Shopping Observations

A lot of what I say is generic enough to apply to most major retail & electronics stores in the country, but I will say that it all happened at one store.

I mentioned yesterday that I was interested in getting the Aeon Flux DVD set. I drove to one of the major retail stores and started a frantic search for it. Wouldn't you know it, the store was unusually packed. The aisles were filled with parents and children blocking everything with shopping carts and inconsiderate helions. A grunt of frustration escaped my mouth and actually hit the ears of the offending parent. She looked at me incredulously then backed away.

Finding the DVD set, I walked to the register and waited in the shorter of two evils. Such goes the mad holiday rush that there are only two registers open for holiday shopping. This store is notorious for only having two exit-area registers open at any given point, but keeping two cashiers on hand for the holiday crush. I stood and waited as the clerk answered asinine after asinine question from the customer and (of course) saw the other, longer line going faster than mine.

It was about this point where I shut my brain functions down to the essentials (breathing, heartbeat, muscles to ensure I am still standing) and kinda lost myself into my own little utopia when the sick sound of a body hitting the floor echoed through the entire building. The ambient noise of the store was silent for about a second then resumed. I broke my trance and saw a child (no more than 4) had run around like a pinhead and tripped, falling with the characteristic's of a rag doll.

Then I started to think to myself how different a child falls in comparison to an adult. A child has no concept of self preservation until they realize that their falls can have serious repercussions, such as excruciating pain, broken bones or the possibility of severe and deadly injuries. Children fall down face first and never try to catch themselves because they lack this self preservation instinct. As adults, we can't afford to be broken and in pain, so we try and lessen the fall or try other methods of preventing serious injury.

So, with the child up off the floor and seemingly no worse than before the fall, it was time for me to pay for my purchases. I had a wad of cash on hand and instead of paying for my DVDs with my debit card, I thought it would be nice to (for once) pay with old fashioned money. Interesting concept until you bring in the variables.

I thought I was being retro 1999 when I was paying for items in cash. I thought to myself how cool it was to actually exchange money with a company and give my purchase that extra oomph of pride that I did my purchase sans finance charges or debit pensmanship. Then it hit me. The girl manning the register wasn't at all prepared for someone to pay with cash for anything. She asked to be excused and went to another department to get change for my purchase. Now, my DVD was mired with the hassle of exact change only, and not the old fashioned method of payment.

Lesson learned: Online shopping & debit cards from this point forward.

And yeah, I did get ugly looks from people in line behind me.