It's a Real Mess in Here....# five

It's Friday, and all I can think about is getting my paycheck and...well it sure isn't going to be spent on me, that's for sure. Like most pay days I, as well as many other people have...to pay bills... lots of bills...lots...and lots...and lots of bills. Plus, I have to plan on at least a weeks worth of "eatables" to sustain me through the week. With that thought in mind, I began planning what I will purchase around what coupons I have. I love to use coupons. I really can save a lot of cash and walk away with a nice bundle of groceries if I plan it right. Of course, today wouldn't be that day. I had vitamins to buy. They are so expensive. I wait until they are on sale, buy one get one free, then use a coupon to help offset the costs. This blows my whole strategy for economising wisely, yup... right out of the water. I really love to crunch numbers and save... save... save...when I can. Better choice making in my life and I will be able to pay these crazy bills off some day. So, I'm off and running; paying some bills, picking up mail, and going to the grocery store to shop for my week's supply of food. I try to pick the grocery store with the most sales going on. There are a few items I can pick up cheaper at Wally-World. Yes, that's right. There are some items much cheaper there than any grocery store offers. I just hate to grocery hop all over just to save a few dollars, but I will. Especially if they are close in proximity. I begin to make my selections in the produce area when an on coming shopper on wheels scoots me to one side. She is on one of those mobile contraptions with wheels. If she would have had a horn attached to that contraption she was riding on, she would have been beeping it at me continually. She looked my way, aiming her wheels right for me... and said, "I need a bit of the space you're in". I gave her this odd look of... excuse me; puzzled by her request...I thought to myself, what space is she referring to...this space where I am standing...that space...the space I was occupying and trying to gather some fruit and nuts for myself, that space?...I just looked away and decided to forget whatever it was I thought I might want and tried to move away from the on coming traffic of other shoppers. I knew better than to be in the store at this peek time of day. Americans love to shop between the hours of 5pm and 7pm. I could barley get away from the one shopper on wheels, when another shopper came around from the other side sort of blocking me in, making it really hard to navigate my way out of the produce area and move away from either shopper...it's like playing a game of dodge-ball with all sizes of baskets, carts, and chairs with wheels to maneuver through. I had just begun my shopping in this area and I thought to myself, I am not even close to the frozen section where I was planned my escape towards the self-check out area and eventually right out of the store. Boy, ...I've got to make this visit short...to crowded for me...space please...can anyone...please give me some space to move around and enough time to look at some stuff I was planning to buy and eat...I'm hungry and I want to go home...please.... I finally made it over to the frozen section of the store and got my coupons out so I could match what I needed to purchase instead of what I wanted to purchase. Not this time, I told myself...trying to convince me about all the savings I would rack up if I stuck to a plan. I headed to the self-check out area where there was a line. There was a line everywhere. Yes, no sooner was I standing in line waiting for an available robot machine in the self check out area, when a man appeared; not behind me but beside me and began talking to me. I didn't know him...I was really tired...all I wanted to do at this point was get my groceries and exit the store. I hadn't eaten all day and I was hungry. I saw he only had a few items so I offered to let him go next, if he liked; he said no, smiled, and continued to talk to me. I just smiled back and stood there and listened until the next available robot machine was ready to service another soul. Yeah; it was my turn. I faced the robot machine and began to scan my items. There were six self-check out robot machines at this store...all being used. While doing my groceries I happen to over hear this lady next to me talking loudly to the robot machine...I guess she didn't like what it was instructing her to do because it wouldn't allow her to complete her order...it just froze up on her. I could see she was stuck. Her purse was on top of the scale and the robot machine kept repeating instructions for her to remove the object from the scanning area. I didn't see the person who monitors the area, so I asked the lady if I could help her. She said; "I hate these stupid machines, I really hate them". Okay, I thought in my head..than why are you using them...??? No sooner did I think my thought, then she bellowed out "The lines are all to long and I just want to get out of here". "Me too", I answered back. Let me help you. "First you need to move your purse off of the scale area and than you need to push this icon...pay now and it will bring you to a list of icons instructing you on how you plan on paying; push on your choice of payment and that's it". "Oh, no"...she said, "the prices aren't right". I looked at her list and explained some prices won't show until you press the pay now icon. "No...the prices aren't right". "Yes, I understand what you are saying, but you still have to push the pay now icon or the prices won't come off of the listed prices which are now showing, trust me...I know...I do this a lot". I looked around to see if the monitor person was anywhere to be found....all I could see was this really short lady standing on a stool...who appeared to be busy pushing buttons of her own on a register key board... she was so pint-sized she had to use the stool she was standing on just to reach the register key board. Now, that's short!? She was busy with all these other customers so, I took it upon myself and just pushed the pay-now icon for this lady. Like magic the prices dropped off, she looked at me with this surprised look on her face and said, "oh it does work that way"; like there was something magic which just transpired..."I guess it does work the way you were saying it would". "Yes", I said to her..."yes it does". Than I quickly turned back to my own robot machine and said,"beam me out of here Scottie, please". I quickly gathered my items together and checked out so I could finally make it homeward bound. I helped someone...with their checking out and now it was my turn to depart.