where shopping is a pleasure

Today my spouse of 60 years went to one of those Florida stores where shopping is a pleasure and she bought about a half-century's worth of groceries....In checking through the long line with her cart, she advanced to the front and whipped out her checkbook, asking "how much?" The clerk said the bill came to $55.66 and she started to write...."Did you say 50-60" she asked, and the clerk nodded, so she wrote the check. It was wrong. The gray-haired customer had a hearing problem.

So she tore up the check and started to write another....Meanwhile the other people in line were starting to get nervous......One person who obviously had a bladder condition gave up and bolted for the restroom............another with a cardiac problem just parked his cart and walked away........

Finally, the proper amount was entered on the check and it was accepted. The groceries were bagged and loaded and another satisfied customer was on her way. A vast sigh of relief was heard from those waiting in line....until the next customer stepped up to the plate with a credit card that refused to be accepted. And so it goes.......shopping is not a pleasure when most customers pay with checks, credit cards, debit cards and employer checks......

My experience also has not been a pleasure....my purchases are few and I head for the the line where items fewer than 10 are the norm....a quick service for those in a hurry.....and find that the customer in front has a total of 341 items loaded on the counter. The clerk does not refer the customer to the proper checkout line, but accomodates the mooch because shopping is supposed to be a pleasure......so I wait...and wait...

It seems to me that conditions are ripe for a store to open for cash customers only. I would shop at that store even at higher prices just to send a message to all those grey-haired ladies who do not believe in carrying cash. After all, it is only money.