The lady in front of me at the Safeway on Pine Street said something I can't shake

Honestly, I was just zoning out in line last Tuesday, maybe 4:30 pm, thinking about my next drop. The woman ahead of me, maybe in her 60s, had a cart with just a loaf of bread, a single banana, and a small thing of milk. The cashier, a kid who looked bored, scanned them and said the total was $8.47. The woman went quiet for a second, then said, real quiet, 'That's too much. I'll just take the bread.' She put the milk and banana back on the belt. I just stood there holding my six-pack of soda, feeling like a jerk. Part of me wanted to just pay the difference, but I didn't want to make a scene or embarrass her. The other part thinks maybe I should have just done it anyway. What would you have done in that spot? Has anyone else had a line moment like that where you froze up?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliah2328d ago

Oh man, that's rough. My friend had a similar thing happen at a CVS. An older guy was short like two dollars for his medicine, and she just quietly covered it when he went to put it back. She said he looked so relieved he almost cried. Those moments just stick with you.

the_kevin28d ago

Ever do that for someone at a gas pump?

wendy_ross711d ago

That "looked so relieved he almost cried" part from juliah23 gets me. I see this quiet struggle more and more, just people doing mental math with basic items. It's why I always try to keep a few extra bucks in my pocket now, for exactly this. Like @the_kevin mentioned gas pumps, it's those small, sudden gaps that are so hard to watch.