The other day, I was in Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (regional grocery chain) buying some miscellaneous items for supper. Since I only had a couple of items, I decided to use the self checkout machine.<\/p>\n
I have found that I prefer the self checkout machines because they are fast and allow me to bag my items the way I want them bagged and not the way that the clerk wants them bagged. The other thing that I like about the self checkout machines is that it is a great way to get rid of loose change.<\/p>\n
Loose change is one of my pet peeves. When I use the regular checkouts, I always pay with paper money because it is so much faster than fumbling through my pockets searching for that rogue penny. Thus, by the end of the week I have amassed a small fortune in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.<\/p>\n
Saturday is shopping day for me at Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. This is the day when I restock the refrigerator with produce, the freezer with staples such as orange juice and ice cream and the pantry with other essentials such as tp. But even though I try to make only one trip to Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on a Saturday, someone will always remember an item or two that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make the list on time. The forgotten items get noted and purchased on the 5PM trip to Meijer.<\/p>\n
It is on the 5PM run to Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that I gather up all the pennies, nickels and dimes and put them in my pocket. (The quarters I keep separate as they are really the only useful coin any more.) When I make my purchases on my final Saturday trip to Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, I haul out a fist full of change and start plugging it into the self checkout machine. On some days, I might have almost $5 worth of change. But, it was on this 5PM trip that I got robbed<\/p>\n
Since I only had to purchase a few items, my total at the self checkout machine was $5.32. Great. I knew I had some loose change in my pocket so I hauled it out. There it was, 32 cents! Two nickels, two dime and two pennies! 32 cents. Even money. Empty pocket! Oh happy day! (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get out much.)<\/p>\n
I put in the pennies, now it is only 30 cents. I put in the two nickels, now it is only 20 cents. I put in the first dime, now it is 10 cents. I put in the second dime, now it is 10 cents. What? 10 cents? No, it should be 0 cents! That last dime didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t register! How can that be? I pushed the coin return. Nothing! I tapped the machine lightly with my fist! Nothing. The bloody machine took my dime! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been robbed.<\/p>\n
Finally, I took a 5 and a 1 from my wallet, stuck it in the machine, and received 90 cents worth of change. I gathered my change from the dispenser, put it in my pocket and left the store, a defeated man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The other day, I was in Meijer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (regional grocery chain) buying some miscellaneous items for supper. Since I only had a couple of items, I decided to use the self checkout machine. I have found that I prefer the self … Continue reading