I was talking to mom earlier this week on the phone and she told me about a recent trip to Walmart. My mom loves going to the local Fern Creek Walmart. She buys quality items at an affordable price and she gets entertainment for free.
She was on her way to my aunt's house and needed three items. As she went to the express checkout, there was a very large, smelly biker asshole (SBA) with a cart full of things going through the express lane. If we do a comparison of the tape, my mom is five foot two inches and weighs whatever a thin grandma that size weighs.
This pissed her off to no end. (As I told this story to my coworkers in IT, they all drew a connection and realized where I got "it" from. What "it" is must be my sense of fairness in this world.)
My mom glanced up at the sign and down at the guy. He didn't notice this, so she stepped back, looked up, stepped forward and looked down again.
He still did not notice.
On the third attempt, the SBA did notice.
"Do you have a problem?" he asked her.
The cashier, who already seem scared of the guy stopped for a moment and likely held her breath waiting to see what would happen. Apparently he was a very scary looking guy.
The sixty-five year old grandmother, in a calm soothing voice, holding back her righteous anger at the SBA responded.
"I don't have a problem, but I think you do. In addition to not being able to read, you can't count."
When my mom began to retell this story at my aunt's 30 minutes later, they had minor heart attacks.
"I'm not holding up anyone." he responded.
"You are holding me up," she answered, "I have three items and am stuck behind you. There's a reason it is called an express lane."
Two of the aunts asked her if she was afraid he would be waiting for her outside. Mom wasn't worried because there are cameras everywhere and it was daylight. Still, I think she needs to consider whether to comment or not in the future. Luckily, in this case, the SBA probably decided that shiving a 65 year-old grandmother would not build his reputation, finished up and left.
My mom then complained to the girl. Her defense was that it is only a suggestion that the person have fifteen items or less. They also are not allowed to turn people away. I hold Walmart management responsible for not enforcing these rules.
I have equally been frustrated by this over the years. People who go through those lines with too many items are simply self-absorbed assholes, but what can we do?
