Reminder:
So after a long day of work Wed, I needed to stop by the grocery store. Needed some veggies and yogurt and a couple other things. Didn't take long which was nice. It had been a long day and I was tired - the kind of tired where your head hurts and you feel like you have a headache but you don't. Fuzzy, beat-up tired. My feet hurt. I was really looking forward to going. home.
So of course I got in the long line and to top it off the lady in front of me had cart full of groceries and two little 'angels' (except the opposite of that), and a surprisingly well-behaved baby (couldn't have been related to the other two). The kids were of course running around, beating up on each other and knocking down evey display within 10 feet. The mom looked more tired than I felt and so when her card didn't go through I waited with amazing patience (for me). and waited.. and waited. Her card wasn't going through. Lines were backing up, the very young, inexperienced clerk was struggling. You see the lady didn't speak a word of english and she and the clerk were trying to figure out how to use the card, which turned out to be the modern equivalent of food stamps.
The lane next to me opened up and I finally decided to move over there. But I kept half an eye on the discussion over at the previous line. 2 more clerks came over, one after the other to try to figure things out. The second and more senior clerk regretfully told the lady 'no dinero' on the card and that she would have to leave her groceries. The woman just took a deep breath, nodded and started to gather her kids who had gotten really quiet the way kids do when they know something's wrong, but don't know what it is. Well, I was finally to the cashier and nearly home free, but somehow I just couldn't let her take those kids home with no groceries. I remembered the baby food and the bulk meat on the conveyor belt and I waved at the clerk and said "I'd like to get that". She looked at me and hadn't quite heard what I said, so I said it again a bit louder and she lit up and told the lady to wait. I moved my basket out of the way and scooted over there and paid for her groceries - $75. And I have to say after the lady and her kids thanked me and I saw the relief on her face as she pushed her cart out the door - well, my feet didn't really hurt so much any more and I forgot all about being tired. And then a very nice gentleman who saw what had happened let me in line in front of him, so I didn't have to wait in line a third time.
All I could think of was 'that lady got a freakin' lotta groceries for $75'. Her cart was seriously packed. I just spent that today and I didn't get a fraction of what she did. Yet she can't do the math on her card? So either she really didn't know her card was empty, she did know and was desperate, or I got taken advantage of, but I wouldn't do anything different.
So of course I got in the long line and to top it off the lady in front of me had cart full of groceries and two little 'angels' (except the opposite of that), and a surprisingly well-behaved baby (couldn't have been related to the other two). The kids were of course running around, beating up on each other and knocking down evey display within 10 feet. The mom looked more tired than I felt and so when her card didn't go through I waited with amazing patience (for me). and waited.. and waited. Her card wasn't going through. Lines were backing up, the very young, inexperienced clerk was struggling. You see the lady didn't speak a word of english and she and the clerk were trying to figure out how to use the card, which turned out to be the modern equivalent of food stamps.
The lane next to me opened up and I finally decided to move over there. But I kept half an eye on the discussion over at the previous line. 2 more clerks came over, one after the other to try to figure things out. The second and more senior clerk regretfully told the lady 'no dinero' on the card and that she would have to leave her groceries. The woman just took a deep breath, nodded and started to gather her kids who had gotten really quiet the way kids do when they know something's wrong, but don't know what it is. Well, I was finally to the cashier and nearly home free, but somehow I just couldn't let her take those kids home with no groceries. I remembered the baby food and the bulk meat on the conveyor belt and I waved at the clerk and said "I'd like to get that". She looked at me and hadn't quite heard what I said, so I said it again a bit louder and she lit up and told the lady to wait. I moved my basket out of the way and scooted over there and paid for her groceries - $75. And I have to say after the lady and her kids thanked me and I saw the relief on her face as she pushed her cart out the door - well, my feet didn't really hurt so much any more and I forgot all about being tired. And then a very nice gentleman who saw what had happened let me in line in front of him, so I didn't have to wait in line a third time.
All I could think of was 'that lady got a freakin' lotta groceries for $75'. Her cart was seriously packed. I just spent that today and I didn't get a fraction of what she did. Yet she can't do the math on her card? So either she really didn't know her card was empty, she did know and was desperate, or I got taken advantage of, but I wouldn't do anything different.