
Um, I don’t remember buying that. I’m not even sure if I CAN buy that.
Working at a Japanese convenience store has to be tough. Not only do you have to work odd hours and put up with cranky customers, but sometimes you have to hold cars ransom and leap over the desk Super Mario style.
All of that can be exhausting, which means clerks may get tired and make mistakes. And that’s exactly what happened to Japanese Twitter user @D_u_P_II when he went to a Family Mart convenience store, came home, and then opened his bag to a surprise:
▼ Underneath their packet of bacon was…
the register’s money tray!
For anyone who hasn’t shopped in Japan before, the money tray is one of many small features of checking out in Japan. Instead of handing cash directly to the clerk, you put it in the money tray instead, and then they put your change in the tray for you to pick up.
Of course, the money tray is supposed to stay at the register, not end up in the customer’s bag! It’d be like finding a roll of blank receipt tape or a price scanner in your bag.
After having a good laugh, @D_u_p_II returned the tray to the store, saying this online:
“I’ve returned the tray.
This time I put my items in a basket, and I watched as the same clerk took them out and placed them on top of the money tray to scan them. (Never thought it would stick to the merchandise!) But the clerk was very calm and all smiles. Now they should get some rest!”
It seems as though the clerk was just in the habit of stacking customers’ purchases on top of the money tray, and then accidentally slid it into a plastic bag along with the items. With a check-out method like that, it was bound to happen at some point!
We just wonder what their initial reaction must’ve been like. Did they realize what they did? Or were they tried enough to not even notice the difference?
Other Twitter users chimed in with their own similar experiences:
▼ “I’ve had the same experience before.”
https://twitter.com/OKD82/status/1032872682847592448▼ This person was “lucky” enough to get the round finger-wetting sponge, which clerks
use to clean their fingers before touching cash. A very rare drop indeed!
私も似たような経験あります。指を湿らせるのが入ってました。 pic.twitter.com/8euUav62dv
— KONO (@kono_0304) August 24, 2018
While all of these slip ups can be attributed to simple mistakes or tiredness, there may be something else going on here. Is it possible that, perhaps, some of these locations happened to fall into the bizarre convenience store dimension known as… the Gifu Zone?
Source: Twitter/@D_u_P_II via My Game News Flash
Top image: Pakutaso (1, 2)

Convenience store clerk hospitalized by customer dissatisfied with “smile-less” service
Super-enthusiastic convenience store clerk fights the man, continues serving the people
Six ways to avoid looking like an “idiot” when shopping at Japanese convenience stores
Female convenience store clerk accidentally fends off robber in Tokyo with two simple words
Foreign tourist arrested in Japan for striking convenience store clerk over 3-yen bag altercation
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Kyoto shop turns traditional Japanese kimono into teddy bears, with special meaning hidden in their patterns
A practical guide to freezing your boss’ hat in a block of ice [Photos]
Starbucks Japan releases two new seasonal drinks that blur the line between summer and autumn
Totoro shaved ice wows Studio Ghibli fans in Tokyo for a very limited time
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Five important manners to remember when buying something at a Japanese convenience store
Crazy-athletic Japanese convenience store clerk may be employee of year, or Super Mario【Video】
Japanese customer finds run-in with “Indian” convenience store clerk a refreshing experience
8 types of customer that irk supermarket store clerks in Japan
8 times when convenience store clerks in Japan should be commended for their hard work【Photos】
Japanese convenience store clerk outsmarts robber with just two words
Convenience store clerk arrested for punching customer over receipt in Hyogo Prefecture
The customers Japanese convenience store clerks hate the most
What’s it like to shop at Family Mart’s first “unmanned convenience store” in Japan?
Man arrested for robbing Tokyo convenience store with nose hair trimmer
Foreign shop clerk and Japanese customer fail to communicate because of Japanese language quirk
Foreigner convenience store clerk in Japan saves elderly woman from scammers with quick thinking
Japanese convenience store customers reimagined as gacha game characters
How to use Japanese convenience store Lawson’s self-checkout terminals