I was searching the archives for a particular item, which of course took me longer than I expected, due to my proclivity to wander off on hobo trips. I found this item which I posted four years ago. Perhaps you will find it fun. Again.
I had occasion a bit ago to stop at the Dollar General. BBBH had asked me to get some cooking oil. My shopping technique is simplicity itself. I enter store knowing what I'm there for, proceed to item, pluck from shelf and proceed to checkout.
Today as I arrived at the (sole open) checkout counter, simultaneously so did Ms. Late-50-Something Hausfrau from 90 degree angle. We both stopped, ostensibly to avoid collision, she glanced at me, clearly had to see that I had one item. She wheeled her laden cart in front of me.*
I stood patiently throughout her transaction, whistling, and not on lowest volume, the whole time, "Help Me Make it Through the Night." And I was careful as I segued into the chorus to pitch just-enough-off-key to be totally irritating to anyone who is not tone-deaf. Yes, I am good enough to do that. So anyway, as it transpired, one of her items was neither tagged nor in the original bag. Well, clerkie rang up the rest (almost, see below) of the items, THEN Ms. 50+ headed to the back of the store, housewares dept. and eventually returned with item similar to the one she wanted, but still in its wrapper. The clerk scanned that and announced the total.
Then, of course, the scramble through the purse to find the plastic. Swiped, whew! and whee! because there was no problem there. The woman stepped up to gather her packages and I stepped forward and placed the canola on the counter when the clerk espied six cans of paint on the end of the counter. Yours? No, that woman's. The poor cashier looked dazed, puzzled and apologetic, and I said, "Please go ahead and ring mine up, then finish her off." And maybe I really did mean "finish her off." Kidding. So that's how it went down, and as the woman stepped back to the counter for her "second set of purchases" I think she might have glowered at me. Oh, did I mention that I divined that it was the perfect time to pay for my $2.50 purchase with the collection of pennies, nickels and dimes that I had accumulated in my right front pocket?
*I am assuming that she determined that at my age, I had no place to be, nothing pressing to do. Whippersnappers and boomers might consider that at my age I may not have left much time to do anything, hence they should respect what little I have.
5 comments:
Way to go! Might only have been improved if you'd been 7 cents short and had to run to the car to pluck spare change out of the ashtray.
This kind of thing happens all too often. We live in a "me first" society.
Once upon a time we had a pastor who passed out bumper stickers that read, "God First." It was funny (almost) to see drivers who had put these stickers on their cars cutting in front of other cars so they could get out of the parking lot a few seconds before someone else.
Yes, yes, I did - laughed out loud, that is.
Groan....there are far too many of these people loose in the stores these days.
Shark, wouldn't that have just been the icing on the cake! Doubt even I would have the nerve to carry that off.
Vee, remember the little mantra from home? "God first, others second, self last." Well, we spouted that, and maybe even believed it up to a point, but, speaking for myself, I was never about to put Clifton Levi ahead of me. Still speaking for myself, in the great scheme of things it is easy to buy into that with regard to "others" whose pain, or grief, or joy we cannot see. But bring it down to the Cliftons of the world. . .
Grace, and that fills me with joy!
Shelly, they are everywhere, they're everywhere.
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