Saturday, August 13, 2016

The card, the wait, the fun. Life is good.


Standing in line at the grocery store yesterday,  the guy just ahead of us had picked up a card (Phone or gift card etc to purchase). The young girl at the register was having a tough time processing it and the line grew. Behind us were some kids, one a little fussy.  Fortunately I purchased some gold dollars on our last trip to the bank.  It is a hobby of mine to give these to kids.


I normally use an old standby of mine, a slight of hand trick to make it disappear and it magically appears in their ear, pocket or shoe.  I always ask the parents if it is okay to show the kids a trick.  It calmed the fussy kid and we had a lot of laughs as I gave out a few gold dollars. One grandma who had her grandchild there, ask me as we were leaving if the dollars were real, she had never seen one. The answer of course was “Yes, it is a hobby of mine.”  She smiled and thanked me. 


Oh yes and while I was putting on an impromptu show I saw a kid in another aisle watching,  I invited him over to join the show.



Two ladies were waiting holding roasted chickens, I went back and dickered for the chickens for a picnic while we waited. We couldn't come to an agreement so we didn't eat chicken (LOL). The poor cashier could get no management over to fix the problem for a while, in the end she ended up re-scanning the entire buggy.  But we had fun in line, we were all friends before we left and all was well. The customer apologized, the cashier apologized. All in all it ended up being fun.

I always feel sorry for a young cashier in those situations. This happened to us once using a Visa Gift card that would not take. We finally paid cash and left. The use of so many cards in our society has generated problems, but in the long run they have made life easier.

Nite Shipslog

PS: I asked a banker if I could open a joint account. He said certainly, what other name do you want on the account. I said, it doesn’t matter, just so they have a lot of money.

**************  *******************   ****
 Contrast the land speedster and the Leon Bollee (french)

8 comments:

Lisa said...

I like you. You are one cool fella. I love reading your stories.

Sunny in SC.
Lisa

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I'm thinking you had a hand in making that wait easier for all. Always better to smile than not for sure.

betty said...

LOL with the joke about the bank account.

Sounded like a fun line to be in at the store. Glad you had a "few tricks up your sleeve" to make the wait enjoyable. I've learned to be patient in line with transactions like that; I remind myself I'm blessed to have the money to be able to be waiting in line to purchase what I want/need :)

betty

Paula said...

Bet the mothers appreciated the entertainment for their kids. You and Sherry are good people.

Mevely317 said...

What a neat gesture! Like Paula said, I'm sure the kiddos' mothers appreciated your slight of hand. :)

I'm not particularly patient ... and, sure, I feel bad for that cashier, but hold management responsible. More often than not, we've witnessed clerks thrust out on the floor who've not been thoroughly trained.

This post did resurrect a fun memory: Back when I worked in St. Pete and had an actual hour for lunch, I'd normally use that time to shop for non-perishables, etc. Approaching the check-out one day, I was dismayed to see all the lines occupied, most with full carts. (sigh.) Then, one 'old' man happened to turn my direction and stepped aside, saying: "You look like a working girl; please go on ahead."
I don't know if I was more tickled at this random act of chivalry, or his being oblivious to the term, 'working girl.' (At least I HOPE he was oblivious. LOL)

Rick Watson said...

That is a great lesson, Jack. People have two choices when they face a situation like that. They can show their rear end, or show a little kindness. I'm sure the kids got a kick out of your magic.
I never go into one of these places in a hurry. If you do, you will almost always face this type of situation.
Good on you mister.

shirl72 said...

Will comment tomorrow computer doing it's own thing.

TARYTERRE said...

A magician in line is sure to be entertaining. You are a nice man to dole out dollars to the kids.long lines are always bothersome to me. LOVE that joke at the end of your post.