Mrs. Hillbilly Mom Still Has It

Yep! I've still got my extrasensory knack for picking the slowest line. I would have said my unique talent, but I have a feeling some of you share my skill.

I was back at Country Mart on Friday, mainly for bananas (they're eaten by two now), and Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies for The Pony. He rarely asks for anything from the store. He still has some left from my last shopping trip, but I think he deserves a little pick-me-up after working 60 hours for the second week in a row.

While there, I also picked up two boxes of pinwheels, and a deli dinner for Farmer H and The Pony. Fish for Farmer H, with mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. He likes the green beans, but they looked like they'd been floating there for a while. Also, they ran out of brown gravy, so he had to have the white gravy. I don't think he cared. The Pony got shrimp, with both sides of mac n cheese. I'm not sure he ate it, since he didn't get home until 8:30. Don't worry about The Pony. He stops for a hearty McDonald's breakfast on the way to work. He can have it Saturday night instead.

I also grabbed some toilet paper and a 3-pack of Puffs With Lotion, and a pack of mini Hershey bars for The Pony. He's lost 30 pounds since he went to work for the USPS. Gotta keep up his strength with empty sugar calories!

Two checkouts were open. I got in the one on the left, with a lady standing down at the end, putting her bags in the cart. There was a man with only a case of beer and a plastic tub of pecans. Then a lady with a half-full cart. I figured it would move pretty quick.

The line on the right had a man with a bunch of beverage cases in his cart. I didn't pay attention. I'm thinking it was soda. The lady was coming out from behind that short counter to pick up one and then go scan it. He was an older man. Behind him was a guy in a motorized cart. His basket was mainly full of paper goods, but he'd been in line behind me at the deli. I figured it would take a while to get stuff out and back into his cart basket.

A lady came up behind me and kind of hovered between the two lines. I guess that's allowed. I had clearly staked my preference in the left line. Another lady came up behind HER, and asked which line she was in. So HoverGal moved to the right line. Which left SecondGal hovering.

Sweet Gummi Mary! She had two young boys with her who'd been running all over the store. That really annoys me. Other people's kids should never been seen, and not heard. They were around 6-7. Not toddlers trying to escape. Kids of school age who should know better. Yes, it was about 4:00. After-school time. I'm sure they had pent-up energy. She should have exercised them on the parking lot. I just don't suffer childish behavior well these days. Train your children, or keep them on a leash. They ran up to one lady, and jabbed her in the arm, and yelled, "HEY!" It was obvious that they were acquaintances, but that poor lady jumped with fright. My teacher stinkeye had no effect on the perpetrators, nor their enabler. Probably because I'm invisible now that I'm old.

Anyhoo... back in my line, the lady ahead of me realized that we were at an impasse, and moved over behind HoverGal in the right line. Which was a signal for SecondGal to also push into that line. Even with the checker running after the motorized guy with a bag of his forgotten purchases, all three of those gals were done before I was waited on. I still don't know the nature of the holdup, but that end lady was there forever. Not paying. Just putting stuff in her cart and discussing something (that didn't seem personal) with the cashier.

By the time Beer Case Nut Man had his turn, he motioned to the beer, and said, "You need to take one of these out of here!" The cashier didn't object. Nor did she take one. I have a feeling that might be frowned upon.

When it was my turn, she said, "I think it's time for my break!"

I told her it was PAST time for her break! She'd also been answering questions from two people standing at the service desk, where NOBODY was working. That's on them, I guess. Even though they asked her if anybody was going to be working there. Today. OR tomorrow. They finally left, saying they'd be back tomorrow. 

Two workers wearing the employee red vest came in the front door. From break, I guess. Cashier told them, "People are getting tire of waiting. LEAVING tired of waiting." It did not seem to make an impression.

As I was taking my receipt, the lady behind me said, "I only want to pay for a small bag of ice." Well. Excuse me for not turning around to see what anyone behind me might have. But I still wouldn't have offered to let her go ahead of me. I'd been WAITING, you know. Not that she expected me to let her ahead. It's just that I normally might. But NOT on this day.