Thank you

Sunday, March 28, 2010

I have gotten the non-conformist label several times and it's always a little humorous to me. I know plenty of other people that defy societies norms much more that I do. I only get the label when discussing facebook. Recently though the cashier at Walmart told me I needed to conform in a certain area of my life.

After work one Thursday I was doing my weekly grocery shopping for the weekend. This was not the routine trip of weekend essentials though because several people were coming in from out of town. Namely my brother who requested several of his favorite meals and, "fresh fruits, vegetables and dark leafy greens". (He was arriving from his annual Africa adventure) My cart was overflowing with leafy greenness and freshness when I wheeled into Ed's line. I unloaded my very full cart on the belt and as he began to scan my purchases I wheeled the cart around to his side and asked him to please put the items directly into the cart without bagging them.

Ed did not approve of this at all. He was full of questions and protest. I gently explained to him that I have enough Walmart bags at home and I didn't want anymore. I do return them to be recycled, but why get them in the first place if I don't need them? Yes, I have three reusable shopping bags but it would take a dozen to carry this many groceries. The Walmart greeters have never given me a problem because I have my receipt.

Mutual frustration was starting to mount.

This was almost to strange for grandpa Ed to fathom, "but how do get your groceries home? Do you just put them in your car? How do you get them in the house?"

I tried to answer to all of his concerns because they were not any concerns I had. Carrying something does not require handles and I was just ready to get home. The bag free discussion was getting way too long and he was still trying to tell me how everyone uses Walmart bags and that he and his wife sometimes just carry their reusable bags, filling them throughout the store then when they checkout everything gets put back in.

Eventually he resumed scanning my groceries, tossing things into the cart with awkwardness and unease. He seemed unsure of what to do since I had thrown him off his routine. There was a rubber gripper on the end of his finger and he paused occasionally and pointed it at me, asking more questions about how this was actually going to work. When the whole transaction was finally complete he handed me my receipt and decisively declared, "you know what, you just need to conform!"

I felt very complimented.