Justice: Supermarket Style

Karma in the checkout line...is there anything sweeter?

(I feel like 1/2 my blog entries are about waiting in checkout lines. Either I shop a lot or there is nothing else interesting to blog about. Or maybe both.)

Anyway during this the (apparent) BLIZZARD of '08, I stopped by Hannaford on the way home from work to pick up food for the birthday bash my friend Sarah and I are throwing ourselves on Saturday (She turned 28 this past Tuesday, I turn 28 this Monday. Holla!). I didn't have too many items, just enough to put me a few OVER the limit for the express checkout. I am nothing if not a believer in supermarket justice so I went and got in one of the insanely long lines instead of breezing through the express line which was only two people long and hoping they didn't notice my 5 or 6 extra items.

Now, there were only two other registers open and both had 4-5people with huge carriages filled to the brim with food because clearly the 4 inches of snow on the ground is a SNOW EMEGENCY and cause to stock up on sundries like goat cheese and Li"l Smokies (or maybe that's just me). So I picked a line and parked my carriage and waited, hoping for something to entertain me for the 10-15 minutes I would be in line.

Soon enough, my entertainment arrived.

A harried looking woman got in the line next to me with an older woman who I assumed to be her mother. She was complaining RELENTLESSLY about the lines. "You gotta be kidding me what do people think this is a FAHKIN BLIZZAHD!?" and her equally charming mother concurred that she HATED HANNAFORD THEIR PRODUCE IS GODAWFUL!

And so on.

Fine, I mean you are entitled to your negative opinions, but must you shout? I took out my cell phone to text Adam that I was in the supermarket line from hell because that is what a relationship is about, alerting the other person to your sufferings at all times. This pleasant woman took that opportunity as a means to point me out to her mother and say "something something JUST CANT LIVE WITHOUT THEIR DAMN CELL PHONES".

Like my texting someone while standing silently, stationary and NOT IN HER LINE qualifies me as someone who can't live without my cell phone.

I didn't say anything because frankly this woman seemed unbalanced and I did not have as much coffee as I should have this morning and was off my game. She then lowered her voice and said something else I couldn't hear, all the while looking at me, and the person in front of her even turned around to gawk at SHE WHO CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HER CELL PHONE. I can only imagine what she said. Maybe she remarked on the shocking lack of pork rinds in my cart since hers was chock a block with them.

I glanced at her, and before I could properly shoot her a withering glance, a cashier announced "Next in Line CASH ONLY!"

This was not really a help to anyone waiting in these long lines because who pays in cash?

Oh yeah. I DO!

So I breezily sauntered up to the cashier, confirmed that I was indeed prepared to pay in cash and made absolutely sure to turn around and smirk at that woman, still waiting in a line 3 people deep to check out.

I may have even waved my cell phone at her as well.

So with that I bid you a Happy Friday! When I check back in with you on Monday I will have turned 28 years old earlier that morning. Get psyched.