I too would have left the divider out, because I default to assume others are acting in good faith.

I would have wondered why we needed to not use a divider, today. I would have assumed she knew something I didn't know. And then I would have shrugged and left it how she put it.

So I guess I would have achieved an accidental malicious compliance. Haha.

Edit: No joke or anything, I'm just that naive sometimes.

Just for fun I would have been crab walking on the floor too low down to see what happened. To the cashier, I would appear only as an arm from below the conveyor placing items