The Sale Must Go On

Last night i took some OTC sleeping pills to combat insomnia cuz i really wanted to get some things done today. Been a while since i'd taken any, and i think i'd only tried it twice. I see there's a reason it never became a habit. This morning, after 12 hours of disrupted sleep, i got up very groggy. In a fog. Doped up. Worse than a hangover.

How drug side effects can be worse than a hangover scares me.

Guess i'm not getting those things i wanted done.

By mid-afternoon, i was feeling slightly better. So i decided to run a couple of quick errands in order not to feel completely unproductive.

As i checked out at the local drugstore, the customer in front of me who happened to be an older lady with an accent i could not identify appeared to have an issue with a Crest toothpaste coupon. A heated argument that involved the supervisor ensued.

"This is not the right product," the supervisor informed the customer.

"But it's all you have left," replied the customer. "I looked."

Well, then they're out of stock of that item on sale! It's nobody's fault. Except maybe the automatic inventory restocking application.

"When will you have it?" Pursued the customer.

"Probably next Monday," said the supervisor.

"By then the sale will be over!" Exclaimed the customer.

The supervisor offered the customer a raincheck.

"But i want this today," insisted the customer.

"But you can't apply the discount again if you agree to take the raincheck," explained the supervisor, further upsetting the customer.

Then they got into this whole thing about compensation in sales tax. The supervisor would take a portion off, twice (why i don't know), and the customer would just pay about 21¢ more to get the deal today. The customer was not satisfied - it was not the same. They'd lost me.

The coupon was for 49¢! I'd gladly pay it so everyone can move on with their lives!

"Forget it!" Concluded the exasperated customer, who was by now very confused. So was everyone else in the vicinity, i'm sure.

Just as the supervisor was retrieving the item, the customer expressed concern, "So how much do i owe?"

"I thought you didn't want it anymore!" Cried the supervisor. "I've already taken it off!"

After much more ado, finally they agreed on the raincheck again.

"I'm entitled," said the customer triumphantly.

You're entitled? I think i was entitled to the 10 minutes of my life i'll never get back!

Then one more ordeal with some police SUV where the cops think they're entitled to stop wherever they damn well please, without forewarning, without just cause, backing up traffic into a major intersection, before i even got to my second errand.

Entitlement is a bitch, i tell ya.

In the evening after i recounted the incidents with utter cynicism, i said to RJ, "I'm so glad i got out!"

"You got excited there," observed RJ.

"Yeah," i muttered, dripping with sarcasm. "I felt so alive!"