Friendly London
I think I might have posted this one before, but I'm not sure.

Many years ago I lived and worked in London.

One sunny day, I was doing my weekly bigshop in the Tesco that was on my drive home (the one by Coppets Woods, just off the North Circular in Finchley, fact fans). It was a Tuesday at about 5:30, so everyone in there seemed to be like me, doing a weekly shop for themselves on the way home from work.

I'd got my week's worth of food and found a checkout with only one person in the queue.

The person in question was a fairly good-looking woman in her early 20's in an expensive-looking business suit with a trolley full of Tesco Value stuff. This stuck me as a bit odd. The next thing that stuck me as a bit odd was she was unloading her trolley by going down her shopping list and putting each item on the belt in order, so was taking a while.

When everything was scanned and bagged, the checkout woman told this lass how much it was and the lass handed over one of those clear bankbags with some money in it.

The checkout woman counted out the cash and said "not enough", pushing the money back towards the lass. The lass looked confused for a minute and said "it should be enough". The checkout woman said "well, it's not". The lass aid "but what can I do?".

Now, it was clear to me that this lass had a learning difficulty of some desription. from what I could see, someone had given her a list of everything she needed and the money to pay for it. Which would imply she couldn't work this stuff out for herself. There was something about the way she spoke that was a bit of a giveaway as well.

Anyway, the panic set in for this poor lass. The checkout woman had told her that she would either need to make up the full amount or put something back. The lass was picking things out of her bags, looking at her list, then putting them back in the bag, clearly not being able to decide what to do. All the while, the checkout woman was constantly tutting and sighing, like "Tut, hurrr. Tut, hurrr. Tut, hurrr" and so on.

So I said to the lass "have you not got enough money, love?". She just looked away and looked like she might start to cry. So I said to the checkout woman "has she not got enough?" and stuck my hand in my pocket, pulling out a handful of shrapnel. The checkout woman stared at me open mouthed for a second and said no. I said "right, I'll cover it, how much do you need?" again, the checkout woman just stared at me like I'd grown a second head and said "what? why? it's 8 pence" so I gave her a 10p said "you can keep the change for the next person who comes up short".

The poor lass mumbled "thanks" and scuttled off, clutching her shopping. The whole time I was running my bigshop through the till, the checkout woman staring at me like I'd just done the most amazing magic trick she'd ever seen. When she handed me my recipt, she actually "did you know her?", I said no, she looked even more incredulous and said "then why did you do that?" I just walked away at that point.

I felt good at first for helping out someone in need, then felt very sad that she needed my help and the woman was so shocked that I showed a little bit of humanity.

Eight fucking pence.
(ScousersPet, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 10:18, 23 replies)

I approve of this message.
*click*
(Ellinikos contains a source of phenylalanine, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 10:22, closed)

Fucking hell.
I've met some charmless joy voids working on supermarket check-outs but that's just ... fucking hell. Fucking hell.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 10:28, closed)

"charmless joy-void"
love it!

I shall make sure I call at least one person this today...
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:38, closed)

I bet you'd have been gutted
if the checkout girl had had said she was £8 short.


Click.
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 10:37, closed)

That's about how much I'd expected
From the way the checkout woman was acting.
(ScousersPet, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 12:08, closed)

Amazing how jaded you can become working with the public.
Plus working for a large organisation you aren't a human being.
(jvz, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:03, closed)

Yeah.
Blame capitalism for the fact that this woman was a charmless semi-human.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:13, closed)

done that myself before now
but it was an old bloke in asda with hardly any stuff and he was 2p short. till bitch wouldn't let him pass it in later, despite the fact that she obviously knew him to be a regular customer. i almost threw the 2p at her.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:04, closed)

When I was a tillmonkey I'd let people off if they were around 10p short
Fuck it, it's not going to bankrupt a national supermarket chain, is it?
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:33, closed)

Well done Emvee, you fucking thief
You've given away their profit margin on a transaction because you thought some old bag with a lazy eye was giving you the wink
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:39, closed)

You know, if you were to head to Give-a-fuck City
You could head downtown and pay $2 to ride the great glass elevator that runs up the side of its largest building, Give-a-fuck Towers. At the very top of Give-a-fuck Towers there is a switch which, when activated, projects the Give-a-fuck sign high into the sky over Give-a-fuck City and deep in the bedrock beneath Give-a-fuck Manor, an alarm will sound in the Give-a-fuckcave, alerting Captain Give-a-fuck that it's time to jump in the Give-a-fuckmobile and then if you're very, very lucky, someone might, just might, give a fuck what you think.
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 14:26, closed)

^^^BEST.REPLY.EVER!^^^

( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Mon 13 Feb 2012, 15:22, closed)

Dunno, it goes on and on labouring the same point with no pay off.
Lol just like your qotw answers shiteflake lololol
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 15:59, closed)

Oi.
Thats 'Gaylake' to you.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 16:15, closed)

(hugs)
Is that better Mr. Fuzzy lion ?
( DukeEuphoria Comes highly reccomended, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 16:57, closed)

Whilst I'll consider myself pwned....

I did wonder why I like it so much - I think you have a point.
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Tue 14 Feb 2012, 8:33, closed)

when i worked in a bookies i did this.
Largely out of apathy and hangover than compassion though.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 20:31, closed)

I had an old fella in front of me in the queue at a checkout once.
The young girl serving was being a right moody cow, tutting away as he took his time with his wallet and refusing to call someone to pack for him as 'we don't do that in this shop'.

Then suddenly the old man says, with amazing clarity and vigour 'Listen love, none of us want to be in this fucking place, but at least you're getting fucking paid for it.'
(FartThroughAWalkieTalkie wished you were dead in ditch on, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 11:41, closed)

i like this

( Slippery Mick ‏, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 13:15, closed)

That
is a superb answer.
( sanityclause is waiting until, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 18:07, closed)

"Did you know her?"
I said no, she looked even more incredulous and said "That's Maxine Carr".
Oh.
(Rsoles, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 16:27, closed)

Only 8p? Every little helps!
I know, I just had to though.
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 18:11, closed)

Looking out for other people is SO provincial and 1970s.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Mon 13 Feb 2012, 22:07, closed)