Shopping Trip

I generally try to not be judgmental of others, but today's experience at the Rainbow on St. Paul's eastside really tried my patience. The check-out aisles all had long lines, and my best option this afternoon was behind a couple with two heaping carts--most of the food scanned and ready to be bagged. When the clerk gave them the total, they were incredulous and had her check the prices on several of the items.

"It needs to be under $100," the woman told the clerk, who had quoted the $155 total to them. I eyed their piles and piles of food and wondered how they had calculated so poorly. I figured they'd just suck it up and pay it--what else are you going to do when there are five people in line behind you? But no, they proceeded to return items, one by one, asking for the new total with each concession. Back went the 24 pack of Pepsi ("how much now?"), back went the 6 super-sized packages of Twizzlers ("now?"), back went the three bags of potato chips ("now?"). When the total was finally $99.36, the couple approved, and, without an apologetic word to any of us behind them, swiped their card through the reader.

And then they totally blocked the bagging area for at least ten minutes while the rest of us held up the rest of the line as we waited to bag our own groceries.

This just was not cool.