brother for whining."- Tyrion_Stark.
Get it while you can.
"That they took everything off the shelves when the supermarket closed."- fgyfddg.
Silly superstitions.
"My grandfather used to tell me that if I played with the fire, I'd pee the bed."
"I believed him for a while, until I got older."
"I think he was just trying to protect me from the fire."- teddypa1981.
"Rain, rain go away..."
"That if it was raining where I was, it was raining everywhere in the world."- morningshartz.
Age is just a number.
"My parents used to seem really old to me, so much so I believed they grew up like cave people as children, wearing giant leaves for clothes and what not."- Laleena_.
So that's how they're made!
"That smokestacks from the power plant created clouds."- Scaniarix.
An instant cure.
"The sun gives you sunburns, therefore, moonlight should heal them."- velocipeter.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't drink and drive meant all drinks."
"My dad was super confused when I told him he wasn't allowed to have any soda until we got home."- hulagirlslovetoparty.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
"There was an episode of Mickey Mouse where Mickey couldn’t reach something at first, so he tried again and somehow his arm was long enough to reach it."
"As a small kid I believed that if I couldn’t reach something, I should just try reaching for it again and my arm would then somehow be long enough to reach it."- That-Dutch-Person.
The miracle of childbirth.
"That babies are pooped out."
"When I was like 7 I was listening to my aunt as she explained that childbirth was pretty intense and painful for her, and I was all solemnly like, 'yeah, sometimes just my poops are painful, I don’t think I could get a baby out' and she went 'um, WHAT?' and her reaction made me realize real quick that I had f*cked up somewhere and I tried to change the subject while my mind was just reeling lol."- thesoundingfurrows.
Oh to be a child again.
And to believe literally everything you're told.
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