Hazard

 A few days ago I was at Bob Mills*, buying dry ice, yet again, for work.

I always brace myself for a less-than-smooth ride when getting dry ice at Bob Mills because the majority of employees lack training in the procedure. 

The dry ice is under lock and key (figuratively, since it is a combination lock, no key required). You need the code, a pair of gloves, and being able to eyeball which piece most closely matches the weight requested by the customer. You fetch it, return to your station, place it on the scale, then key in the product code. If it is not enough, you go back for more, or switch it out. (Hopefully you had the foresight not to have locked the freezer already or you'd have to reopen).

A child can do it, right?

On this particular glorious day, the cashier helping me is uncertain about the code to the combo lock. Her bagger approaches to help.

"It's 624, right?" My cashier is having doubts. This causes Cashier #2 (there were only two stands open that were not self-check) to approach to help, followed by her bagger.

Now it is a discussion, growing louder. "No! It's 634!"

"634?"

"It doesn't work."

"Oh, it's Zero 634!"

"It is not working..."

Now one of the kids is yelling out to the supervisor who is supervising the self-check area. Then two or three of them join in.

"It is 0634!" The supervisor yells back, ensuring that the entire store can hear. Now everybody knows the code to the dry ice freezer. Great.

Still more commotion and struggles and doubts. Then, like a miracle, Voilà! The treasure chest is, at long last, open.

By now I am SO amused I can't wipe the smirk off my face. Nor did I want to.

So when Bagger #2, the first one to return, was in his post again, I grinned and offered,

"How many Bob Mills employees does it take to screw in a light bulb? 
Except it's dry ice."

Nobody laughed.


*Not its real name