"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> If this isn't the most absurd situation I've seen
> in a checkout line, it's close. Maybe it ties with
> the kid who threw the phoniest temper tantrum I've
> ever seen in front of a doormat mother who obviously
> lost control of her kid when he was very young.
>
> There were two Chinese women in front of me, an
> elderly one and a middle-aged one. The younger one
> was translating for the older one, and as it turned
> out, she didn't know her. She just volunteered to
> translate, because the older woman didn't speak
> any English at all.
>
> As I stood there and learned more of the story,
> it appeared the older woman was trying to return
> a watch battery. She had the original packaging
> for the battery, and the watch that the battery
> was put into, but the problem was that the battery
> was inside the watch. Nobody knew how to get the
> battery out of the watch, and the clerk didn't want
> to give a refund without getting the battery back.
>
> Fortunately, the clerk rang up my bottle of beer
> and can of olives while the women were making their
> case for a refund. I don't know how it was resolved,
> but I did give the poor clerk a smile in sympathy
> with her dilemma.

Standing in checkout lines seems to be getting worse all the time. I have
seen stuff like this where a person holds up a line forever with endless
demands from the clerk. I wonder sometimes if this isn't the only attention
they ever get in their lives.

Then I see this too often in my college town store - in front of me was a
baby faced boy, must have been 16 tops. Doesn't even shave yet you can
tell. His skinny little girlfriend is with him, also not more than 16, at
best maybe 17. They are buying 3 bottles of margarita mix and a huge bottle
of tequila. So the supervisor is the checkout clerk, asks the girl for an
ID. I can clearly see the face on the picture. It is of a heavy set blond
girl yet this chick is short and small and has jet black hair. You can see
the supervisor mentally deduct the year from 2008 and then goes "OK"
probably without looking at the photo. I wanted to ask that woman if she
would feel guilty of say those two kids died of alcohol poisoning or worse
if they actually drove a car. Instead I wrote a letter to the company.

Paul