A Question of Line

Note: The name of the store in which this took place has been changed to protect the innocent.

I rely on "pharmacy chain" to provide me with many things I do not feel the need to walk all the way to the grocery store for, such as milk and the occasional pint of ice cream at 10:30 p.m.  I’ve never been to a "pharmacy chain" where the line did not end up half way down an aisle where people out of sheer boredom are forced to read the ingredients on foot cream they wouldn't ordinarily look at.

Recently, our refrigerator broke.  Before the new one arrived, we were forced to live on "pharmacy chain" rations.  I decided to not buy anything other than fruit and vegetables, so if the fridge began defrosting in the middle of the day, the food would be safe.  I thought it only prudent to buy small amounts of perishable items available such as the smallest carton of milk I could find, which in my neighborhood, only "pharmacy chain" sells.  So one evening, faced with the possibility of not having milk in my coffee the next morning, I decided to venture to "pharmacy chain" to buy the sought after miniature milk.

I arrived, glad to see no one is in line, rushed down the beverage aisle to grab my milk and get in line before anyone else.  I was positively ecstatic at the possibly of being the first in line, something that has yet to happen to me.  I almost broke into a jog on the way down the aisle to the checkout only to be stopped short by ten people already cued up.  Where did all the people come from?  My only guess would be that they too ran in for milk, or maybe that foot cream they don’t want anyone to know they buy, and saw that there was no line and raced around the store with their hearts beating and arms full hoping to be the first as I did moments before.

Now stopped short of my goal, I assumed the position and waited patiently to be checked out.  There is one person working the checkout.  I understand "pharmacy chain" may not feel the need to have a full staff at 10:30 p.m but I think it might be reasonable to have more than one person working the checkout.  But not having the pleasure of working for "pharmacy chain," decided not to dwell on this and to instead crane my neck to see if the self-checkout is open.  To my great disappoint, it was flashing closed.  So, back to waiting for the one cashier to finish checking out the woman who had unloaded all of the hair products she could carry onto the counter.  Then it happens, there's a problem with her card.  The line lets out a collective groan.  What does the cashier do?  Nothing.  Yep, nothing.  She shrugs her shoulders and just stands there.  She does not call for assistance or even ask the other employee who is sitting in a chair behind her diligently filing her nails for help.  She just stands there.

The woman with the hair care products is stunned.  The line, now at the point of near revolt, starts to get loud.  “Can you call for some help?”  “Oh, come on!”  “You have got to be kidding me…”  Several people put down items and make their way to the door.  Those of us still in line greedily move up to fill the space in line.  The cashier now begins to look at her nails, I guess wondering if she should file her nails as well when a person in a "pharmacy chain" shirt approaches and looks oddly at the line as if not expecting it at all.  He walks behind the counter, whips out his all purpose "pharmacy chain" card and with a few deft hand movements, fixes the problem and then walks away. 

To my disbelief, he does not open another register.  I again begin my patient vigil.
On my way out of the store, clutching my miniature carton of milk, I’m filled with a mild sense of accomplishment and pride in the fact that we buy Cottonelle toilet paper and not Charmin.  You see, while in line I had the opportunity to read the packaging and found out that Cottonelle has less lint than Charmin and larger rolls thus saving us money.  Who knew!