old timers

What a day I had the other day.

I decided, since I was heading home early, that i was going to stop and do the food shopping for the week.

I rummaged around the market for about 30-40 minutes gathering up everything on our mental list for dinners this week. I got on line (not the eself-checkout like I usually do because I wanted help with bagging since I’m so unbelievably slow in everything I do these days).

There was a man in front of me and a woman in front of him just finishing up her transaction. The lines were full, but not out of control. However, at this point it wasn’t HOW many people were on line, it was more about WHO was on line.

Here I am almost 34 weeks pregnant, belly out to here (visualization of me patting my tummy) and I was surrounded by old people.

I love old people.. really I do.

I used to work in a nursing home. However, with that experience comes insight in to a deep, mysterious, complex, eccentric group of people with their own agenda. Though I will admit, the insight does nothing for you when you try to understand their decision making and thought process. Somewhere in that brain the synapses aren’t quite firing right and so their actions are out control.They have no sense of their surroundings.

My biggest pet peeve is their inability to truly comprehend and respect of anyone else’s feelings, thoughts, and space. Tunnel vision is what I call it. They can only handle their own little world right there in front of them and any other kind of interruption into their current thought process makes them cranky and stupid.

THIS is where I continue with my supermarket story.

As the man in front of me on line paid for his things, I, slowly and surely, emptied my cart onto the moving conveyor belt and the young (very young) boy began to scan my items. I noticed several people (the older kind) behind me in line, practically breathing down my cart, anxiously waiting their turn to put their items on the conveyor as well. When I was done emptying my basket, I moved to the other end of the counter where I began to bag my items.

What I didn’t expect was for the lady behind me to follow me all the way to the paying counter where she stood and emptied her cart and acted like it was her turn. I tried not be my “pregnant” hormonal self and just ignored her as much as i can, but i couldnt help but be annoyed that she was invading my space.

I continued to bag when I realized the young boy was scanning a big head of broccoli…

EWWW.

I hate broccoli and I would never put it in my card. Apparently he had scanned several of this woman’s groceries with my things. I corrected him and he took them off the bill. The woman, standing at the paying counter, grabbed the bagged birthday card I bought for Rob and said “don’t forget this”. I looked at her and said, “I know, im still bagging my things and I have to pay”.

She looked dumbfounded, like "I" was doing something wrong.

What do you mean you didnt pay yet? It's MY turn... hurry up. What's your problem anyway. All these thoughts were protruding from her eyes as she glared at me.

At that point I was pissed that I was being rushed and pushed right out of my spot. Her cart completely blocked me from getting to the electronic paying machine at the counter. I told her she had to back up so I could pay my bill. She turned to back up and began pushing this old man behind her and yelling at him to back up. All the while rolling her eyes as she did it...thinking 'ughh.. this lady doesnt know what she's doing'.

Of course, that poor old man... completely oblivious to what was going on... was busy putting his canned goods neatly on the conveyor belt. He couldn’t hear her (or chose to ignore her). The whole scene began to escalate and soon the man was yelling at her without even looking up to see what was the problem. It was a nightmare and all because these people had no patience or sense enough to observe that it was still my turn.

Somehow, I managed to get in there to pay my bill. Then I grabbed my cart and practically ran out of the store before I burst in to a rage of fury!

When I finally got to my car i breathed a sigh of relief!! I think I'll stick to shopping with my hubby in the future. It just seems to be so much less tramautic!

I piled all the groceries into my trunk when I realized....

CRAP...I have that lady’s roast AND I paid for it too!

I just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge! And so ... I left... roast and all!