Cashier was apologizing for talking to me

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This was probably a conversation where you should have talked about the weather or something.....She seemed pretty shy.

The wrong thing to do----would have been to point out the awkwardness of the situation.

You put her on the spot here in bold.

I'd have to agree there.

In these situations, people have to try to lighten up.

Not everything has to be a debate.

I don't actually sense that she was "backing off."

I sense that she was getting a little defensive because she felt like she was being too "forward" for speaking to you with candor.

This was definitely the time to talk about how cold it is today, or whatever. Defuse the awkwardness.

One of my "special interests" is the weather, anyway. I find that referring to how cold or hot or nice or rainy or snowy it is outside is a great way to defuse awkwardness. Even NT's sometimes feel awkward in conversations with people.

The two of you were attempting to communicate, but you were either on different frequencies or using AM vs. FM or both.

Each of you misread the other repeatedly. Consider it a learning experience. Don't give up trying to communicate. There is some good advice in this thread.

The worst thing one can do when there is awkwardness....is to "confront" the awkwardness directly. This is especially true within conversations with people you don't know---is the cashier your good friend?

To call attention to the awkwardness...is to exacerbate the awkwardness. Sometimes, not drawing attention to something is much better than drawing attention to something.

It would have been better had you not adopted a interrogatory stance. Nobody likes to be questioned in casual settings. It would have been better to talk about the weather. Break the ice. Veer away from the awkwardness. To NOT confront it directly.

I had to learn this the "hard way." And I had to realize how I felt when someone confronted me directly.

It was a socially complicated situation.

She maybe just outgoing, or she might have been flirting a little bit.
And it IS a cash register. So both of you only have a moment to speak before she has to serve the next person in line.

And she may worry about seeming too forward, or not. Or be worried about the boss watching her take too much time on one customer. Even NTs would be awkward in that kind of situation- awkward in either side of the conversation. So I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Many but not all Aspies are introverts. We gain our energy by being alone. When we are stressed generally we find a quiet place where we can recharge our batteries. About half the people in the world ares introverts and the other half extroverts. Extroverts gain their energy by being in a group by conversing with others. They bounce from one person to another, each time recharging their batteries. If they are under stress, they crave an atmosphere where they can interact with many people such as a party. That is how they recharge their batteries.

So if I take the cashier at her word when she said "I am sorry I just like talking to people." she may be hinting at the fact that she is an extrovert. She just enjoys talking to people. She may even have a bubbly personality.

So rather than psychoanalyze every word muttered just go with the flow. And should you find yourself in a similar situation in the future, just ask a lot of gentle questions and practice the fine art of conversation.