I’m beginning to wonder if I can ever go out in public without bearing witness to at least ONE person’s hard-on for shameless ignorance.
I stopped at Stop & Shop to do some grocery shopping a few days ago, and when it came time for me to check out, I inadvertently walked into a war zone. The irate woman in front of me began arguing with the clerk over the price of a package of bacon. The item had rung up $1.69. She thrust a Shaws circular in the clerk’s face unceremoniously, pointing out the “correct” price: $1.50. “Oh, I’m sorry, but that’s a Shaws ad, not a Stop & Shop one,” the cashier said.
You’d think that would’ve ended the argument, right? Perhaps the woman laughed sheepishly and apologized for the mix up? Alas, no. She just stared at the clerk blankly for a few moments, a brief calm before her storm of lunacy. “But I didn’t know that beforehand!” she shouted. “I should still get it for this price!” She flailed her arms out for emphasis as she spoke; she was a female Atlas holding the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Here we go.
“I’m sorry, ma’am but we can’t do that,” the cashier told her, politely.
All hell broke loose. The woman threw a temper tantrum until she was red-faced, and she spewed profanities with zero regard for the children nearby. The poor cashier flipped a switch next to her terminal, and the lamp post above her flashed red. She was signaling a manager to assist her with the rabid bull next to us, who continued to shout while shaking her fist in the air.
The line was growing, and I heard some folks in close proximity murmuring comments under their breath. Others simply shook their heads in disgust. I just kept my distance, and avoided eye contact.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
My dear, you have never been to Israel. We have lots of customers like this in a supermarket - well I've never seen one argue over the price for bacon - I don't go into THOSE shops. But arguments like this abound and the managers do not avoid the customers, they confront them, and very rarely give anything away...
Like I said, this is Israel... You're lucky to get air for free.
2 - Victor Plenty
Reminds me of a great line I read somewhere recently: there's a big difference between bending over backward for a customer, and bending over forward.