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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/-QuietlyScrolling- on 2024-01-09 22:35:38.

I work at a large retail bookstore.Besides books, we also sell toys and games for all ages.

Today, I was on cash register when a mom and her little boy walked up to make their purchases. The boy was holding a huge firetruck that made noise and lit up. Mom had absolutely no intention of buying the firetruck but her son grabbed it off the shelf and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was clearly having a rough day and even mentioned not coming back to the store because the toys distracted her son too much.

Usually when this happens, with the parent’s permission I scan the toy, make it look like toy is in the shopping bag, then void it off the transaction. This works best with kids 3 years and under. However, this kid might have been 4 or 5 and was too smart for that trick. So, I suggested to mom that I be the “bad guy” and tell the kid the firetruck had to stay here. Her eyes lit up at the suggestion so I directed my attention to the little boy. I said, “Mr. Firetruck is sick and needs to stay here with me until he feels better, but you can come back another day and take him home.”

The kid seemed to accept that answer, handed me the firetruck and both he and mom left with their other purchases without an outburst. I call that a win.

Edit:

I want to add, I lost count of how many times the mom thanked me after I finished ringing them up. She seemed like a great mom. I hope they come back for Mr. Firetruck someday.