You have to admire

The only thing about this that surprises me is that he got caught. I often go shopping using my mother’s credit card and signing my name, which is completely unlike my mother’s (different last name due to her remarrying and me not changing). Not once in the last four years of doing this has anyone at the register called me on it, and the credit companies have never said a word or declined a charge because of it.

They don’t look. They don’t care.

(Yes, I use the card with her permission. That’s hardly the point.)

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On one hand, I do enjoy the ridiculousness of the situation. On the other hand, I can’t help but scorn people who feel the need to fuck with credit card companies, because it’s a completely voluntary system they’ve bought into for their own benefit — screwing with them is not actually anti-authoritarian.

Also, as someone with a history as a register monkey, I can tell you that of course they had to keep the penis receipt, because they need to include it in their pouch at the end of the day to explain the repeat transaction.

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As another register monkey, I can tell you that none of us get paid enough to care all that much. Messing with people at the cash register is lower than kicking a starving, orphan puppy.

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As a cashier, I’ve seen people sign with everything, from their name, to somebody else’s name, to squiggles, to (my favorite) somebody holding their small child up and letting them draw a picture of a kitty.

And y’know what? Not only do I not have a problem with it, I find it amusing. Why not? They’re not seriously fucking with the credit card company, since they obviously don’t care, and I think the prank call thing is a bad analogy, since that’s a lot more disruptive. This guy may be immature. He is also awesome.

And that’s the TRUTH, Ruth.

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As above, these things don’t ‘stick it to the company’ or the store or anyone else. They are just an inventive way to have a laugh.

The machines do more to further the illusion that your personal information is secure and protected than they do to secure anything. I think the main reason they exist is to save each register $20/week in pens that people walk off with.

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