Here's an interesting story from my trip to the store.
I needed some groceries to continue my existence on this Pale Blue Dot - so I took myself to the local big name store to get a couple of items (first and foremost, coffee and creamer). I'm a big fan of the self-checkout lane (mainly because for some reason a lot of people don't use it so there is rarely a wait). I step up to the scanner and start the process of scanning and bagging my ~$20 worth of purchases.
Suddenly the screen flashes "PLEASE WAIT". So I wait. 20 seconds... 30 seconds... Finally, I look over to the "overseer" of the self-check lanes, who says "It'll be just a moment." It seems that while I was trying to make my purchase, a couple of the "overseer's" friends walked up to her with a purchase, so she put me on hold in order to allow her friends to get a pack of Dentine without having to wait in line.
This doesn't make me happy, but after a few more seconds, my screen returns to normal mode and I continue scanning and bagging. Then, again, "PLEASE WAIT" shows up. I look around and the friends have now decided to buy a phone card. So I wait another 30 - 40 seconds for this oh, so vital purchase to go through and finally am able to scan the last item.
My total pops up as $20.48, and, since I have the coins, I begin putting the $0.48 (btw, why the fuck don't computer keyboards have the "cent" sign?) into the coin slot. I enter $0.46 worth of coin and the screen suddenly switches to "LANE CLOSED". I stare at it for a moment, then look over at the "overseer" - who is joking and laughing with her friends. I try to get her attention, but she's too involved in finding out who made out with whom at the party last night to pay me any mind.
So, I put the $20 bill I'm holding back in my wallet, put the wallet back in my pocket, grab my bags of groceries, and walk out the door.
Should I feel bad? While you decide, I'm going to go make an omelette from some of my free eggs, taters, and colby cheese.
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