I think waitresses, tellers, and other customer service workers often show interest in you during the first 2-3 interactions. After that, if you continue returning, you become just another regular customer.
When I was younger, I used to go to this bank where an Eastern European woman would flirt with me every time I went in to make a deposit. I even earned some extra brownie points with her because one of my friends worked with her at a shoe store. Unfortunately, I never had the nerve to ask her out for various reasons.
More recently, in the past couple of months, I started picking up pizza from this hole in the wall spot instead of ordering through UberEats. One of the cashiers was a mid-sized woman who wore a push-up bra that noticeably increased the size of her breasts and made them bigger than what they were. During the first few visits, she seemed genuinely happy to see me, and there was one instance where I could have asked her out and she would have said yes right away. I didn’t, though, because I have a lot going on in my life. Now, she completely ignores me whenever I go in. It’s clear to me that the change in her behavior is her way of signaling disinterest, and I’ve subtly conveyed that I’m not interested either.
In the end, it’s clear that customer-service interactions are often fleeting, and the initial interest can quickly fade once you settle into the role of a regular customer. Whether it’s due to busy lives or changing dynamics, sometimes what seems like a potential connection just doesn’t develop the way you might hope.