Something like 3 years ago, the government introduced the Deposit System. I think they got the machines from Sweden, but they were old ones that were being replaced, but can’t recall correctly at the moment. Either way, it’s another headache that gets added to the mix, especially in a country with a drinking problem.

Basically, bottles (plastic and glass), cans and such with the sticker for the deposit machines can be placed in them, as long as they are in good condition, to be shipped away for recycling. With the deposit system, you have to pay extra 10 cents for the bottle/can itself and by putting the item in the machine, you get a coupon back for the same price, so 1 bottle/can 10 cent coupon, 10 bottles/cans 1 euro coupon, etc. I’ve had a mad lass with a 24 euro coupon and a lady with ten coupons with something like 10 euro each, even more and varied over the years.

But the deposit coupon can only be used at the store chain you gave the bottles/cans to, so Red Store Chain accepts only Red Store Chain deposit coupons, Blue Store Chain accepts only Blue Store Chain deposit coupons, etc. And you could get money in exchange for the coupon and if you hadn't used the full price, you can get the change back. We have this system since February.

But part of that was changed when the building owner got very tired of the homeless and drunk population coming into the store constantly and hanging around the entrance – he apparently found it disgusting (well, then why don't you help them, Mr. Big Fancy Building Owner?). So, for a while, we were instructed by management to not exchange the coupons for money or give change back. A lot of people did not like that. Some lady even yelled about us not giving her money to be a human right violation, some man was going on about this being unconstitutional and against the law and how 'we all have to follow the government law!!!!!'. Another man, when he did not get his 20 cents back, which I told him we did not do anymore, was yelling and giving me a talk about 'how immoral and disgusting you are to not give me money'. I just had my head in hands, as I was the lone register and there was a long line, as he went on a tirade, until Security Guard J came over and dragged him away. Probably. I was trying to not snap and break his jaw, honestly, so I wasn't looking at him. At least the people after him were nice and polite.

This system…has its pluses, but, I don't really see it working out in the long run. So many problems – sure, streets are cleaner of bottles and cans, people can have money to get food and stuff…but when you open the store and first 20 people are the ones buying copious amounts of alcohol with the coupons…Not to mention the deposit machines themselves – when they get full, they just start screaming to be emptied, they sometimes jam and need to be opened up to see what is the problem. People have been bringing BOXES of empty bottles and stuffing into the machines, until they are full again, even if they got emptied less then 30 minutes ago. We have to have a person specifically work a good part of the day with the machine just so the store workers can do their jobs instead of constantly emptying the damn machines. And it also stinks quite badly there, too, plus the spills from the not-empty bottles.

Even years later, that job is the most annoying one in the store.

A toddler-kindergarten aged kid thought it would be fun to step on the thin metal of the basket carts. He fell and just barely missed hitting his head on the SCO register. He did start wailing. I tried to give him a candy…but it was honey-lemon kind and he did not like those. At least he wasn't hurt, but that was scary. Boy cried loud enough half the store heard. Cashiers in the registers were both like 'dafuq happened?' because one was with her back to the SCO zone and between the SCO and other one, who also complained about his ears hurting from that.

A pair of Russian men were laughing and pointing at another donation box – saying the money will be used for Ukraine's coffin…the amount of rage I felt…ever seen that gif of a blond older woman getting really pissed and starting to break everything around her? That was me internally…I so badly wanted to grab their bottles and just beat them senseless with them. Not that anything would get damaged though – I doubt there's even a pea in a place of a brain between them both. Since, I don't want to lose my job, I just did my rudest – no hellos, no goodbyes, shoving the glass bottles with all my might down the lane, harshly telling the sum in the native language of a country that they live in and yet cannot even say a single word of and not even looking in their general direction. I don't care if any store inspector saw me do it – they deserve worse than that.

Elderly Woman Comes Back Yelling That Her Turkey Meat Did Not Have The Senior Discount! It did, it's just summed up in the bottom with the other discount information on the receipt, but she was yelling that the discount always appeared under the product in question. It does not. It never has. And probably never will. But she demanded they either give her the discount or her money back. She was given money back by the Head Cashier to shut her up.

And then! Later, we had a crazy witch steal the charity box with donations meant for Ukrainian refugees and threaten people with a knife – a really long dagger looking one too.
She had been caught – stupidly coming to the same store the next day and being spotted by Security Guard J as she skulked over to the sweets isle. He calmly went up to her, put a hand on shoulder and said, "How about we go to the back and talk?" She just opened a bag of sweet zephyrs and started eating them…some people…

A lady came to the store with her pet rabbit on a leash. She let me pet him. Very soft. Then another Lady came in with her Pet Bunny – this one was reddish brown. So cute.

A group of Germans demanding that I sell them alcohol after 22:00 (which I could not do, because a) the law forbids it and b) the computer is programmed to not allow alcohol to be sold after 22:00), because they are from another country and thus I should let them have the drinks.

Woman threw a tantrum over a baby crying – baby was sick and could not help it. But the grown ass woman certainly could have shut up then, instead of screaming at the mother to 'throttle the brat shut'.

Oh, a drunk stepped both on my feet and then on top of me when I on the trolleybus going home before his friend yanked him away. And then another drunk guy fell off of his seat on said trolleybus, hit the floor hard and decided to sleep on the dirty public transport flooring, right next to the driver's cabin. It took about 20 minutes for people to get him up and out.

At least a nice lady gave me chocolate for 'always being so nice'.

Part 8, complete. Part 9, we’ll see some more crazies. It’s feeling like a literal Mask Off, y’know?