Grocery Store Observations

I went to the grocery store the other day and there was this woman, obviously harried, shopping with her husband and two kids. Normal, average and everyday, right? No. This woman was a harridan!!! She was yelling at the kids and yelling at her husband as if he was one of the kids. I don’t know about you, but I would be happy that my husband was willing to help with the shopping. This woman acted as if everything that was wrong in the world was his fault. I felt so sorry for both of them. For him because he was obviously trying and all he was getting was humiliated in public and for her because she had no idea how ugly she was behaving. The meddling me wanted to go up to her and tell her to lighten up. The shopping will get done and if she treated her husband and children with a little more respect then it wouldn’t be such a trial. Alas, I didn’t. But it does make me realize how idiotic and small people (even I) look when taking out internal frustrations on the ones we love. I vow to be more in tune to that and to not do it again.

During that same trip to the store I happened to get the cashier who was at the end of her shift and was tired and brain-fried. I purchased 18 items and came home with 8 bags. I really don’t like it when they put one or two items in a bag. It’s such a waste. I guess they think they are doing it to make the bags light. Or because they don’t want to think about it. But, hey, the apples are already in a bag. Do we need to bag the stuff that’s already bagged? Then there was the bag she wrapped around the salmon before starting to put it in its very own bag. Now this was a ½ lb piece of fish that was wrapped in plastic and then wrapped in a bag that she was going to put in a bag by itself!! Argh!!! All it takes is a little thought and you can group things together that will keep the bag standing (sort of) upright and still get more than two items in each bag. Like, instead of putting both the carton o f ½ & ½ and the milk in one bag, she could have given each its own bag and then filled in around it. I was hungry and was aware I was in a bad mood (the wretched mom/wife didn’t do anything to bolster my mood) so I didn’t comment about it. I think that I would have received a blank stare or maybe even tears. Next time there isn’t a nice young man to bag my groceries, I’m gonna do it myself. And why aren’t there any stores in Asheville that let you bag for yourself?

No dancing in the peanut butter aisle for me this time.