Do you watch Dr. Phil?........................

I can't say that I watch his show, but it is usually on for one of the residents that enjoys it. Such was the case yesterday, and while I was starting early dinner preperations, I caught part of a segment about a women that has a thing about the dividers that are supposed to be used between grocery orders. She says it drives her nuts, and if people don't place them after her order, she sneaks expensive items (like a multi-pack of batteries) into their pile of stuff, and takes pleasure out of the fact that they don't notice and make the un-wanted purchase.

First, let me say, I take great pride in the fact that I am very conscious of putting the divider at the end of my order. It never occured to me to get upset if someone else choose not to do so for me. I just grab the divider myself, or else leave a space on the conveyer belt so the cashier will know when to stop. The reason I am so big on making sure I put the divider behind my order is that I believe it to be a courtesy to the person behind me. Translation.....I am trying to butter them up because ninty-nine percent of the time, standing behind me translates into a long wait.

The store that I buy the biggest share of my groceries at used to have baggers, but like more and more stores, went to a system where the cashier bagges and you place the bags in your cart. Since I find it impossible to unload, watch to be sure things ring up correctly, and bag all at the same time, I request that the cashier wait until I load, and pause while I put the bags in the cart. In addition to that, something often rings wrong, or I need a rain check for an out of stock item, so they have to find the posted ad, (which never seems to be at the lane that I choose. What is that about?) the paper work for the rain check, and then write it out by hand. (I mention this, because in today's electronic world old fashion paper and pen really freaks some people out!) And then there is the fact that I usually have a large number of items. I almost always end up apologizing for making the person behind me wait.

Speaking of volume loads, let me tell you about the fun my daughter and I had on our last trip. All seemed to be going well, until we rounded lane four and discovered that the mini-rice cakes were priced ten packages for ten dollars. That reminded me that the "get you in the store gimick" of the week was mix and match ten for ten with the eleventh item free. By lane six, I was suggesting a second cart, but my daughter insisted that "she could do it." By lane ten she could barely push the cart. When she saw me taking down four bottles of Tide laundry detergent (what a deal that was) she started to relinquish, but being my daughter,said instead, "Give them to me, I'll find room." By the time we got to the other end of the store my daughter was really into the challenge and her adrenaline was pumping, fueled by the comments of the other shoppers about the size of her load. (I think a couple of them actually applauded her as she pushed by.) The frozen food isle almost did us in when we saw the Healthy Choice meals ten for ten, but we managed to get to the check-out lane, only dropping one (of her) frozen pizza whatevers.

That one cart ended up bagged into three carts, with an in-store savings of one hundred fourteen dollars. (And we didn't even buy any green beans because I was sure at least half of the twenty cases of canned goods in the basement had to be vegatables...... I was wrong! Green peas, yes. Green beans, nada.) I told my daughter that the new rule was to be "only one cart allowed," because she was so hyper from her victory that she had two of the carts unloaded into the car before I was finished paying. (Took him forever with those rain checks.) And got the third one unloaded while I was going to the service desk to cash in the dollar off coupon the cashier had forgot to take off my order. (Some people will do anything for a buck! I offered to go to the service counter because the poor woman behind me had been so very patient, and I didn't want her to have to wait any longer.) All I had to do was get in the car and drive us home. That was great.

Oh! Dr. Phil's advise for the day? Pick your battles. (I don't know that he said this to the divider lady, but I heard him say it to someone during the show.) I agree with him on that one. It is easy to get all worked up over something that in the scheme of things has little importance. I tend to get more worked up over the little things than I do the big things, and I am working on that. Maybe I should try and take my weirdisms on the road, with an e-mail to Dr. Phil? Naw! I am sure he would say there is no help for me......... Though he does sometimes give away pretty cool gifts...... Maybe I'll think about it.