Friday, September 24, 2010

#12 Swipe me baby one more time

On Tuesday night, I went to Foodtown to buy some juice and kiwifruit because I have been quite sick and I needed to stock up my 5 + a day habit. I know I only have about $10 to spend so I get 5 kiwifruit, one bottle of orange juice, and x2 packs of three dark chocolate Whittakers sticks because they are on sale. I head to the 12 items or less check out and watch the Indian lady scan my future belongings, $9.70.


"No I don't have a one card." 


I swipe my debit card... decline. That's ok, peoples card's decline all the time.


"Can you take away one of the Whittakers packs please?" 


$7.60. Swipe... decline. Shit. 


"Can you take the other chocolate pack away? I really shouldn't have any chocolate anyway." Fake laugh. 


$5.60. Swipe... decline. I whip my head around to see who witnessed this. There is a line of about 12 people behind me. My head whips back to the Indian lady who has this sympathetic look on her face that says 


"It's ok, I've been here, but I have a job so it doesn't really happen to me anymore."


There is not point trying to explain to her that you checked your bank account literally five minutes ago so this wouldn't happen, or that tomorrow is pay day, or that you just ordered takeaways around the corner and paid for them, or that you do in fact have a job it's just that there were bills and auto payments and rent and petrol to be paid this week... because there is no time - people are waiting. Hold on a second, the great thing about this Foodtown is that they have computers so you can watch your items getting scanned and see the list add up to the total. The other great thing is that the computer screen is facing everyone in the line. Naturally I put my hand on the screen where it says $5.60 so the young couple behind don't see.


"Can you delete the list please so those people don't see?"


"What?"


"Can you delete the... oh don't worry!"


I may not have got my kiwifruit, orange juice and chocolate, but I left a tomato, which is full of antioxidants. 

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