Be wary of the self checkout machines at the big box stores. Specifically the one that starts with a vowel like an inverted M.
The other day I went to the self checkout and bought a few items. Some energy drinks, two pairs of extremely nice shorts for $3 each! Unbelievable! Three cans of black olives. One big bottle of cola. Perhaps 10 or 15 items.
I thought that there was absolutely no reason at all to check the receipt because I did it myself.
When I got home these items were on my receipt that I didn't purchase. I only had three small bags of goods, to give you some idea.
Two 5 Pound Jars of Honey for $15.88 a piece.
One small water for about a $1.50.
One small bag of ice for perhaps $2.00.
The only thing that I can think of is this. I scanned the items and placed them on the shelf to the right. But I had trouble opening the mouths of those gray plastic bags and are arrayed together. So I didn't put the items in the bags as the bags where on the shelf.
Then I got one bag open and placed some of the items in it, and lifted it up and down to make sure it wasn't going to break from too much weight. Setting it back on the shelf on the right, because I thought if I took it off that shelf it might give me an error message saying please put the items on the shelf.
The only thing that I can think of is this. That checkout machine weighed those bags, went into its database, using that weight as a unit of comparison, found something that weighed that much, and bingo, added it to my bill!
Other than that, the man who checked out before me left something on the screen of the machine. And I called the clerk over to clear that out before I started checking out. And she did.
I suppose this measure is meant to counteract theft? Charge you for the weight of something that it thinks you have?
But you know as I was walking from east to west in the store I watched as the biggest black man in the store who was at the end of a line of seven, walked around all of those people and went straight to a green lit open bagging station. I suppose if you can't stop that from happening then you can't stop the theft from happening either and hence the measure of charging you for something you didn't buy?
So I mean look at what this all adds up to? Not a really good commentary is it.
But I sure did get a deal on those shorts!
And as soon as I read the receipt when I got home, (I just want to get out of that place quickly and make sure I don't have an accident in the parking lot or bump into someone who is walking lazily. (oh Christ, what a true term, walking lazily. Or get asked for five dollars.))
... But when I got home I called them. They said to bring the receipt back and ask for a manager. I did and got the money back to my credit card.
So twenty pounds of honey, one pint of water and a bag of small ice? What kind of a party would that be, I imagine as if someone actually had purchased those items?
© 2023 Thomas Paul Murphy
© 2023 Thomas Paul Murphy
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