She Made An A$$ Out Of Her And Me!

Yesterday I stopped by Country Mart to pick up a few things. Just the essentials: bananas, Bugles, Rice Chex, Corn Chex, and individual cups of strawberry/chocolate swirl ice cream. Nothing much. I don't do my regular shopping there. It's just a quick place to pick up some items that Save A Lot doesn't have, without driving all the way to The Devil's Playground.

Country Mart is THE ONLY PLACE that Bugles are on the shelf! Farmer H's favorite ice cream is also unique to this store. Well, not his favorite, but what he likes of the only kind that I will allow him to have in the individual containers. And I found Country Mart's store brand rice and corn cereal for half the price of the brand name Chex. Save A Lot doesn't have it any more. The bananas weren't as green as I might have liked, but I also found a Turkey Club Salad in their vegetable case. And picked up a Valentine card for my Sweet Baboo. So I was pretty pleased as I strolled up to the checkout.

Now's the part where the phonograph needle screeches. Where you hear the sound of tires squealing as brakes are jammed on. Where vindictive Stripe of Gremlins fame spits a wad of phlegm on sweet little Gizmo, tooting his Christmas trumpet, candy cane clinched in hand.

The checker (only one open) was turned toward the front of the store, talking to the employees at the service desk. She heard my Bugles bag crinkling, and started ringing up my order. She even bagged the items logically. Even though her attention was still on her service desk cohorts.

I pulled out my debit card to pay. Country Mart doesn't have a chip reader, so I have to slide the card. Not that I care. I don't really like the chip readers anyway. As I flipped my card to get the magnetic strip aligned right for sliding, I saw, out of the corner of my left eye, the checker turning and punching something into the register. You know how things out of the ordinary get your attention, even though you don't consciously think about them. Like when a new sign has gone up along the road. You just notice it.

I was wondering how she could do that so fast. Usually, the checkers stand around twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the customers to complete their transaction by punching buttons on the keypad of the card scanner thingy.

I slid my debit card, and the little screen thingy said, "Thank You!" Wait...just then, the checker shoved a receipt onto the little ledge holding the card scanner contraption.

"I just need your signature."

"Uh. I don't know why. I never have to sign. I'm using a debit card. But the screen didn't let me pick it this time. I didn't get my choices."

Let the record show that upon sliding my card, I always get several screens. Choose from Debit or Credit or EBT / Enter PIN / Choose from Checking or Savings / Verify Amount / Do You Want Cash Back? / Is This Correct? / Press Enter.

"Oh. Well...I know that screen shows YOU some choices. But our register doesn't. It was a VISA, wasn't it?"

"Yes. My debit card. I never use it for a credit card. WHO charges GROCERIES? I don't want that waiting on my credit card until the end of the month."

"Oh. Well. I don't know if they charge you any different for using it as a credit card."

Fat lot of good that does ME, lady! I suggest you learn how your devices work, and stop ASSUMING that everyone who whips out a VISA is using a credit card! Seriously? What if somebody has to pay interest on their groceries? Or what if somebody has a cab waiting outside, and needed to get cash back to pay for their ride? AND whatever happened to offering to void that transaction and start over? Oh, wait! I guess that would be good customer service. Maybe YOUR BUDDIES OVER AT THE SERVICE DESK could explain it to you!

Sweet Gummi Mary! I was as annoyed as all get-out by that gal!

When I complained to told Farmer H later, he assured me that it works just like the debit card. No extra fees or other bill. I know that such a process is used over in Bill-Paying Town by Office Max. But they have always explained it, each time I bought anything there, before completing the transaction. "I'll have to put this through as a credit card, but it's going to work just like a debit. All that's different is that we need a signature." So I'm used to it there. Because they explain things. BEFORE going through with the transaction, and allowing for any questions. I don't know that about Country Mart, but apparently Farmer H does, probably from hanging out in their deli eating biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

Still. I think that checker's actions were a bit hasty and uncalled for.