You've heard of road rage? Well, I'm here to tell you about its lesser known cousin, grocery store rage.
As my friends and family know, I only tried to evacuate for Hurricane Rita. After 14 hours and only 50 miles away from home, I decided to take my chances at home. As my friends and family also know, I weathered the storm remarkably well. I have a lot of downed limbs and one huge limb dangling from a tree but considering the damage other people have, that is nothing!
But, in preparation for Rita, people emptied the grocery stores, stocking up on supplies. I made no such trek because, after all, I was leaving town. So when I was forced back, I had nothing in my house.
I made do with bread, peanut butter and water for a couple of days. I even broke down and cooked one day (because I was one of the few people in the area with electricity...did I mention I was lucky in the way of damage from Rita?).
I should mention here that I drink Diet Coke. I used to limit it to one a day until I was placed in my current job assignment. Someone attributed it to the added stress I'm under in this assignment that I drink two a day now. During the storm I had none. I had one regular Coke on Friday because I stayed with a friend. But nothing on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Monday I had gone in search of ANYTHING carbonated.
It was the first day anything was open for business and Walmart had a line down the side of the building waiting to get in. I decided to pass.
You couldn't find a parking spot at Krogers to save your life. I moved on.
I decided to drive thru Wendys...the line was out into the street. I didn't care. I wanted a Coke. I waited in line for 20 minutes to see a sign posted "Sorry, No Cokes. We have water, tea and frostys."
I wanted to cry.
Since I needed dog food, I went to Walmart after work on Tuesday. The shelves were still pretty empty but they did have carbonated drinks on the shelves. When I got to that aisle I was behind a lady who was stocking up. Her cart was full of Cokes, Root Beer, Sprite, 7-Up, Dr. Pepper and the like.
I waited patiently behind her for one Diet Coke...that's all I needed. She started to move on and then stopped. She squatted down and pulled out ALL the Diet Cokes and loaded them into her basket and then moved on.
That day was the one and only day of my life that I had to seriously fight the urge to reach in someone's grocery basket, grab out an item, SLAP THEM SILLY with said item, put item in MY basket and move on. That's what I wanted to do but I refrained.
Who said I don't have willpower?
5 comments:
Ah, L... the joys of greed.
I'm sorry you couldn't get a carbonated to save your sanity.
Wishing you a better day tomorrow.
Nice bit you sent me! Go, L, go!
~k.
OMG, L, I don't think I could have contained myself. Didn't anybody bother to tell her the time for stocking up was the week before, not after, the hurricane?
Look at it this way - you drink 2 cans a day. If this woman needed all the cases in Walmart, it's probably good that you didn't confront her. Who knows how severe HER withdrawal symptoms must have been?! I'm not sure DH, who's a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, could have stopped her.
Or maybe she was a volunteer for one of those studies that counts how many diet cokes you can drink in a day before you develop a disease and die from Diet Coke consumption. That may have been her last trip ever out in public. And you got to witness it.
Okay, sarcasm over. I hope everything's getting back to normal. :) Looking forward to seeing you tonight on the CCC of I & V.
I would have said something. Something like, "Hey, haven't you heard that drinking that much soda will kill you? And by the way, thanks for leaving some for other people, you greedy twit." THEN I would have taken my one out of her basket and left her to call the police or store manager for harrassment.
Ok, I probably would have been a little nicer. But I still would have said something. Even if it was to cry out, "OMG, what in the world can that be??" and point wildly, so that when she looked away I could grab the case and run. ;)
My roommate has some stories about me and Walmart shoppers. Let's just say Aura 5 - shoppers 0.
Mwahahahahaaa...
I can be paid to repeat said stories of Aura in the Hel*Mouth.
Oh Ladies, you had me laughing with your anecdotes.
Seriously, I ran into this lady on another aisle and it was all I could do not to deck her and grab the drinks. Consequences be damned.
And uh, Lesa, how much are we talking for the stories? ;o)
Post a Comment