
Get this key skill to walk away from an overpriced product
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Lindsay McMahon
This is the All Ears English Podcast. Shocked by the price? How to cancel your order in English.
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A few weeks ago, Michelle shared that she ordered a coffee and it was dollar she walked away. What exactly can you say in these scenarios to let the person know you don't want the product included in the order?
Lindsay McMahon
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Michelle Kaplan
Hello Michelle, how's it going today?
Everything is good, Lindsay, how are you?
Lindsay McMahon
I'm feeling great.
Michelle Kaplan
We are here on a Friday for this bonus episode. Amazing.
Lindsay McMahon
We're Friday.
Michelle Kaplan
Happy Friday.
We love Fridays. We're getting into.
We're providing some extra content on Fridays.
Lindsay McMahon
For our amazing listeners. But Michelle, I remember a few weeks.
Michelle Kaplan
Ago you were telling us that you walked away from a coffee because it was too expensive. Someone was.
Lindsay McMahon
You were.
Michelle Kaplan
You went up to a food truck in Florida to order the coffee and then you realized what the price was and you just walked away. Do you remember when you shared that with us?
I just. Yeah. Yeah. So again guys, if you didn't hear, we'll get. We can give. I'll give the episode towards the end if you want to check it out so you can hear me tell the story and other things relating to this. So yeah, I was At. I remember I really wanted a coffee and I was at the outlets in Florida and I went up to the stand and I ordered my coffee and then they said, oh, that's going to be $12. And I was like, oh, never mind. Right.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
I can't.
Michelle Kaplan
I couldn't do it. You know, there are certain things.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
There's a.
Michelle Kaplan
There's kind of like this line that you cross. You know, there's one where, okay, like, that's expensive, but fine. And then there's the no way, goodbye. Right.
Totally. I mean, inflation is real.
Lindsay McMahon
People do pay more. They will pay more up to a certain extent.
Michelle Kaplan
But once you start to hit that line, people will say no and they will walk away. That is the walk away point, Michelle.
Yeah, exactly. The walk away point. I like that. So. But yeah, I mean, this can. I mean, everything is so expensive now. I mean, coffee is so expensive. Clothing are so expensive. Just a lot of things are expensive. So, I mean, what are some. I mean, first of all, Lindsay, have you ever done this? Have you ever been like, oh, never mind. Thanks.
Yeah, it's happened before. I know I can't think of a specific time right now at the moment, but I know that it's happened and I know I feel a little angry on the inside.
There's a little anger there.
And it's hard because I think I talked in the other episode about it's not that per. That person probably didn't make the price. Right. Unless they're the owner or whatever. But yeah, it can be a little hard to just. Yeah, you're just kind of like, fine. I really wanted that, but I'm. I refuse to, you know, it's against my principles to spend that much money.
Yeah. It's almost like you're trying to make a point. Trying to.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
Assert, you know, that this is not okay. Right. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure some people will pay that amount, but it's insane. If we do pay that, then we will see inflation.
Lindsay McMahon
Right?
Michelle Kaplan
We'll see. We'll see everyone charging $12 for a couple.
True.
I still can't believe that they try. I mean, it was just a plain coffee. Just a coffee.
It was like an iced coffee. But like, not. I don't get. I'm not a like person. I don't put fancy stuff. I just maybe like some half and half. Some, you know, maybe a little vanilla, you know, something like that, cinnamon powder. But not, you know, it wasn't like a very fancy coffee.
Wow. And I, in my mind, iced coffee should be cheaper because it's mostly ice, you know.
True. Oh, Dan always goes, less ice. He wants.
Yeah.
Less ice. And like he's beating the system. But then, you know.
But yeah. So, I mean, this is. This is really. This could happen in many situations.
So.
Yeah. Coffee, clothing, something else. This, what we're going to talk about today is more for this experience. When you ordered something, they tell you the price.
Yeah.
And you're. You not interested. So, however, I would say this is. We're talking about these. It's these standing at the counter moments.
Yeah.
I'm gonna say this is for. At the counter of the coffee shop, at the food truck, at the takeout place. Right, right.
Just important to say as a caveat.
Lindsay McMahon
This is not for a restaurant.
Michelle Kaplan
When you've already eaten the food.
Yeah, yeah, that's too late.
That's too late. You have to pay that money, obviously, just after you've consumed the thing, it's too late. But there are moments, especially counter service type situations where you can. Because the thing hasn't been prepar.
Right, exactly, exactly. So, guys, hit the follow button. Never miss anything from us. We're doing all sorts of fun, you know, cultural things and having discussions so much to. To talk about here.
Yep. We're having fun over here. And we also know what we stand for. Connection, not perfection.
Lindsay McMahon
We have kind of a unique take on learning English. So if that phrase resonates with you.
Michelle Kaplan
Then you belong with us over here at Dollars English, guys. So hit the follow button now.
All right, Perfect.
All right. Yeah. I think our listeners are excited for this follow up because we kind of.
Lindsay McMahon
Left them hanging a little bit last.
Michelle Kaplan
Time of what would we say in that scenario? So let's get into it, Michelle.
All right, so here we go. I'm. You could say, I'm sorry, that's more than I wanted to spend. And then, you know, say, could you take that off or.
Right, right. Can you do, meaning take it off? What? Meaning take it off the bill. Right. Or take it off the order. Yeah.
So, for example, I'm sorry, that's more than I wanted to spend. Can you cancel that order?
Right. And in some cases it might just be. So the difference between take it off and cancel the order is slightly nuanced difference. Right.
Lindsay McMahon
Maybe you're ordering multiple things.
Michelle Kaplan
Right.
That's true.
And you realize you still want your taco, you still want your, like, avocado toast, but that coffee is 12. So you're asking just to take that off, meaning take it off the order, but canceling the order entirely is. If you went up just for the coffee, like you did. Yeah.
Right, right, right, exactly. Yeah. So. And here you could also say, actually, can you take off the. The. So, yeah. You want to read the example?
Yeah. Actually, can you take off the bracelet? Sorry about that. And here you're just at a retail store. Right, Right.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Yeah.
Michelle Kaplan
Does that ever happen? Sometimes I feel. Sometimes I get a little too excited and I'm picking things up for my kids and I'm, you know. And then you get to the. And. And. And then you see. Because things add up so quickly. Lindsay, do you ever feel that way? Like you're at the grocery store and you're like, I'm getting a few things. And then you look down and it's $150. And you're like, wait, how?
Yeah, especially. Especially if you go to a place like that's really a boutique, fancy grocery store. Sometimes they'll go to one of those and I'll realize there's one culprit that's making the bill really high. It'll be like a 25 thing of grapes or something.
Oh, grapes can be. Because then it's always by the pound. And then you didn't realize you're like holding a nine pound bag and you're.
Like, oh, that's a hundred dollars of grapes. Okay, so clearly I'm going to take that off. Right, Right. So, right.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
The culprit.
Michelle Kaplan
I love that.
What is the culprit?
And you're like, just get rid of the culprit.
The culprit is the offender. Right? Yeah, it's the. You're seeing that your bill is getting higher because you see as it tallies up at the grocery store and you're like, wait, why am I spending 50% more than I normally do? What's going on?
And.
And then you look for those heavy items or those grapes. It's the grapes. It's always the grapes, Michelle. It's the grapes.
Or, you know, if you want to just be more direct, you can just say, like we said, this is for the coffee situation. I think I'm going to cancel that. So I think I'm going to cancel that.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
I'm sorry.
Michelle Kaplan
Right, yeah.
And this one's really select. Just selective for. I. I'd say, like food trucks, counter ordering things.
Right. I don't think you would say that if you had, like, a sweater and.
Right.
Like. And. Or if you're like at a department store or at the grocery store.
It'd be a little strange if you went and you. You rung up all your groceries. And then he said, I think I'm going to cancel that.
Oh, here's a question. Do you do self checkout or do you like to.
I do both, depending on my mood or the time of day. Often, sometimes if I go to Whole Foods or something, there's no one at the checkouts anymore.
Yeah.
So it's just self checkout. Yeah. It's interesting.
Yeah. It's hard. It's. Yeah, it's harder to come by a person now. But I feel like I. I don't know, maybe I'm old school. Sometimes I'm just so tired. I'm just like, can someone just do this for me? But if I only have a few.
Yeah, yeah. Especially if you have a lot of produce because the produce is annoying. You got to find them.
Put in the. The weight.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Yes.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah. I'd rather just space out for a while, you know. Right.
Oh, my gosh. So, I mean, I think the key principle here is as long as we are kind and that's. That's what we like to talk about in allers English, how can we be kind no matter what? We're looking for that human connection with the person in front of us and we don't wait too long to do it. Like, you're not going to want to do this after, as we said, after the product is created or delivered to you.
Right, right, right. It would be like, oh, I say, you know, with the coffee. Oh, can I have iced coffee?
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Da, da, da.
Michelle Kaplan
And then they say, sure. And they're ringing it up and then they tell me right away and I say, oh, just no, no, no.
Lindsay McMahon
Right.
Michelle Kaplan
It's not like, oh, the coffee is sitting there. You know, that's. That's getting rude if they've prepared it.
Yeah, yeah, that would be really rude. So do you have to say that it's because of money, Michelle? I mean, do we have say why?
I don't. That's completely up to you. If you don't. I mean, this. We've been talking. That's funny. We've been talking about money and like. Yeah. Even just a couple episodes ago, you know, it could be personal. I. And that's. So it's up to you. Just remember that the, that the person, like we said, most likely wasn't the one making the decision. So try not to sound annoyed.
Yeah.
But yeah, we're going to talk more about, you know, how to handle this and just, I'm going to give you a couple extra quick things that you could say and then we're going to go into some role plays after the break.
Yeah, let's. Let's. Good stuff. So let's take a quick break and.
Lindsay McMahon
Then we'll be right back.
Michelle Kaplan
All right, good.
Lindsay McMahon
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Michelle Kaplan
All right, Michelle, we are back.
Lindsay McMahon
So are there any times that you.
Michelle Kaplan
Wouldn'T say something then? I mean, you would just, like, pay for it or.
I mean, this goes back to what you said, Lindsay. You can't eat a meal.
Yeah.
And that. The bill later and cancel.
It's a.
Too late.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
There's.
Michelle Kaplan
There's a. There's a short window where you can do this because things are moving quickly. Right. So. But in general, if you ordered and they say the price and you have the purchase with you, like clothes and you haven't paid yet, maybe, like, you know, you see the price on the screen and maybe you thought it was discounted, but it's not, then you can.
Use these, and that's totally fine. I love it. There's also two other phrases that are common, and their tone is a little bit different.
Right. And it would.
I mean, it depends on the tone that you use.
Right, exactly.
So the first one is just forget it. Right. So it really depends on how this gets delivered.
Right.
So why don't we deliver this in two ways? Okay.
All right. First, I'll be. Well, I won't tell you. Okay.
Okay. Here we go. So that's $7, please.
Oh, just forget it.
Okay. So should we do it in another tone? And then we'll just review. Okay, that's $7, please.
Oh, just forget it.
Yeah. So which one was kind of rude?
The first one?
Yeah, the first one. Yeah. The words could lend themselves to rudeness. Right. I think if you got to be real careful with this one because it sounds dismissive. Right.
Lindsay McMahon
But if you deliver it in a more positive.
Michelle Kaplan
I'll just forget it.
Right.
You know, that's probably okay. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. And then one more is. That's okay. Do you think this one is a little bit more neutral?
Yeah, I think this one's a little.
Lindsay McMahon
More neutral to friendly.
Michelle Kaplan
Right.
So, yeah.
So for example, that'll be $7, please.
Oh, that's okay. Never mind.
Yeah, I think that one's okay. I just think the first one, we just want to be real careful with that one.
Yeah, I agree. I would say that just forget it. Could sound a little irritated unless you make it super nice with your voice.
Yes.
So just, you know, good to know.
But it's kind of weird because the phrase itself, I think, is kind of. So then. But then if you try to make it sound polite, it's probably not going to work out. I. I don't know. It's just.
You would stay away from it, I guess.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Sure.
Michelle Kaplan
If you want to be. If you want to be safe.
Yeah.
You could say that's okay, right? Yeah.
Yep. I love that. Let's do some role plays, Michelle, shall we?
Let's do it here. Okay. We have a few.
Okay.
Okay. So in the first one, I am the cashier, and you bring your clothes up and I'm checking them out, and you see on the screen that a shirt you wanted was more expensive than you thought.
Yes.
Okay. All right, here we go.
Lindsay McMahon
Oh, how much is the shirt?
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, it's $40.
Lindsay McMahon
Oh, no, I'm sorry.
Michelle Kaplan
That's actually more than I wanted to spend.
Lindsay McMahon
Can you remove that?
Michelle Kaplan
Oh, sure thing.
Lindsay McMahon
Thanks.
Michelle Kaplan
Yeah, and this is an example of. It's not really a problem, you know, it's. It's retail and it hasn't, like, nothing's happened, so they can just take it.
Lindsay McMahon
Out and take it off the bill.
Michelle Kaplan
It's not really a problem. I do this fairly frequently. Okay.
Wishful thinking. Hoping. Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, maybe when I get up there, it's going to really.
That's so funny.
No.
Yeah.
I feel like this. I feel like this happens to me. I mean, not all the time, but fairly frequently where I'm like, oh, you know, I take away this or take away that, or you. You just also, you're kind of making these snap decisions when you're going around. You're picking things up, and I like this. I like this. And then maybe you didn't think of the price for something, and then you're thinking maybe you've been waiting in line, you have a little more time to think about money, and you're like, oh, no, it's.
Yeah. Or maybe you got like a. One of those automatic updates on your bank balance or something, and then your whole mindset changes.
This.
This kind of thing can happen. Sure.
Yeah, absolutely. All right, here we go. Here's the next role play.
Lindsay McMahon
All right, so you're buying coffee from a food truck.
Michelle Kaplan
So this is. This is the scenario here.
The scenario.
This is the moment. Okay.
Okay. So the large Coffee is $12.
Oh, 12. I'm sorry. That's actually more than I wanted to spend. Can we cancel that?
Yeah, no problem.
Thanks.
Yeah, no, that's fine. Friendly. You're not, like, hurting anyone. You're not offending anyone. We're fine here.
Right, exactly. Last role play. You are we. You are At a big box store and you're buying a bunch of items.
Okay, here we go.
All right.
Ad Sponsor or Guest Speaker
Okay.
Michelle Kaplan
So that all comes out to $205.
Oh, wow. Okay. How much was the princess toy?
That was 57.
I think I'm gonna cancel that. Sorry.
Oh, okay. You want me to take that off?
Yes, please.
No problem.
Yeah. And why do we call it a big box store? I've always wondered that. What is that even? Is it because it's like a. The structure of the store feels like a big box or what?
I don't know. Is it because of that or because there are a lot of big boxes in this store? I don't know.
I don't know. But what we mean by big box store, Michelle, is what?
Like let's give like a Costco, a Kmart even around anymore.
I don't think it is, actually. I think Kmart might have gone out of business, but Walmart, Target, any kind. One of those kind of mass massive stores that sells pretty much everything you're looking for, right? Yeah, yeah.
Just, just. So I am looking it up on chat GPT. It says a big box store is. I'm quoting, excuse me, a large physically boxed box shaped retail building, usually part of a national chain that sells a wide variety of goods. Yep. So.
So the physical shape of the store.
Boxy design of these warehouse style buildings. Yeah.
And I think around the world these might be a little less common, But I think many places have them. It's just like outside of the city. City kind of. They tend to be a little outside because you couldn't put a huge. Most of the time you can't put like a huge Walmart right in the middle of the city. Right. Kind of expensive.
So there used to be a big Kmart in the middle in New York, like by aser place.
Yep, yep. In New York sometimes. Yeah, I do know. I know what you mean. Sometimes you did see them, but maybe less and less now, right?
Yeah, I think it went away. I think it. You know what? It turned into a Wegmans.
Oh, Wegmans is good. That's good. All of our opinions. Guys, go and check out 25:17.
Lindsay McMahon
Did you spend a fortune?
Michelle Kaplan
How to talk about your expensive purchases. Yeah, we've got a lot of stuff about money and spending and saving because money is a huge part of our lives, right, Michelle?
Yeah, I mean, it comes up pretty much daily, I would say. Yeah, just in. In a small way or in a larger way. Yeah. So it's just good to arm yourself with as many tools to talk about.
Yeah, you got it. And for our takeaway today, I mean, I think there's a temptation towards self righteousness. Right. When you know, something has been priced at a way that we think is out of whack. And so maybe that makes us feel like we can be a little rude. But that never works out well.
Right.
That doesn't put good karma into the.
Universe and you don't feel good about yourself afterwards.
Exactly, exactly. Because you have to keep in mind that person more often than not, did.
Lindsay McMahon
Not set that price.
Michelle Kaplan
Right. Like you said before. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So keep the connection, be friendly. Just say, oh, can you cancel that? Or something like that. But I would say that those, those are the best ways to handle it.
Love it. Good stuff, Michelle. Well, thanks for informing us on this and I'm glad you got through that scenario. And I hope for no more 12 coffees in your.
No more. No, no, not happening.
Unless it's like a really good coffee, like a really boutique, you know, hand.
Once in a lifetime. The coffee would have to like, make me, like, would have to clean my house for me to spend $12.
Oh, for sure. All right, you have a good day today, Michelle.
I'll talk to you soon. All right, Bye.
Bye.
Thanks for listening. To all ears.
Lindsay McMahon
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Michelle Kaplan
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Lindsay McMahon
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Episode: Shocked by the Price? How to Cancel Your Order in English
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Date: December 5, 2025
This episode dives into real-life situations where you might feel “shocked by the price” of something you’re about to buy — and how to graciously and naturally cancel an order in American English. Lindsay and Michelle focus on practical expressions, tone, and etiquette for English learners, especially when dealing with counter-service purchases (coffee shops, food trucks, boutiques). The episode emphasizes communication that prioritizes kindness and connection — not confrontation or rudeness — even when walking away from a purchase. Role plays and fun anecdotes help illustrate these everyday interactions.
In Short:
This episode arms English learners with natural, polite phrases and cultural context to confidently and kindly cancel an order when surprised by high prices, while reinforcing the All Ears English principle of prioritizing human connection over linguistic perfection.