Self Help
Two Mums At A Supermarket Checkout – Milsy Girl
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I found myself in a bizarre situation the other day and even now I don’t know why it happened.
I had dropped my kids off at school as usual and headed straight to the supermarket to do a food shop. I like to go early to avoid the rush of over 70’s arriving and slowly working there way up and down the isles. No offence to over 70’s, I love you all, but let’s face it, you’re not usually in a hurry and you generally like to take your time to select the best veg.
Anyway, I made my way speedily around the shop literally chucking everything I needed into the trolley. Then with a huge sense of achievement I headed for the checkout. Now, that time of the morning the supermarket manager clearly doesn’t feel the need to station more than one check-out assistant on a row of thirteen checkouts and so I swerved past the gradually increasing queue and headed for the self-checkout area.
As I approached the flashing green light above an empty checkout station another mum, who had clearly done exactly the same as me, turned into the checkout station facing mine. She had no doubt done this on many occasions and was a seasoned shopper. We both carefully lined our trolleys up in front of the small conveyor belts like we were sitting on the starting grid at a grand prix. Shopping bags were positioned expertly in eager openness ready for the deluge of goods that would land inside. I could feel the faint tension in the air.
Then a silent pistol went off and the imaginary traffic lights changed to green and we were racing.
We both started lifting items out of the trolley and scanning them like our lives depended on it. Beep, drop, beep, drop, beep, drop. Every item was scanned and dropped in the bag with speed and precision. Neither of us looking directly at one another, but I could see her out the corner of my eye. Did I imagine it or was she getting faster? A sense of competitiveness welled up in me like I was in a school race again at sports day. My breathing got faster.
I had to win this and I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know this woman and yet, we were clearly in a race.
The beeping frantically continued until my trolley was almost empty. I could see the finish line in sight. I glanced at her trolley and she definitely had more items left than me. Then the worst happened. An error message on my checkout machine and the dreaded red light of doom appeared above me. NNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! This couldn’t be happening!!!
I swung around in desperation searching for an assistant who could help me. I was losing my lead and my heart rate was increasing with every second that ticked by. A lovely young assistant in a green tabard and a name badge swooped in with her staff key fob, entered a login code and I was off again racing towards the end.
I grabbed at the last few items from my trolley, gathering them all up in one hand to try to save time. Scanning each one as fast as I could I threw them in the awaiting shopping back on the other side, and with relief and adrenaline pumping through my veins I hit the PAY NOW button.
I was almost there. Was I going to win?
I could see the other mum getting out her credit card. I fumbled in my bag for my wallet and hastily tapped my card on the contactless sign. Just then I saw the red light of death appear above the other mum’s checkout. Hurrah, a delay. I was going to get past the finish line first after all. Smugly I watched as she frantically looked about for a person with a name tag. I could see an assistant heading her way but I wasn’t hanging around now. I had my lead and I was taking it. I tore off the receipt, lifted up my bags and put them back in my trolley.
I pushed my trolley towards the exit and breathed a sigh of relief as the automatic doors slid open and the fresh air of the carpark hit my face.
I had won!
My adrenaline faded as I loaded my shopping into the car. I climbed in, put on the radio and off I went with the rest of my day.
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rachelmills7
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