» Being told off as an adult

Twice in One Shop
Our local supermarket (well known for being big and more recently also posh*) used to have a car parking system that involved taking a ticket at the barrier and not getting out unless the cashier had OK'd it in a special machine.

The rule was that the tillperson would only OK your ticket if you'd spent at least five quid.

In practice they were very lenient about it. I ofttimes spent only two or three pounds and got my ticket stamped just the same.

Early one Christmas Eve morning I went in and spent just under a fiver. Not worrying about that, I got my shopping packed, paid for it, and handed over my parking ticket for stamping to the lady at the till, who, up until that moment, had been all happy and Merry-Christmas like in her Santa hat and tinsel accesories.

But suddenly a cloud descended over the erstwhile jolly physiognomy, and I received a tongue-lashing to the effect that she wasn't stamping any short receipts and I'd better go back and buy something else to make it up to a fiver.

OK, I went back and bought the first thing I could find for about a pound and went to another till. I handed over this item along with my previous receipt and parking ticket. As soon as she saw the parking ticket, the second lady pretty much exploded beneath in Santa hat and I had to wave my receipt right in front of her spittle-emitter until she calmed down.

Then she smiled, rang up my purchase, franked my card and wished me a Merry Christmas.

OK so it's not such a terrible thing, but for the way they were all dressed up and jollified. I appreciete that they had possibly just had some sort of pep talk about being more strict with the parking in the busy Christmas season, but they could still have been jolly and assertive, instead of acting like a bunch of bad elves.

*It couldn't have been Tesco's could it? Nah.
(Sat 22nd Sep 2007, 16:35, More)