More Bang For A Buck At The Stop & Shop

I've begun to avoid shopping at the local supermarket, choosing instead to drive five miles out of my way (as opposed to the 2 minute, 1 mile that I do for the one down the block) because I feel uncomfortable with the employees they hire there. There were two options and I chose the latter, (the former being: waiting for Rich and going at a later time, and although I enjoy going with him, I enjoy the other times when I'm alone more so. see this blog.)

If there was only one I'd be fine because I know how to avoid one. But two! And it's too big that I get aisles and aisles to myself, which at one point was my definition of heaven, instead of bumping into some 'walking' personage, namely the elderly.

Okay, here's the story. There's this boy who works there that looks sorta Filipino but I know that he's not. Wait, I really don't know if he is or not but I guess not. In my head I call him "sushi boy" because he can often be found working next to the sushi guy, but he's really the meat/fish stocker or something like that. All I know is that when I go to peruse the meat section he's there staring at me as if to ask, "would you like to peruse my meats?" yeah, that's how gross I feel too. Then the other day I was walking by (I went at a later time hoping to be unnoticed) and I was looking in the other direction and when I went to see if there were any good fish available I saw him walking past me but his eyes were at the side of his head staring at me. I swear I'll punch his little brown face, and that's brown on brown violence.

Now onto the other guy I'm more weirded out with. I swear he's the guy I use to see at the parking lot of UMass, when I was an undergraduate. This was a few years ago and I used to go early to avoid the traffic but also to be able to sit in my car unmolested by noise, cars, people and be able to watch the sun rise out of the ocean and breathe in the salty air before classes started. Well I would usually be the first car in the lot but a few minutes later there would often be another car and it was one of those huge, brick of a car, that old people prefer driving. And out from it would step this dude who would walk very quickly into the garages and buildings. However, one day I witnessed this: I'm sitting in my car reading when I hear this noise, and it's the guy screaming at the top of his lungs, kneeling on the asphalt. Then he gets up and repeats it again and again every few feet. I ducked down hoping he wouldn't notice I was there but then after the fifth one he continued on his way into the buildings. Then the next day he was there before me and he had taken my favorite spot... needless to say I never parked there again.

But then a year or so ago I saw him bagging our bags at the supermarket. I elbowed Rich as we stepped out and said, "that's the guy!" and since he knew the above story he nodded. I even saw the car in the parking lot and that confirmed it for me. But that's not the weird part.

I often go to the "bag and scan your own groceries" aisle, as I like to hear the beep from scanning goods, but I mostly go there if it's just me and Rich because I scan and he bags. And we're faster than any employee. Sometimes, in the mornings that's what they have opened and I don't mind because I like to keep a perfectly harmonious trip that way, without having to say "hello" and "paper bags please" and "credit" and "thanks". Those six words could ruin my mornings. Well one morning it started with him rushing from out of nowhere to stand where Rich ususally stands to bag my things. He waits there til the next can of cat food rolls down the line. Sometimes he'll forgo other customers just so he can be able to touch all of my things and place them in a bag. I think what really turns him on is if he can make the six feet that keeps us apart, disappear as he rushes over to help me with something that wont scan through. Inevitably it's beef frankfurters. Then he stares down at me until I mumble my thanks.

So I said, "take this!" and I brought along Rich and his mom to go grocery shopping one day, and I started scanning and Rich was positioned to go and bag, when suddenly "tag'er and bagger" comes running over and actually starts bagging the things! It's a sign! He wants to replace Rich. Then Rich came over and says "but Michelle! that's my job!" all I could do was nod grimly. You wont catch me going over to talk to him. We all walked out with our tails between our legs. Ever since then he's just bagged all the things I send flying down.

So much for female domination... Although I could look at it in a different light. He's grovelling before me, begging to bag my things. Yeah! Then why do I feel uncomfortable? Because my imagination can play the scene where I refuse his advances and he knocks me down with a loaf of day old bread and shoves me in with the frozen peas until he and sushi guy can chop me up in pieces and I'll be beneath the "meat specials" sign.

Whoa, that's not a bad story.

Oops, sorry for the long post.
Gotta go. Beware of baggers and stockers.
Have a great weekend! I'll send your letter out soon Julie! Have a good weekend for your birthday, I know you're celebrating it soon!

Me.