Open mouth, insert foot

[zombiequeen]

One time I was embarrassed so badly by a checkout clerk because hubby had gotten paid, so we went ahead and bought all that we would need, pantyliners, pads, condoms, and pills like tylenol and stuff.
The clerk started freaking out on me about what I was buying, apparently she was of a certain religion where condoms are evil and she started accusing me of being a sinner and such. She just would not quit, even though a manager was there and told her to stop harassing me. She wouldn't do the transaction, so hubby and I just decided to leave.
I understand asking if you found everything okay, and if you were buying something that could interact with others, asking about that (I'm thinking along the lines of buying alcohol and tylenol in the same purchase) but not anything else.
Hubby does the chatting with the cashier now, and he buys all that stuff because I get too weirded out now.

[EvilEmpryss]

Legal Eagle:

I realize that cashiers are often stuck between a corporate rock and a customer hard place. I feel for you guys. If you don't say something, management says you're not upholding corporate policies on "friendliness". If you do say something, and it happens to be the wrong thing (and with customers, "hello" can be the wrong thing), then you get a complaint for not being courteous. bah!

I have absolutely no shame about buying anything. I realized a long time ago that if the store isn't embarrassed to stock it and sell it, why should I be embarrassed to buy it? Besides, there's nothing funnier than watching a squeemish male cashier have to ring through his first box of condoms, flavored lube, tampons, pamprin, and a mega-size bar of dark chocolate.

The most unflappable cashiers, though, are the ones who work at adult toy stores. You can ask them all sorts of questions and buy any combination of toys and videos and they just ask with a smile if you've tried the new jellies.

[ArcticChicken]

When I was a cashier there were three comments I would make directly about a customers purchase:

1. What kind of/ how many <pet> do you have?

2. Is <brand/flavor product> good? I've been meaning to try it.

3. <Brand/flavor product> is really good/ my favorite <product>.

Anything else just has far to great a potential to offend.

[MoonCat]

The closest I ever got to something like that was when I was buying some baby food for one of the older cats (plain chicken is good for when they have tummy upsets). The cashier, a young guy, gushed, "Oh, you have a baby! Boy or girl?"

As for dropping the panties in the laundromat, at least the guy didn't scoop them up and pocket them!

[Cookie]

As for dropping the panties in the laundromat, at least the guy didn't scoop them up and pocket them!

Yeeeaaaaahhh, that would have been far worse.

I think the worse stony silence I got was when I had to buy something for athlete's foot, but the tube said "Jock itch cream". Being female, that was embarrassing enough, but I figured while I was at it, I might as well get the rest of the embarrassing stuff. My husband thought it was hilarious that I was determined to get the humiliation out of the way, but I can only imagine what they thought of a purchase of jock itch cream and condoms. I guess I don't blame them for having nothing to say to me there.

[Andara Bledin]

All you ever needed to know about dietary iron.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iro...hProfessional/

It's important to know which foods will aid iron absorption (vitamin c) and which will hinder it (phytates, soy).

^-.-^

[Cookie]

Thanks, great reference. I've researched the crap out of that stuff. Vitamin C to help absorb, but calcium or fiber will hinder absorption to name a few. A spoonful of blackstrap molasses in the morning (ick) followed by a glass of vitamin C was amazing. I hate molasses, but that was the quickest bout of anemia I'd ever had. It was a couple of weeks to recovery rather than 6 months. It was important to have blackstrap molasses and not just plain old molasses, too, because it's far higher in iron. The orange juice was for the vit C to help absorb it all.

[ArcticChicken]

The orange juice was for the vit C to help absorb it all.

If you don't want to drink orange juice, there's a thing I like called Emergen-C. I think it has 1000mg of vitamin C, and it comes in many flavors. Personally, I don't think the flavors are really up to the task by themselves, but I like to mix it with various juices. My favorite is the raspberry flavor mixed with apple cider.

[Cookie]

I've had Emergency-C before to help fight conference-born illnesses. I'm a big fan of orange juice, though, (juices in general) so that part I'm happy about.

[nicolecj]

I hate the peanut gallery commentary. I had to go to the store the other day for the most comment worthy purchase recently...

I help with fostering cats for a charity called angel's wish. My parents foster the cats through the charity, but often I end up with the medicating, washing, nail clipping, and other dangerous tasks because my mother has lupus and my father is 6'6" with big nordic hands. One week I managed to not clean out a scrape properly (it was a scrape from a cat with no fangs while I was teaching him to play - he had gotten kicked in the face by a horse and couldn't cut it as a farm cat anymore). It infected within 10 hours, and I was at the doctor getting heavy duty pain killers and a truely aweful virus. Everyone made fun of me because I train horses and work with cats and dogs everyday. I knew better. Within 48 hours between my fever and sinus pressure and aching hand I realized from my twisting gut that my monthy gift had arrived. This culminated in a trip to Walgreens that involved a yogurt to combate the evil stomach antibiotics, girl stuff, cold medicine, cough drops, midol, sleepy time cold meds, a heating pad and chicken noodle soup. The sales girl took one look at me and my purchases and instantly went into pity mode. I really did not want to talk about that array of purchases and would have really preferred not to talk about it.

I adopted that cat - he is quite the little scrapper. His ears are half gone from frost bite, he had his fangs removed because of the kick to the face, and he is rather beaten up but you have never seen a cat more grateful to have a home!

[Andara Bledin]

I adopted that cat - he is quite the little scrapper. His ears are half gone from frost bite, he had his fangs removed because of the kick to the face, and he is rather beaten up but you have never seen a cat more grateful to have a home!

He's named Lucky, right?

^-.-^

[PepperElf]

She was utterly baffled. "Then why are you taking these?"

"They stop me from attacking nosy people. I ran out of them two days ago."

[Cookie]

"They stop me from attacking nosy people. I ran out of them two days ago."

HAHA! Brilliant!


nicolecj, that cat is super lucky to have you! I'm sorry you went through such a time, though.