In Praise of Grocery Store Self Check-Out

IMG_4604When I was in high school and college I worked as a grocery store check-out clerk. I was friendly. I would chat with my customers. I had regulars. In fact, for as much as I fear talking to strangers, I became a different person when working in customer service. It’s almost like I put on my Sassy Bad alter-ego, Viv, when I worked with customers. Someone would come through my line with tortillas, cheese, and tomatoes in their cart and I would say, “Hmmm, someone’s making burritos tonight!”

It’s that Midwestern, Marge Pearson, charm deep within me.

Anyhow, there were times when I couldn’t make any sense what so ever of the context of someone’s purchases – especially the late night crowd when people were more likely to be picking up ‘just a few things,’ and the items in any given basket were more eclectic.

Like the time one guy bought toilet paper, a bottle of mustard, and some dental floss.

Doesn’t that just make you laugh? Not even a little? The complete randomness of it? Okay, so maybe I have a strange sense of grocery store humor from working in the industry.

At any rate, in my childish paranoia that other people are just like me, I was glad to be able to take my random assortment of purchases through the ‘self-check’ line at my local grocery store last night. Because, well, wouldn’t YOU wonder what was going on at my house?

Okay, again, maybe I’m just a little strange.

(Oh, and if you’re paying attention, the test came out negative.)

3 thoughts on “In Praise of Grocery Store Self Check-Out”

  1. I just had a ‘late night’ shopping experience where I tried to joke with the cashier about how ‘one of these things does not belong here’ but he wasn’t getting it. In my basket I had chocolate chips, eggs, milk and garlic. Yuuummmmmmm!!!

  2. YES! Love it! I think you should frame this photo very nicely, matted etc, and hang it in your guest bathroom. And then see how long people stay in there after the flush is heard….

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