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I had a stupid moment today.
Decided to run up to a grocery store really fast, to pick up a few essential ingredients for some batch cooking I'm doing today. So I hop a bus, and head to the store. Get off, start walking. Strange, there are cars parked on the street side. Why? Oh, because the parking lot is full. Weird. Can't imagine why.
As I cross the threshold into the store itself, it hits me...
FUCK! First of the month!! Government payday, general payday for most people. And foodstamp/EBT day here in Houston.
Gods, why, why didn't I check the calendar?!
Droves upon droves upon droves of people, all dripping with sucktitude. I needed 3 things. it took me 45 minutes to traverse the store, get what I need, and then get through a line. A few gems from today.
Excellent parenting. Really...
Mother, grandmother, two kids in a cart. Children are bouncing around the cart, not seated, and screaming at the top of their lungs. So, what do mom and grandma do? Oh, no, they can't tell their pwecious angels to sit the fuck down and shut up? Nope, rather, it's more important to bitch at the man at the meat counter, because he refuses to mark down a package of steaks. Why, you ask, should he mark down the package? The label is faded, thus it is damaged. So, they deserve at least 50% off.
More excellent parenting...
I'm hustling through the aisles, just wanting to get in, get out, and get on with my life. I see a woman with her three kids. The kids are not happy to be stuck in a crowded grocery store, so mom decides the best thing to do to entertain them is to tell them they can push the cart. And then she turns her back on them to snag a free sample of something. Eldest child puts youngest child in the cart and proceeds to push said card as hard as he can, sending it careening down the aisle. Of course this is such a fun new game, it absolutely must be repeated, until cart hits a flatbed of boxes an employee is trying to stock. Of course mom doesn't see the problem. Kids will be kids after all...
Speaking of free samples and kids...
In the deli/produce area, the deli counter has little trays of free samples set up, well out of the reach of little children. Usually, it's little cups of potato salad, macaroni salad, etc. Enter father of the year and his young daughter. Daughter wants a sample. Daddy won't give it to her because he's on his cell phone saying something about beer and football. ( I only wish I was joking about that...). Daughter proceeds to climb the case which holds things like sandwiches to go, supermarket sushi, etc, grab and go stuff. She steps on sandwiches, squashes pizza, busts open cartons of potato and pasta salad, all to reach the precious precious goal of a free sample. She's not quite tall enough to reach the cups, so she grabs the edge of the tray and pulls.
macaroni salad. EVERYWHERE.
And a pissed off father wanting to know why the store employees weren't watching what his precious little girl was doing...
Finally, I get to the checkout!!
Only to be stuck behind three ladies who want to run 5 different transactions on their Lone Star cards (Foodstamp/EBT cards here in Texas). It's all well and good, except their throwing a hissy fit over the fact they can't buy their clearance clothing and shoes and booze with said card, because they've always been able to before!!
Manager had to be called over. Took several tries to get it through their heads why it wasn't allowed, and they swore up and down they'd take it to corporate.
good luck with that.
So...close...
After these women left, there was just one more person in front of me. Success! I'm almost FREE!!
But this woman, oh no, she has coupons. Granted, their not for ANY of the items she's purchased, but why should that matter? She spent forever arguing why she should still get the money off.
Bonus. Several, if not all of said coupons were expired...
Final story...
This store has a starbucks in it. I stopped to grab a beverage, as I still had about 20 minutes to kill before heading out to catch a bus. I get my drink, sit down, and pull out my sudoku puzzle book, and proceed to ignore the chaos.
Or so I think
It isn't even two minutes until I hear loud arguing.
why, it's someone trying to purchase starbucks beverages.
With foodstamps.
<sigh> You know what? Waiting for a bus for 20 minutes in triple digit heat is starting to sound really good at that point...
I'm stoopit stoopit stoopit. What should've been a quick 5 minute trip in and out of the store turned into almost an hour long nightmare. <whimper>
*Please note, this is NOTHING against those on foodstamps or EBT!!! Just because 1 or 2 sightings involved them, doesn't mean I'm commenting on the issue or start a debate.
Decided to run up to a grocery store really fast, to pick up a few essential ingredients for some batch cooking I'm doing today. So I hop a bus, and head to the store. Get off, start walking. Strange, there are cars parked on the street side. Why? Oh, because the parking lot is full. Weird. Can't imagine why.
As I cross the threshold into the store itself, it hits me...
FUCK! First of the month!! Government payday, general payday for most people. And foodstamp/EBT day here in Houston.
Gods, why, why didn't I check the calendar?!Droves upon droves upon droves of people, all dripping with sucktitude. I needed 3 things. it took me 45 minutes to traverse the store, get what I need, and then get through a line. A few gems from today.
Excellent parenting. Really...
Mother, grandmother, two kids in a cart. Children are bouncing around the cart, not seated, and screaming at the top of their lungs. So, what do mom and grandma do? Oh, no, they can't tell their pwecious angels to sit the fuck down and shut up? Nope, rather, it's more important to bitch at the man at the meat counter, because he refuses to mark down a package of steaks. Why, you ask, should he mark down the package? The label is faded, thus it is damaged. So, they deserve at least 50% off.
More excellent parenting...
I'm hustling through the aisles, just wanting to get in, get out, and get on with my life. I see a woman with her three kids. The kids are not happy to be stuck in a crowded grocery store, so mom decides the best thing to do to entertain them is to tell them they can push the cart. And then she turns her back on them to snag a free sample of something. Eldest child puts youngest child in the cart and proceeds to push said card as hard as he can, sending it careening down the aisle. Of course this is such a fun new game, it absolutely must be repeated, until cart hits a flatbed of boxes an employee is trying to stock. Of course mom doesn't see the problem. Kids will be kids after all...
Speaking of free samples and kids...
In the deli/produce area, the deli counter has little trays of free samples set up, well out of the reach of little children. Usually, it's little cups of potato salad, macaroni salad, etc. Enter father of the year and his young daughter. Daughter wants a sample. Daddy won't give it to her because he's on his cell phone saying something about beer and football. ( I only wish I was joking about that...). Daughter proceeds to climb the case which holds things like sandwiches to go, supermarket sushi, etc, grab and go stuff. She steps on sandwiches, squashes pizza, busts open cartons of potato and pasta salad, all to reach the precious precious goal of a free sample. She's not quite tall enough to reach the cups, so she grabs the edge of the tray and pulls.
macaroni salad. EVERYWHERE.
And a pissed off father wanting to know why the store employees weren't watching what his precious little girl was doing...
Finally, I get to the checkout!!
Only to be stuck behind three ladies who want to run 5 different transactions on their Lone Star cards (Foodstamp/EBT cards here in Texas). It's all well and good, except their throwing a hissy fit over the fact they can't buy their clearance clothing and shoes and booze with said card, because they've always been able to before!!
Manager had to be called over. Took several tries to get it through their heads why it wasn't allowed, and they swore up and down they'd take it to corporate.
good luck with that.
So...close...
After these women left, there was just one more person in front of me. Success! I'm almost FREE!!
But this woman, oh no, she has coupons. Granted, their not for ANY of the items she's purchased, but why should that matter? She spent forever arguing why she should still get the money off.
Bonus. Several, if not all of said coupons were expired...
Final story...
This store has a starbucks in it. I stopped to grab a beverage, as I still had about 20 minutes to kill before heading out to catch a bus. I get my drink, sit down, and pull out my sudoku puzzle book, and proceed to ignore the chaos.
Or so I think
It isn't even two minutes until I hear loud arguing.
why, it's someone trying to purchase starbucks beverages.
With foodstamps.
<sigh> You know what? Waiting for a bus for 20 minutes in triple digit heat is starting to sound really good at that point...
I'm stoopit stoopit stoopit. What should've been a quick 5 minute trip in and out of the store turned into almost an hour long nightmare. <whimper>
*Please note, this is NOTHING against those on foodstamps or EBT!!! Just because 1 or 2 sightings involved them, doesn't mean I'm commenting on the issue or start a debate.
I hope the store was able to charge the dad for everything that was ruined. If I had even thought of considering trying anything like that I would have been grounded for a month and made to work off the cost of the food.
(deep inhaling breath) AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! 
Seriously, when are you going to just do your shopping online. 
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