My life is the Visa commercial
Have you ever seen the Visa commercials that show happy people zipping along the lunch line or whatever and joyfully swiping their Visa cards to pay for said lunches? Then in the middle of the gaggle of happy people there is one person who pays for their lunch with money and it throws the whole rhythm off? Well, I am the person who always pays with cash and I have felt the glares of hatred from the Visa welding over-spenders. (Yes, I know it's not nice or fair to call people who use credit cards over-spenders but this is my journal!!)
Anyway, yesterday at the grocery store I was having personal boundary issues with woman standing behind me in the cash out line. When I'm in line, I like to give the people around me space and I hope to be given that same courtesy. For me, an arm's length is the minimum amount of space needed to peacefully coexist with fellow check out shoppers. I'm not interested in what the person in front of me is buying and I don't want to crowd them when they are trying to check out. A lot of grocery stores have the zippy self check out Visa swiper thing first then the area for the bags at the end of the line. I don't want to crowd someone who is swiping their credit card. It's not becoming.
So yesterday, I went to the grocery store and picked up some things and the woman ahead of me was buying several things and she wanted to pay for two things separately for whatever reason. Even though I was buying ice cream, I didn't think her request was a big deal because I pride myself on being a tolerate person. The cashier moved conveyor belt ahead three inches and the next thing I know, my ice cream is mingling with a bag of carrots that belong to the woman behind me. I look at her in amazement as she continues to put her groceries on the belt and does not seem to care that there isn't any room for them. My ice cream is soon surrounded by hostile looking root vegetables when I hear the woman in front of me question the price of one of her objects! I finally spy one of those bars used to separate individual orders and at the same time the cashier moves the conveyor belt again, thus giving the hostile vegetables more room. My bar is about as effective as Chamberlain was when Germany invaded Poland. To my utter astonishment, the woman behind me ignores the bar and starts putting her groceries in my space. By this time, I was being checked out and I was debating how best to deal with the vegetable invasion when the cashier holds up the bag of carrots and asks if they belong to me. I look at him then look at my sale which consists of cat food, beer and two different flavors of ice cream. Before I can ask if I looked like a person who purchases carrots, the woman behind me snaps at the cashier that the carrots belong to her. The cashier apologizes to her and me my total. I smile at him and hand him my coupons (which include one for $2 off cat food! Ka-ching!) The woman behind me glares through all this and moves a step closer to me. The cashier gives me the new total when I realize, to my horror, that I'm going to pay with cash.
My wallet is very small but it has a tiny change purse on the back which causes change to get lodged in the seam. I'm a big believer in change. I think if you have it you should use it even if you don't have exact change. If something costs, say, $23.57 I have been known to give a cashier two twenties and three quarters. I take joy anticipating what my change will be, especially on those rare occasions when I know what I'm getting back!. Will I get back three fives, two ones, a dime, a nickel and three pennies or will I get a ten, a five, two ones, etc. Will the cashier spot me three cents so I back two dimes? It's a sickness, I know, but that is the way I am.
Back to my story - I have a pushy person behind me and I'm paying with cash and change which is always entertaining. By this time the woman is practically next to me and is plainly annoyed. I give the cashier my money, he gives me back my glorious change and I'm practically pushed out of the way by the annoyed woman. I think to myself 'How rude!' and go home.
This morning I was looking at my receipt and I noticed that I was overcharged for the ice cream. I am sure that I didn't catch the mistake because of the annoying woman. Grrrr. As annoyed as I was I will not change my ways and will continue to pay with cash. Just don't be the person behind me!
Anyway, yesterday at the grocery store I was having personal boundary issues with woman standing behind me in the cash out line. When I'm in line, I like to give the people around me space and I hope to be given that same courtesy. For me, an arm's length is the minimum amount of space needed to peacefully coexist with fellow check out shoppers. I'm not interested in what the person in front of me is buying and I don't want to crowd them when they are trying to check out. A lot of grocery stores have the zippy self check out Visa swiper thing first then the area for the bags at the end of the line. I don't want to crowd someone who is swiping their credit card. It's not becoming.
So yesterday, I went to the grocery store and picked up some things and the woman ahead of me was buying several things and she wanted to pay for two things separately for whatever reason. Even though I was buying ice cream, I didn't think her request was a big deal because I pride myself on being a tolerate person. The cashier moved conveyor belt ahead three inches and the next thing I know, my ice cream is mingling with a bag of carrots that belong to the woman behind me. I look at her in amazement as she continues to put her groceries on the belt and does not seem to care that there isn't any room for them. My ice cream is soon surrounded by hostile looking root vegetables when I hear the woman in front of me question the price of one of her objects! I finally spy one of those bars used to separate individual orders and at the same time the cashier moves the conveyor belt again, thus giving the hostile vegetables more room. My bar is about as effective as Chamberlain was when Germany invaded Poland. To my utter astonishment, the woman behind me ignores the bar and starts putting her groceries in my space. By this time, I was being checked out and I was debating how best to deal with the vegetable invasion when the cashier holds up the bag of carrots and asks if they belong to me. I look at him then look at my sale which consists of cat food, beer and two different flavors of ice cream. Before I can ask if I looked like a person who purchases carrots, the woman behind me snaps at the cashier that the carrots belong to her. The cashier apologizes to her and me my total. I smile at him and hand him my coupons (which include one for $2 off cat food! Ka-ching!) The woman behind me glares through all this and moves a step closer to me. The cashier gives me the new total when I realize, to my horror, that I'm going to pay with cash.
My wallet is very small but it has a tiny change purse on the back which causes change to get lodged in the seam. I'm a big believer in change. I think if you have it you should use it even if you don't have exact change. If something costs, say, $23.57 I have been known to give a cashier two twenties and three quarters. I take joy anticipating what my change will be, especially on those rare occasions when I know what I'm getting back!. Will I get back three fives, two ones, a dime, a nickel and three pennies or will I get a ten, a five, two ones, etc. Will the cashier spot me three cents so I back two dimes? It's a sickness, I know, but that is the way I am.
Back to my story - I have a pushy person behind me and I'm paying with cash and change which is always entertaining. By this time the woman is practically next to me and is plainly annoyed. I give the cashier my money, he gives me back my glorious change and I'm practically pushed out of the way by the annoyed woman. I think to myself 'How rude!' and go home.
This morning I was looking at my receipt and I noticed that I was overcharged for the ice cream. I am sure that I didn't catch the mistake because of the annoying woman. Grrrr. As annoyed as I was I will not change my ways and will continue to pay with cash. Just don't be the person behind me!