Local Man Confused By What Female Cashier’s Smile Meant

By Hillary Hedstrom -

Gary Hertmann had a fairly average shopping experience at his local Mariano’s.The young female cashier, Alice Houston, had been very polite and friendly, asking him about his day.The only unusual part came after he had paid. Hertmann was putting away his cart and getting out his car keys when the cashier smiled at him.

“I don’t know why she did that. I assumed she was flirting. I mean, I am pretty good looking,” the 45-year-old said. “It wasn’t until she said ‘come again soon’ with a cute smile that I knew for sure she was hitting on me.”

Hertmann then looked at her and said what he felt was appropriate.

“He told me that I could make him come again,” Houston, 17, said. “I thought I misheard him at first. Then he got closer to me and said that he would definitely come on my back, and by that he meant come back to me.”

Hertmann still isn’t sure what he did wrong. He thought that he was above anyone working minimum wage, therefore they couldn’t tell him how to do anything. He doesn’t know which part of his punishment is worse: having to apologize for doing nothing wrong or the lifelong ban from that Mariano’s.

“How am I supposed to see her again? I mean, she’s clearly into me. This is just her playing hard to get, I know how teenagers are.” The father of four, who is celebrating his 17th wedding anniversary later this month, reasoned. “I bet if I come back in a few weeks it’ll be fine.”

Houston has changed her work demeanour towards chunky, balding middle aged men by smiling less, not being as friendly as she was before, and keeping a body cam on for legal reasons.