At that time of day, or night, the self service check outs are the only ones open. There is usually one employee there monitoring the activity.
I was doing my thing on a recent morning... Gatorade, ramen soup, a USB charging cable, diet Pepsi. For some reason, the check out monitor was watching me like I was Dillinger. She moved from her monitoring location until she was nearly right over my shoulder, making sure I put each and every item over the scanner, and it made me uncomfortable.
I will be the first to admit that I didn't look like I was the Chamber of Commerce president. I was still flushed from a gym workout and damp from the shower. I hadn't touched a razor in a couple of days. Untucked shirt. Jeans. Sneakers. I guess I fit the profile.
Do I really look that shady?
Fast forward several hours. Different store. A warehouse club. A couple cases of water and a case of juice. The self service check out was a breeze, with no one breathing down my neck. As I was completing the transaction, an employee said there will be someone in the parking lot if I needed help loading the stuff in to my car.
Really? I know my hair is mostly grey now, and I might look a little older than my actual age. I've been sick lately, a little pale. But did I really look like I needed help getting a case of water from my cart to the car? How did I get it off the pallet and in to my cart in the first place?
I thanked the woman for her concern, and loaded the stuff in to the car without incident.
