Does This Kind Of Thing Happen To Anyone Else?

After a long day of working, manual labor, which as a truck driver I’m not used to, I came home looking forward to relaxing for the evening. But, having no soda pop in the house (I know, that’s like a cardinal sin) I journeyed to the grocery store. All I wanted was to get some pop and return home. But, of course, things are never quite that easy.

I put a carton of Dr. Pepper and one of Sprite in the cart. The price on the shelf said they were on sale for $4.99. Yet, at the register, both rang up for $6.99. This is nothing new, at least for me. Price discrepancy is a regular thing when I go shopping. I used to think it was due to incompetence but then one day I realized the discrepancy is hardly ever in my favor. So, the only logical explanation is that the store advertises a lower price than they charge, hoping no one will notice. But since it happens a lot, and I pay attention to these sort of things, I do notice. Usually. And I did this time. As you might imagine, I don’t really have a lot of patience in these instances, although I usually do start with at least a smidgen.

When I tactfully (I think it was tactful, but I was a little tired) pointed out that I was being overcharged, the cashier politely informed me that I needed to buy two cartons in order to get that price. Almost as politely, I said the price on the shelf didn’t say anything about buying two, just that the price was $4.99.

The cashier, with her politeness ebbing somewhat, grabbed the newspaper and flipped to the page where it showed an in-store ad for Coke and Pepsi products (a single ad listing both). The 24-packs were on sale for $4.99, and it did say, Must Buy Two but then next to that it said Mix and Match.

I’m pretty sure all the politeness was gone from my voice when I slowly pointed to the items in my cart, “One, two.”

Thinking she’d realize that one plus one does indeed equal two, I was a little surprised when she asked, “Is Sprite a Coke or Pepsi product?”

“Not that it matters, since it says mix and match,” I said, “but Sprite is a product of the Coca-Cola Company.” Then, not being able to resist, I ran my finger along the words on the top of the carton, the words that read, “a Product of the Coca-Cola Company.”

“Oh,” the lady says, as if it was the first time she’d heard of such a thing.

There was no time for feeling smug though, since I knew what was coming next.

“And is Dr. Pepper a Coke product?”

Remember how I started this post? I’d had a long day and just wanted to get something to drink and go home. Instead, there I was wasting time in the store. So as you might guess, my patience was quickly fading. With a sigh, I said, “No.” And then in an attempt to speed up this process, I said it’s not a Pepsi product either but it is distributed buy Pepsi in our area, so it qualifies as a Pepsi Product.”

Thinking that would be the end of it, or hoping anyway, I pulled out my debit card, ready to pay. But the saga continued. “So, you would need to get another Pepsi product and another Coke product in order to get the $4.99 price.”

“Mix and match,” I said dryly, thinking I was going to have to explain the concept. Then I figured out the best, and quickest, way to end the standoff. “I’ll go get the price tag from the shelf.”

I’m not sure what it was, the disgusted look on my face, the roll of my eyes, or maybe she knew what the tag said all along. Whatever it was, she suddenly relented and the total I owed instantly dropped by $4.00.

That was a lot of work for four dollars, I thought to myself—especially when I was already tired. But four dollars is four dollars. And it was my four dollars! Turning to leave, I noticed the lady in line behind me had a carton of Coke and a carton of Pepsi. Good luck, I thought. But she must have been listening in on my encounter with the cashier. “Are these on sale for $4.99?”

“Yes,” the cashier said—politely; then went on ringing up the rest of the lady’s items. And that was the end of it!

Is it just me? ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.