Taken For A Ride On A Saturday Night

I have a bad habit of being ripped off when I go shopping. Hubs has often told me that I should carefully watch as each item is rung up, to make sure that I am being charged exactly what I should be, but I rarely do.

He first gave this sage advice to me when the girls were very small, after I had been accidentally overcharged on several items at the grocery store. Of course, I didn't realize it until after I was already home.

After he gave me his little speech, I told him that I couldn't possibly make sure that every single item was being rung up properly. How could I, when I was trying to keep the youngest from climbing out of the grocery cart seat, the middle daughter from wandering away, and the oldest from adding things from the conveniently placed candy shelf to the cart while I wasn't looking? Those things were WAY more important than being overcharged a few cents on a can of soup. To be honest, it just didn't seem that important. I figured it was a small price to pay for my sanity.

Now my girls are older, and are (usually) quite helpful when I am at the store. They actually UNLOAD the cart for me now, and I don't even have to ask them! I still have to keep tabs on the younger one, as she is still prone to wandering, but we are definitely making headway on that one.

So, there really isn't any reason why I couldn't watch as each and every item is being rung up. Except, that I don't.

I guess it's not fair then to become upset when I am overcharged. However, a little while ago, when I was charged for two motion sickness medicines instead of one (at $4.99 a pop!) I was a little ticked off. Of course, I was already home when I found out, so I didn't do anything about it. I chalked it up to a lesson being learned, and the next time, I swore that I would be more careful.

Yeah....right.

I admit, usually when I am shopping, I am in a hurry. We are a pretty busy family, and it seems that we are always running late to something. I usually do not have a long, leisurely time in which to shop, so that by the time we are actually checking out, I am staring at my watch, with panic starting to set in, that we will not make it on time to our next activity. Can any of you out there relate? Please, tell me I'm not alone.

Tonight, Hubs and I and the youngest decided to order some Chinese take-out. Since we were out, I decided to swing by the store for just one item: La Choy Teriyaki sauce. Why La Choy? It is the only brand that I have been able to find that is gluten-free. I had already looked at my regular store, and they were out of it, so I decided to try the store that I don't shop at all that much.

Hubs went to look through the store's garden center, to see if there was anything on clearance, while I fought my way through the mass of people to the other side of the store where the teriyaki sauce is kept.

I looked in vain for that blessed bottle with the purple top. They were out of it too! In fact.....there wasn't even a tag on the shelf for it. I'm afraid that means that, *gasp*, the company may have discontinued selling it, or, the stores have decided to stop selling it because they have something against me. Yes, I'm sure that's the reason.

Hubs called my cell phone to tell me that they had fertilizer/crab grass killer on clearance, so he was going to pick up a few bags, and I could meet him in the front. On my way there, I also decided to pick up some corn tortillas and GF English muffins, because, I am an impulse shopper. It is a rare occasion when I can go into a store, and ONLY buy what I came in there to buy. It's a sickness.

Anyway, I had my items, and Hubs had his, so off we went to wait in line. Our Chinese food was only going to take "10 minutes" (that is what they always say every single time you call) and we were already running late picking it up, but we weren't too worried.

The young girl seemed to have a hard time ringing things up as this was a special coupon day, but she managed, and we eagerly hurried to the car, the delicious taste of Chinese food already in our mouths.

As we were getting in the car, I just so happened to glance down at the receipt.

Gulp.

I noticed the girl had charged me for not one.....but TWO English muffins.

Now, since I was actually behind Hubs, and therefore I couldn't even see as the items were rung up, it was actually Hubs that didn't notice that we were charged double! Oh, how the tides have turned.

He asked if I wanted to go in, or if I wanted him to, and of course, I told him that he may have the pleasure.

He quickly went in, got his refund, and came back out.

We had a discussion about how, if we wouldn't have noticed, we would have been out $4.99. Gluten-free items are not cheap, people!

I decided to look at the other items we purchased on the receipt, just to make sure they were rung up correctly.

I hadn't been with Hubs to know how much his fertilizer stuff was supposed to be, but when I told him that each of the three bags had rung up at $23.99, his jaw dropped.

Apparently, the fertilizer was supposed to be $20.79 Oh, the humanity....

Back in we go!

Hubs went BACK to customer service, to get ANOTHER refund. After Hubs expressed his displeasure at being overcharged not once, but twice, the man gave him a store credit for $2.50, on top of the money that he was overcharged for the fertilizer.

Knowing our ability to forget all about coupons, he decided to use it right then and there. Since he is a fan of Magic Shell, but he doesn't usually want me to buy it, he decided that, since we were given "free" money, he would spend it on that.

We located the Magic Shell, and proceeded to stand in line.....again.

As we waited in the long line, an older gentleman behind me asked me, "You aren't going to use that NOW, are you?"

Thinking he meant the Magic Shell, and being very confused since I couldn't very well use the Magic Shell now.....I looked dumbfounded at him, and stuttered something about not understanding what he meant.

He tapped the bag of fertilizer/crab grass killer, and repeated his question again. OH....he meant the fertilizer! Ha! I told Hubs the man had a question for him. Hubs reassured him that he wasn't going to use it now, but was just buying it because it was on clearance.

By the time we were finally able to pick up the Chinese take-out, way more than 10 minutes had passed. It had been closer to an hour.

The lady said that she had even called us, because she thought we weren't coming to pick it up! No, we were just trapped at the store.

By returning to the store.....twice.....we were able to get back over $15, plus we received a "customer happiness" coupon (that is what it was called) which resulted in free Magic Shell for our ice cream. I'm not sure that $2.50 made up for it, but I guess it's better than nothing.

I asked Hubs if he was charged correctly at the Chinese restaurant, and he said he didn't know.

But, with the way our night had been going......

Probably not.....