I would like to blame the lack of sunshine for making people crazy, but I know they’re crazy all the time, so that can’t be it. A little while ago, a lady dressed…shall we say…festively…approached the counter & asked if Big Lots sold fishing poles or something along those lines. We’re like, “maybe…” Evidently our answer didn’t satisfy her, because clearly, in addition to knowing the merchandise of our own store, we should keep track of all the surrounding businesses. “Do you all live here?” I was thisclose to saying, “No, I commute from Atlanta every morning.” What the crap? Later, this guy gives me his credit card to pay, I indicate the sig pad with stylus and direct him to “sign here.” “My name?’ ………. I refrained, yet again, from saying what was REALLY on my mind: No, your occupation and blood type, and where you plan to eat supper. I have saved the best for last, & this isn’t someone I think is lacking sense. He’s about my age and farms. He gives me his debit card to pay. It’s kinda warped up and wouldn’t read, which is not unusual in my line of work because typically they’re dirt encrusted. I type it in. …
I have been at work for just over an hour and all this has already transpired: A regular comes in and I ask if he’s ready for Christmas. “NEVER!” He goes on, “My wife asks me for the most impossible things! This year she asked for two feeder calves!” At this, he rolls his eyes. “All the feeder calves I’ve seen are going for like two THOUSAND dollars! So I get to messin’ around on the internet and I finally found ONE for three hundred and fifty dollars.” “Well, that’s good!” I chirp. “Yeah, but it took me half the day to find it and it was on the other side of Clinch Mountain so it took the other half of the day to go get it and bring it back. And he only had the one. While I was there, I bought a turkey. So I guess she’s getting a calf and a turkey for Christmas.” I’m hee-hawing. He continues, “Usually I ask her and she’ll come out with the most outrageous things. Like, ‘happiness!’. Give me a break. It’s always a major undertaking. And then I go to the trouble of getting it and she says, ‘Oh, I wish you hadn’t gotten…