At the Hardly Save…

A woman goes into the grosery store and pushes her cart ever so gently through the SALE tables at the back of the check outs. She puts her purse in the baby-seat at the front and pulls out a long shopping list which entices her to a lengthy stay at the glorious excuse-to-spend-money store. She unfolds the long list, which fall onto her bag, and starts turning her head this way and that while entered aisle 1. Now, this store is her weapon of chice because of the excellent service that characterizes it all throughout the country; and as she enters the long first hall she can see store clerks fixing up merchandise all over the place.

She paces slowly through and finds the dairy products. She bends to take a pack of sliced cheese and asks the first clerk:

Woman: Excuse me, is this low fat cheese?

Clerk1: Well, if it says so on the pack it probably is, even though we can’t absolutely guarantee that the farmer took the time to take the extra fat out of the cheese so people like you could eat fat-less cheese slices.

The woman smiles back at him and walks away with the weird out cheese still at hand. The underappreciated pack hits the bottom of the cart as she aproches the end of the aisle. She reaches out for a Yogurt and reads the moist letters on it. She aproaches the second clerk:

Woman: Excuse me, is this the family size Yogurt?

Clerk2: No, we have an even bigger jug that is the family size, but for a woman your size I recommend taking this big one since the personal one seems to be quite lacking for your nutrition and the family size would probably stay in the fridge too long and go bad anyway.

The woman slightly chuckles and walks into the second aisle putting the Yogurt in the cart. As she enters her second aisle she sighes as she sees more than five people in the aisle. She takes a deep breath and takes a plunge forward. She grabs a box of cereal and starts reading the side for nutritional facts, when the third clerk aproches her:

Clerk3: Ma’am this other cereal is on sale, plus it contains more product.

Woman: That’s OK. I like high fiber contents.

Clerk3: Oh, this is high in fiber as well, probably more than the one your holding, except that this brand is new and unknown which doesn’t necesarily mean bad quality. Meanwhile, that one is known for its fiber contents but also for its pricey cost.

The woman takes the box from the clerk’s hands and then when she’s out of reach she switches back to her favorite brand. She moves along and tries to choose a jar of jam from the lower shelf. The fourth clerk smiles silently at her and continues to fil up the bottom shelf. She read in silence: “Artifitially sweetened.” She thinks for a second and then she turns to the smiling clerk.

Woman: Excuse me, does this mean it has a sugar substitute? (she points to the yellow letters at the front)

Clerk4: Normally when it has a sugar substitute the brand shows on the front, if not it’s probably sweetened with regular corn syrup, which in turn is worse for a person with diabetes, which I assume you are?

Woman: Ummh…

Clerk4: If you are corn syrup can raise your sugar levels up to the roof so I wouldn’t recommend it. I could recommend this other with “Sugar free'” label which could have some sweatener but not as high in glucose which would work just the same if you’re looking to loose some weight.

She decides to take the Sugar free with an ackward smile goodbye. She pushes the cart further into the aisle and she finds her way blocked by a wet floor sign between her and the dried cramberries.

Woman: Could I have a bag of the dried cramberries, please?

Clerk5: No, ma’am. These lot has expired and I’m waiting for another clerk to remove it from the shelves. If I sold a bag to you it would be good for the store but it could be potentially hazzardous to your health and I couldn’t posibly live with myself after that.

Woman: OK…? Thanks.

She smiles and walks away trying to set her mind right back at the shopping list. She stares at the items on it and notices she just doesn’t have as many specifics as she asks on the list. She decides to leave the cart to another clerk to take the products back to their place, and leaves the store to try another day…

What happens when we get much more than we asked for? Like this lady. We ask people a lot more than we deliver, but what about people who give a lot more than you’re willing to accept. How to tell a person than being too honest or too specific bothers us? We can’t without hurting their feelings. Why? Because we really don’t wanna know that much. We keep everything and everyone at arm’s length to keep safe.

It”s not always a good idea, let me tell you. I’ve had some of the nicest conversations with total strangers. I mean, I never go telling my name and credit card number, but I can communicate with other people just for the pleasure of it. You should really try it. It will make you feel you’re not alone in the world. Again, being careful is the rule here, so you might as well not touch either…I mean shaking hands. I know. It all sounds too restrictive to actually be allowed but it’s good to feel connected outside your circle of trust. How can you help the world if you don’t know it?

Go out there and be part of it. Don’t be shy! Welcome TMI’s, as long as they don’t go describing vowel movements. Share yourself more and it will make you a much more confident person.