Scan Card

I love Safeway, but I spent about ten minutes more than I had to there yesterday. If something is going to go wrong, it will certainly happen in the line I've chosen. I think they need to consult with the genius who came up with the velvet rope idea that banks use, so you get the next available teller as opposed to getting stuck behind some old lady cashing in five years worth of pennies.

Yesterday an error occurred in front of me during the checkout process. The cashier did her level best, banging on the keys several times to try to void the pesky sale in question. When this did not work, she requested a scan card. Apparently these scan cards are in short supply. Why each cashier is not equipped with one is beyond me, but I am not an expert in the grocery industry.

The task of procuring the scan card was relegated to at least one of the baggers. One went away and then came back and asked if the cashier needed a scan card. I thought we had already established that fact but perhaps my impatience had colored my perception. At that point I said, in stentorian voice, "A scan card, a scan card, my kingdom for a scan card." Actually I kept my mouth shut but the guy behind me started grumbling a bit. I didn't want to exacerbate the situation. I could envision the cashier checking out my grapes individually to get back at me.

It turns out the issue was that the woman in front of me had mixed two different types of fruit in one bag. I understand now that when this is done, it creates a time warp. Since this was only discovered after the checkout process was complete, the woman was summarily sent to customer service to fix it.. Anyone familiar with Safeway knows what a black hole that is.