I went to the store to pick up a couple of items. Found some patching compound but wasn't sure it would satisfy the conditions, so I left it on the shelf. Wanted some play sand; didn't find any. Bought a furnace filter and exited the store. Got into the car and headed to the exit. 100 meters from the store and just to the left of the drive that takes us out of the parking lot I spied a pallet. On the pallet were twelve or fifteen bags of play sand. Store pricing was attached. Drove back to a parking spot and reentered the store.
I told the people I wanted a bag of play sand. "We are out. Don't have any." "Yes, you have a pallet across the lot behind the bank. Four twenty-nine a bag."
Confusion reigned.
The clerk finally rang up the sale (item not logged into the computer, so you know how that worked.) I paid and as I left the lady said, "If there isn't any there we will refund your money."
If there isn't any there?
I have a bag of sand in my garage all ready for the fall flower planting. Soon as the wind blows itself out of the neighborhood.
Image: Google Earth
9 comments:
Nobody knows nuthin' outside of what it says on the screen. This is what I deal with every stinkin' day. Nobody thinks anymore.
BUT...you know they would have had you arrested had you just helped yourself to the non-existent bags of play sand. It's frustrating to be honest, isn't it?
Lin, yeah, trying to do the right thing is sometimes a huge hassle. :-)
The experience I described and the junk you deal with is all the result of becoming dependent on machines to do all our thinking for us. Not that I want to go back to earlier days. It would just be nice if people would use their noggins for something other than a hat-rack.
The interesting thing here is - when someone finally figures out the sand is there and enters it into the system and matches the inventory to the delivery information - whoa! one bag of sand is missing!
I've learned to print off the list of grocery items on sale from the corporate site because the local stores don't get updated lists of sale prices.
While I love technology sometimes humans do it better, and then again not, because, as you say, no one thinks...
Your comment to Lin strikes a resonant cord with me. I was tutoring a high school student in math. I posed a problem to her she quickly reached for her calculator. When her hand was blocked, a look of panic spread on her face. An interesting conversation ensued.
Grace, and the register may fail to balance by 4.29 + tax. ;-)
Chuck, on the positive side, when the power goes out everyone will require the services of the Wizard-- and you are the Wizard!
As I was reading I was thinking that someone has stashed it by the bank so they could come back for it later and not need to pay. Shows how my non-trusting mind works.
Vee, too cynical. Don't do that.
I know, I know. I need to learn to trust people.
Vee, within reason. "Trust but verify."
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