Good Friday found Mrs. HM in 10Box, buying her Easter fixin's. That's because she rarely consults a calendar, and as recently as Monday thought she still had another week before Easter dinner.
Anyhoo... I found everything on my list except Peppercorn Ranch Dressing. It's The Pony's favorite, but I haven't seen it lately in 10Box nor Country Mart. The new trend seems to be Cucumber Ranch. I didn't get the ham I wanted, but I got a spiral-sliced smoked ham that will do. It's pretty big, but I already have the beans to use with leftovers. At least I didn't have to get one of those pressed-ham loaves, or the $57 (plus 10% at the checkout) ham that was looking for a brief home.
I went to the first register, which had the same clerk I had last time, when my head was in a fog, and I couldn't seem to get my card to work. Heh, heh! Because I was putting it in BACKWARDS, the end without the chip.
Anyhoo... I had a whole lotta stuff. I told that Checker Gal,
"I hope I can work my card this week!"
She smiled politely. I'm pretty sure she remembered my difficulties last time. She got everything scanned and I meticulously turned my card the right way and slid it into the card reader. I put in my PIN when prompted. Hit the green ENTER button. Then a weird screen came up! As I was trying to decipher it, that screen switched to say ENTER THE AMOUNT OF CASH BACK.
Hold on there! I didn't want any cash back! They stopped giving that option back when it was still Country Mart, before the 10Box remodel. Something about having a cash machine on premises, so no cash back feature at the register. Not a big deal to Mrs. HM, who only got cash back if she needed small bills for the lottery machines. They don't give change, you know. Feed them a twenty, and you have to buy that much in tickets. So I sometimes got $5 or $10 back, then repaid the house money with my allowance money when Farmer H was available to change a twenty for me.
Anyhoo... I didn't want cash back, and that screen stayed on.
"Sorry. I don't know what's going on. I don't want cash back, but that's what it's trying to give me."
I could tell by the look on Checker Gal's face that she thought I had messed up again. But I was innocent this time! I told her so. If she'd been one of those Indian deities with a plethora of arms, I'm pretty sure each one would have been exercising the crazy temple twirly finger. But to my face, Checker Gal said,
"Let's start over."
She leaned closer, turned that contraption where she could also see the screen, and watched me like a starving hawk surveilling a field mouse.
I put in my card. Did the PIN. And that screen came up again asking about cash back.
"SEE? I don't want cash back. I didn't hit anything to GET cash back. I was looking for the screen where it wants you do say OKAY to the total. But this came up! And there's nothing to hit, because I don't want cash back!"
Checker Gal seemed a bit surprised to see that screen. But she just said, "Really?" to my declaration that I'd never seen it there before. I don't know if that's a new feature or what. Maybe Checker Gal has been seeing it all week. Or maybe this is the first time it ever came up.
Anyhoo.... she punched in $0.00, and that card reader went to the approval screen I had been looking for. I guess I'll know what to do next time if I get that screen. At least nobody was behind me. The aisles were full, but not the checkouts.
I am NOT taking the blame on this one!
2 comments:
Not your fault at all. We had some similar to those and it was the job of the cashier to ask "any cash out?" and then tap in the amount on HER screen before you enter your PIN. I think we still have them, but only on regular checkouts and the self-serve ones that take cash or cards. The self-serve ones labelled card only don't give cash.
River,
I was discombobulated, because I had never seen that screen before. While I was trying to figure out how to answer, it went on to the next screen. I can't believe that checker had never seen it before, but she kind of acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. Maybe it's a new feature. But they still have a cash machine over by the lottery machines. So I'm surprised they would give cash back.
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