Groceries

As many of you know, I have a thing about grocery stores. I lose all sense of peace of mind and patience when I enter a grocery store. It is legendary. One former relationship ended up in couples counseling and we spent countless sessions discussing my behavior in grocery stores and how a certain someone helped to provoke that behavior. It's been probably 5 years since then and I think I have improved. New Jersey grocery stores tested my patience when I almost regressed into Chicago behavior. At least it was recognized and extreme patience was given to me and the management of our shopping was completely taken over. I am still grateful.

Oregon is better. I can go on my own, stores are larger and better stocked, and there seem to be less triggers. I don't like inept employees, tons of other shoppers, missing items and crowded parking lots. Basic things, right? Surprisingly, I handle Trader Joe's without any problem considering how crowded it is at any given time of the day. They must have some spell they place on the entrance. Fred Meyer's? Okay. Pushing it but okay. New Seasons is probably the best except for one thing. I really, really, really dislike how the cashiers strike up a conversation about my purchases. I don't know if it is company policy or some plot to test me but it annoys me. It feels like an invasion of my privacy but I deal. I can even handle their crowded stores and parking lots.

Today I snapped. I snapped for the first time in years. I had to take a break from Harry Potter to get some stuff for the week. I decided to branch out and go to Safeway. It is a nice, new store and I felt like checking out the quality compared to Fred Meyer's. Even though I had a great morning, I could tell I was getting a little irritable. Still, I was doing okay.

Full cart and last two aisles. A woman kept getting in my way. Everywhere I needed to be, she went. She took up all of the space. Pet peeve #1. Then I was looking at bread choices and someone asked me if I needed help. No, thank you. Moved into the next aisle looking at something else and he asked me if I needed help. Uh, no. Pet peeve #2. I went to the end of the aisle where some young employees were giggling super loud. I left my cart and turned the corner for a few seconds. When I came back, one of them had her hand on my cart.

Me: That is my cart
Employee: Oh, I thought it had been abandoned.
SNAP.
Me in the bitchiest voice humanly possible: Oh because full carts are usually left for less than 15 seconds.

Nice Portland Safeway employee couldn't move. I know. I know. Either I have horrified some of you or you think that is minor compared to what you know I am capable of but it just happened. I felt immediately ashamed for how quickly I lost it and was just rude. But....she was blowing off work. She didn't even notice me in that area with that cart for the few minutes before I walked away? I know. Let it go. Walk away from the anger. Go back to the book. Go back to the book. It could have been worse.

I think I need more caffeine.