I’m a cashier at a LARGE grocery/gen merchandise store (I won’t name it) and a mother was letting her child run amok. I had been standing there 6 hours already and over one hundren customers later watching this kid scream and throw fits. I finally got frustrated and asked the mother if she wanted a “plastic” bag for the kid. She got the meaning and glared at me while I smiled back at her. True story.
I’m surprised I didn’t get fired.
I once served time as a night stocker at Wal-Mart - 10 pm - 6 am. At all hours of the night mothers (usually) would bring in their kids and turn them loose while mommie shopped. I used to catch 'em in the toy department pulling one item after another off the shelves and leaving them on the floor. I'd calmly take their hand and say "Let's find mommy" and bring the kid back, with the admonition to mommy that the store was a place of business - not a playground.
More often I'd get glared at but nothing more and on rare occasions I'd get a "I'm sorry".
Teens would use the place as a replacement mall - a couple of times the older ones would take a bike from the rack and race down the aisles. A few snarling "Ged offa da bike" did the trick.
I also wonder why I didn't get fired (didn't care and I showed it - beer money job) but this was a small town and I guess the liberal mindset wasn't so deeply implanted.
I’m a dad of 3 1/2 yro twins. I stand ready to “bring down the house” on them when they cut up at home, in public, or in the truck. That being said, sometimes the world has to keep turning, and sometimes good kids fail be able to keep it together very well—frustrating as it is. At the grocery store, where I rutinely spend $300.00+ a week, if one of the lovely little cashiers ever suggests that perhaps I might be interested in smothering one or both of my children in order to make her or his day at the customer service mill a little less frustrating, I would think that stopping with just a good glaring at would show huge restraint on my part. I too am surprised you didn’t get fired. Just saying. :)