When someone slides the newest issue of Playboy across the counter, it can be slightly uncomfortable.
Do you try to make small talk, as you should in customer service? Hey, so, nice magazine? Look at the body on that blondie? No.
It is the responsibility of both the cashier and the customer to make the purchasing process as minimally awkward as possible.
The customer usually fails.
True life example:
A middle-aged male buys the June Issue of Playboy. He comfortably sets it down on the counter. The comfort stops there.
The best solution is for the customer to ignore the product, as if he had plopped a wholesome cartoon book next to the scanner. But let’s remember the #1 fact about customer service: customers are stupid, and they rarely choose the best solution.
Now, what is the worst possible thing to say in this situation? (a.k.a. what shouldn’t a middle-aged man buying a Playboy at student stores say to a 20-year-old cashier?) How about:
“You can call me perverted, whatever you want. Gotta do what you gotta do.”
……….
……………….
……………………….
Excuse me?
What did you just say?
Let’s rewind that and listen again.
“You can call me perverted, whatever you want. Gotta do what you gotta do.”
Holy crap, middle-aged man. You just turned what could have been a mildly uncomfortable purchasing situation into a conversation that makes my skin crawl. Not to mention, saying “Do you want a bag for that?” takes on a different meaning, as in “would you like to hide your perversion?”
Golden rule in life: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.
Golden rule for customers: If you have something stupid, awkward, or weird to say, do the cashier a favor and chew some gum instead of talking.
I check you out. 
hilarious.