I’m Very Afraid
February 7, 2006
You know how whenever you go to the grocery store you end up in the checkout behind some woman who is quibbling over the price of an item when it is rung up. She insists there is a sign she saw somewhere in the store that makes her item on sale, and yes she does want someone to go and find the sign thankyouverymuch.
When the woman turns around in line to look at you and mumble an apology, you refuse to make eye contact, because you are NOT on her side, you just want to hurry up and get out of the store, and why do you always get stuck in the slow line. Why?
So they send the bagger to go find the mysterious sign; he is not exactly a rocket scientist. And he comes back to the cash register, but can not remember exactly what the sign says after that l-o-n-g trek though the grocery store, so he has to go back and look at the sign again. And at this point you think you might have died a little.
And then the cashier is arguing with her over whether or not said item is on sale, and then they bring the store manager over to look at the item and the sign. And the store manager begins to quibble over the wording of the sign with the woman. And you use your laser beam eyes to burn a hole into the back of that woman’s head.
The store manager and the woman go back and forth, back and forth, and you wonder if the store manager is working on commission, because why the hell does he care so much. And when he finally agrees with the woman he acts like he is doing her a favor, instead of abiding by the sign that was hanging up.
And the entire time you are standing there trapped behind this woman in line, holding your tongue from blurting out, “Good Lord woman I’ll pay the 50 cent difference*, just get on with it!”
Well today, that annoying woman who holds up the entire line, was me.
For all those people who had their food go bad and their ice cream melt into puddles while this was taking place, I apologize.
*in my defense, it was a $10 difference on boneless chicken breast. $1o makes it worth it, no?
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Now you know why we in NYC buy our groceries online
But in your defense, I think most of us would hold up a line for a $10 difference.
February 7th, 2006 at 8:47 amI’ll forgive you if you forgive me for occassionally being the woman with kids, begging for candy, for magazines, for gum, who can’t figure out that if they throw their arms out when whining, they are likely to hit the poor woman behind them who is busy glaring at mommy for not controlling her children.
February 7th, 2006 at 9:12 am$10 makes it absolutly worth it!
February 7th, 2006 at 9:31 amIf I am in line and catch something while it is ringing up, I will tell the cashier. Here in our little town they usually just believe you and change the price. My rule for it if I don’t catch it until I am reading my register reciept, if its under $1 I won’t waste my time going back for it.
HUGS
I think we all pay our dues in the slow line.
February 7th, 2006 at 9:45 amSo if you were the cause…well it’s just paybacks baby.
Reminds me of the ONE time I had less than 10 items at Target (I must have been in a big hurry)
so I went to the “Express Lane” and was feeling giddy with excitement.
The couple in front of me not only didn’t know how to use the card reader, they also wanted to split the purchase between debit/gift cards!
February 7th, 2006 at 9:50 amThey were the slowest people ever.
Even the cashier was rolling her eyes.
Then when they were finally done, Mrs. Slow tried to get the cashier to hold the register so Mr. Slow could go back and get something she forgot!
All the while, the other 20 people I would have been in front of in the regular lines were finished!
Hey, I could do a lot with ten dollars, so the money is definitely worth waiting for.
Oh, and I’m the woman in line whose normally charming child immediately morphs into Mr. Rude when the cashier tries to chat with him, causing people (I suspect) to wonder why I never taught my son any manners. Tsk. Every.Freaking.Time. ;^)
February 7th, 2006 at 10:08 amI’ve been both moms too–and would definitely speak up over a $10 difference, unless I had a kid threatening to hurl or something…
February 7th, 2006 at 10:10 amMary
Anything over $7.00 is reason to hold up a line in my book.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:06 amLOL oh well, $10 is a lot!!!
February 7th, 2006 at 11:20 amI’m not mad at ya; I’d do the same thing for $10. I’d do it for just a few bucks on principle. If I have learned one thing in the legal profession, it’s this: EVERY WORD MATTERS. And, or, the, excluding…those all have very, very definite definitions. And if they don’t see it my way, they can figure out what to do with the groceries in the checkout lane, because if they try to trick their customers, they can go eff themselves.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:25 am$10…yeah that’s worth it…
And why do they have to be such jerks at the store and not believe you? Don’t we give them hundreds of our dollars each month? Do they think this one time we are trying to scam them? Go figure…
February 7th, 2006 at 12:04 pmOh, I am laughing! The whole time I was reading, I was defensive, because I am usually that woman. Don’t blame me, people, blame the store! The only thing worse than those people who hold up the line to save a buck is those people who have tons of kids and then insist on bringing them to the store, and one of their kids start screaming in line… (Yes, I have read your blog, I am holding my tongue firmly in my cheek as I type, since I am one of those people too! In fact, here’s a thought, all those kids are definitely connected to the desperate need to save a buck or ten, no?) You go buy your chicken! We’re behind you!
February 7th, 2006 at 12:40 pmdon’t be that woman, chris. don’t be that woman!
February 7th, 2006 at 12:50 pmThat was YOU!!! Just kidding.
$10 is worth it. $5 is worth it. Under $1 is not worth it unless you have 5 or more.
February 7th, 2006 at 1:07 pmjennifer,
at least I don’t take my baby out in the cold to catch pneumonia
February 7th, 2006 at 1:30 pmOh, that was YOU?
I’m very sorry - I didn’t mean to mutter such rude things about a FRIEND.
HA! You go, girl - $10 is 2 cups of Starbucks, after all……
February 7th, 2006 at 1:37 pmI was also defensive this whole time because a few weeks ago I was that woman, arguing over a $5 difference in this sled that had a big sign that said it was on sale. The cashier left and came back, saying it wasn’t on sale. I didn’t want to argue, so I paid, got out of line and then went straight over, picked up the sign and took it to customer service. And the manager acted like I was sooooo inconveniencing him! And then he said that the sign had been “accidentally left up” from the sale that weekend. So? It isn’t my problem! I want my sale sled, damnit!
$10 is WAAAAAYYYY enough to hold up the line. Puhlease.
February 7th, 2006 at 1:39 pmFor $10 I would have held up the line!
When it is a few cents well that is annoying but a few dollars I understand that!
February 7th, 2006 at 1:41 pmI got behind someone who paid for $110 in groceries in $1 bills. There is a bank right beside the store where she could have exchanged for larger bills. It was Thanksgiving as well… lots of people and she wanted her free turkey as well. Night-mare.
February 7th, 2006 at 1:59 pmHELL YES $10 is worth it! And, just for the record, the customer is always right!
February 7th, 2006 at 2:01 pm$10 is absolutely worth it….
Especially when it makes such good blog entry
February 7th, 2006 at 2:12 pmI was going to say, “Yes, I know this woman. I call her ‘Mom’.”
But for $10, I would have done the same thing.
February 7th, 2006 at 2:20 pmtouché
(ouch!)
February 7th, 2006 at 3:09 pm“The customer is always right,” UNLESS you’re in Europe. My husband had to *prepare* me for the lack of it there
February 7th, 2006 at 3:24 pmI would definitely stand in line (holding it up) for $10 bucks. My husband would for 10 cents!
Thank God. For the whole beginning of the story I thought you were behind me in the store this morning. I did get a $15 toy for $7.50. I guess when I’m being holier-than-thou I should remember those times when I’m the one with the idiot sticker on my head.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:27 pmOh, yeah. I’m with everyone else: $10 is a lot! I would have done the same thing.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:35 pmi always make them uphold the sign price- it is the law. have you ever had them make a mistake where they charged you too little? in all my years of shopping, this has never happened, but i routinely get overcharged at the big grocery stores.
February 7th, 2006 at 4:14 pmyou hold up that line! consider it your civic duty.
I forgive you too so long as you didn’t insist on paying for it all with one penny pieces like the woman in front of me at Safeways one time.
February 7th, 2006 at 4:31 pmI bought a clearance item, during the huge day after Christmas sales. It was a Cabbage Patch doll, that rang up $4.95. The CASHIER accused me of rigging the price. My reaction to her stupidity? Laughter. I held up the line for about 20 seconds while I laughed. Then held it up a little while longer while I explained to her that there was no way for me to “rig” the UPC code. I could tell she was embarassed by the 10 shades of red she turned. But heck yes,$10 dollars is sooo worth it! Especially on a food item!
February 7th, 2006 at 4:34 pmI was about ready to yell and say “HEY! I am that woman!” Then I read your last line, lol. I watch the check girls like a hawk. I can’t tell you how many times I have been overcharged and didn’t realize it until I got home. No more, I stand there until they see it my way…
February 7th, 2006 at 5:17 pmLOL, that woman is Always me. If the item is advertised, the cashier darn well should know it…lol
February 7th, 2006 at 6:06 pmFor $10 I would have made the line wind around the store….twice.
February 7th, 2006 at 6:12 pmI have some kind of personal field of influence which means that any queue I join immediately becomes the slowest one. So, if it had been me standing behind you, that would be why it took so long…
February 7th, 2006 at 8:37 pmChris, I just found out about this contest and I definitely think you should enter this post. http://www.everydayhogwash.com/
February 7th, 2006 at 8:46 pmLike someone else (thank goodness I’m not alone!) has said, I am ALWAYS that woman. For 30 cents, for 50 cents, for $1.00 - whatever it is, I get the right price. With all four kids or none.
February 7th, 2006 at 8:53 pmheavens! shouldn’t they actually maybe “train” the people who work there? hmmm…don’t you think so? This is MY peeve!
February 7th, 2006 at 10:07 pmI totally and completely understand!! We are in retirement city in Florida so I’m not the only one that holds up the line. But I do whatever it takes to make my money go as far as I can. $10 buys a lot of diapers!!
February 7th, 2006 at 10:43 pmHa! Through the whole post I was thinking, “That’s me.”
Ha!
(Sometimes it IS worth it.)
February 7th, 2006 at 11:42 pmI feel awful! I am always that person because here in BFE they never have the price coded in the organics and when the pricechecker is asked to make a run he usually looks like a deer in the headlights, like WTF does organic mean? It’s downright heinous the amount of time it takes! And Carmen is absolutely right, it is TWO Starbucks.
February 8th, 2006 at 1:21 amI keep re-reading your blog and can’t find where $10 is the issue . . . I think it was over fifty cents? Right? But I’m with you, I don’t care if its even a quarter . . . it’s the principle of being cheated out of a bargain. Good for you for sticking to your guns!
February 8th, 2006 at 1:50 amWe must have been at the same chain store. G.E. boneless, slinless, chicken breasts?
The WERE BOGO in the flier, but the store wouldn’t give it to me!
February 8th, 2006 at 7:23 amI would have done the same thing. I bought two huge pork tenderloins a few weeks ago advertised as BOGO that did not ring up on sale. The cashier got the manager who then went back to the butcher/meat area (the guy working told me they should be on sale although they were in a different area then the ones by the sign) and they STILL wouldn’t give them to me on sale even though there seemed to be no difference in the labels on the meat. UGH! KROGER!
February 8th, 2006 at 10:11 amI think the worst person to be in line behind at the store is the one who doesn’t have enough money/their credit card is declined and so they slowly take off this item and then that one and then this one trying to get a price they can afford while still buying all their stuff. This has happened to me twice recently with interesting people ahead of my in line. One was a deaf woman (her credit card was declined) that was interesting while the cashier tried to explain that one and the other was an Amish girl who didn’t have enough money. The Amish girl also didn’t have her ID with her to write a check and the cashier suggested that she could give him her driver’s license number. Um yeah she didn’t have one of those because she is AMISH!
February 8th, 2006 at 10:38 pmForget the check-out line — For $10 I would have held up the STORE! Picture it… coupons in one hand, 5 year old throwing a fit in the other, crazed look in the eyes, hair going every-which-way… “Give me the sale price, and nobody gets hurt!”
February 9th, 2006 at 10:39 am