Yesterday was one of those days when I felt karmically bitch-slapped, like the universe hasn’t been paying enough attention to the minute slip ups I’ve engaged in so I get caught up in one collosal concentrated effort.  Because I detest whining, I’m going to focus on one particular incident that could pretty much sum up the day, just so you don’t think I’m the kind of person who chalks up getting caught in traffic, or losing a place in line as a karmic beating (i.e. total wussy).  I always head to Cub Foods on Tuesdays to shop for the men in my house.  It is a monstrous task, given how much they eat.  Mind you this is the last errand of many I have crossed off my list for the day, so I have just packed up most of my purchases and am feeling quite proud with how well I’ve managed to arrange all the items in as few bags as possible, when the check out person says, “Ihave your total”  When I swipe my card, she pauses and askes to see the card and my I.D. (as an aside, the card was the one I always use…) and she said “Oh, this name is different…and shifts her hips to the side and looks at me like I’m Bernie Madoff.  “No worries” I say, “That’s my husband”  Before these words left my lips, she went and got the manager.  Now, I hate it when they make the light flash so that everyone in the store knows that your line is on hold and you’re the reason they will be late for the rest of the day.  I couldn’t even look at the people behind me who I am now holding up.  When the manager came back, she said “We can’t take this, this isn’t you.”  To which I replied, “But I always have used this before, since my husband lost my card, this is the only one we have.”  She looked at me like I was a bug, and said “Then those check out people should have been fired, because this card could have been stolen”  Which I interpreted as, “you’re a lying bitch because our people know well enough not to make a mistake like that because they would be fired, to which I would have responded “but since I’m not a liar, noone never would have know anyway…”   I vowed to keep positive, so I started problem solving.  “While I understand in this day and age that can happen, let me assure you, that his is indeed my husband”  And before I could finish the statement, she bounced back with “And this license has expired, which makes it even more bad”   Now, to be truthful, I’m getting pissed off, one, because she wouldn’t look me in the eye and two, she wouldn’t let me finish.  So, I leaned my face down until she was forced to look at me, to which the guy behind me thought was very humorous and I spoke as slowly and as menacingly as I could, “I am aware of my license which I still have time to renew, and if you would look at the card with our banks number on it you could call them and they will verify he is my husband.”  “Oh and they’ll know you personally?”  And now that the actually red hair on my head burst into flames and the lasers coming out my eyes were peircing into her soul, she began to get nervous.  “That would be the benefit of a small town, owning a business there and knowing the CEO, president and vice-president personally.  She then kind of cocked her head as if she was beginning to realize that this small woman in front of her was more than ready to matrix her right in half and said, “Oh, well, that’s not ncecssary…this time, next time though…”  To which I replied, “Oh there won’t be a next time…and one suggestion next time you do go to your manager’s meeting.  Not every woman takes her husband’s last name, and you should implement an alternative verification source like a simple phone call to the local bank.  She said she’d take it under advisement, but most likely won’t. 

I didn’t have trouble with their procedure, and if I would have thought more defensively, I would have made sure that I added my name to the card alot earlier, but I had the ignorance to believe that since they have seen me every week (unless I go to Kowalski’s) that it was no big deal.  I’m sad that the world has had to take these precautions because there are so many dishonest people in the world.  I’m not one of them, and would like to at the very least, be given the benefit of the doubt, especially since I had given them a very credible option to verify who I was.  The guy behind me, who was very supportive of my suggenstions, actually commented that the rule these days is to treat people like they’re guilty before innocent and sadly, I had to agree with him.  It’s just that honest people arn’t as savy as criminals today.  I know the manager was doing her job, and trying to protect her company…but for the love of God people!  I absolutely hated her judgment, condescension and sarcasm.  What ever happened the customer being the most important element?  She may have gotten burned in the past, but not by me, and I have been a good and loyal customer.  I will write to the company, without much expectation of response, because she was, in fact, following protocol, and my name wasn’t on the card.  It was just one of those days, I guess.  Hopefully, the short leash of karma I was born with will relax a bit for awhile.