Tales for the Register

When you come to the store, what are you thinking about? Do you, as one woman does, think about what fellow shoppers are buying? Do you ask your cashier, "So, I bet you see a lot of strange things being purchased when you check people out, don't you?" (Now, honestly, how can I respond to that?)

Then there are the alternative payment plans:
1. When writing a check, do you really need to split the bill between two checks when those two checks are consecutive checks written from the same account? If there's enough in there to cover the entire bill, does it matter how many checks you write?
2. Then there is the customer who wants everything rung up in $25 increments. She pays for every portion with the same credit card. Then, when you are on the 8th or 9th transaction, she tells you to just "ring up the rest together" whether that amounts to $50 or $75, it doesn't matter.
3. If you have to use 2 or 3 different credit cards to pay for your beer or wine, you might rethink the necessity of purchasing alcohol at the present time.

Others just don't think. If produce is being purchased, don't fit three different vegetables into one produce bag. Since they are purchased by weight, I must remove them all from the bag and ring each type up separately. This is the same for fruits and vegetables. Or, handing me the bag with your child's half-eaten doughnut that is smeared on the outside. I do have to touch the rest of your groceries, you know. Not to mention everyone else's groceries. And if you are purchasing some food that your child has had in his/her mouth, I'd prefer you hand me the candy bar in your hand to scan twice...rather than have your child's germs and slobber on my hands.

Most customers are fabulous. I am keeping in my prayers the woman who is getting her cochlear implant on Friday...she is hoping to hear for the first time in 25 years out of that ear. I love what she said: "I am so looking forward to knowing if my husband says he did or didn't do something!" And to all those 30+ year olds I've carded...you must be living right because you DON'T look your age!