Saturday, November 3, 2007

An Inconvenient Truth

Tonight I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items. It was getting late and I had both the girls with me. After hurriedly finishing my shopping, I walked out and loaded Lindsay into the car. I was about to take Allison out of the cart and put her into her car seat when I spotted it. The pair of Leggs Black Silk Mist pantyhose that I had not paid for. Sitting in the bottom of the cart.

Since I have been shopping with two kids in the cart, this has occurred with increasing frequency. Grocery items get stuck under Lindsay's car seat in the shopping cart ALL THE TIME. I don't realize that the unpaid-for item is still in my shopping cart until I get out to the car. Hauling my kids back into the store to either pay for the food or to hand it to the customer service desk is painful.

I've considered leaving with the item in question, but I just can't. I know that my conscience would bug me until I would have to return to the store at 2 am (this is when my conscience is most active)and pay for it.

Luckily there was a Kroger employee gathering carts tonight. I gave him the nylons and drove away in peace. Sometimes being honest is a real pain in the neck.

7 comments:

carrie said...

i'm feelin your pain there! but it's not worth losing the sleep over a pair of nylons. thank goodness you didn't have to load the kids back up to go back in the store. three cheers for the cart dude!!! hooray! hooray! hooray!

Dory said...

A pain in the neck, yes but well worth it a 2am. I think I would rather just get it over with, even with 4 kids than trudge out of my warm bed :) You did the right thing. You go girl!

Mama D said...

Sometimes this stuff is a pain -- but you will sleep well tonight!

I believe a conscience is a positive thing, even if inconvenient at times (such as dragging kids back into a store when necessary). Think of the lessons you're teaching your daughters!

Papa D said...

You should have seen the look on the face of the McDonald's cashier a few years ago when I told her she had given me change for a $20 instead of the $10 I gave her - and gave her back the extra $10. It was priceless - and quite sad that she was so shocked.

It's worth it. No question about it.

Shayleen Lunt said...

What a good example you are! Something I have done in the past: taken the item home...put it on my list to buy again. Then, when I'm checking out at the store again, I'll ask them to scan the item and then put it in their return bin so that I'm paying for it, but not taking the item home again. I had to explain that to the cashier several times before she understood what I was doing. She honestly thought I was looney!

Louann and Bari said...

I love how the Lord provides !!!
Here is a young mom- little kids, trying to do everything right, and here comes the Cart Boy !!!not unlike the Jelly in Carries blog---
The Lord provides just what we need when we need it.
Thanks for sharing.

Leslie said...

I think that cart guy was an angel in disguise. Thank heaven! You are such a great example to me, Jamie!