One of the oddest experiences on vacation was grocery shopping the first night we got there. We headed into the Bi-Lo and I went to the deli counter to get some lunch meat for the week’s worth of sandwiches.
There were two weighing stations – and I stood in front of the one nearest the turkey. It was unstaffed at the moment. At the other station was a guy that looked like a manager talking to a customer. We’ll call her “Crazy” for reasons that will later become clear. They were talking loudly for quite a while and I stood up straight and with intention – hoping that when she was done, he’d see me. Instead, another employee came to ask him something. I suspected later that this was a rescue from Crazy.
He left with the employee and completely bypassed me. Still don’t know if he didn’t see me or did and didn’t care – but he was gone. Crazy wandered my direction and told me that they hated her for doing that – i.e. taking up a bunch of time with idle chatter, perhaps – and said if I stood there long enough someone would eventually come up. Since that was my plan anyway, I kept waiting. She was headed out, but decided to intervene on my behalf.
Crazy came back over to the counter and shouted to the back. “Hey, someone needs help out here,”
After a moment, another woman wandered out from the back. We’ll call her Cranky. She announced, in no uncertain terms, that the counter was closed.
Crazy – but now oddly Helpful – countered and said that the counter was open til 8 and it was only 7:15.
Cranky counter-countered – at the counter – and said that she was the only one working and they closed early if there was only one working.
I thought quickly as I watched this exchange get carried out. If Crazy won, I would get my lunch meat. If she – and by extension me – lost, then I’d be no worse off. I was fine to let Crazy continue to advocate on my behalf – hopeful that she would deflect Cranky if that escalated.
After a little more back and forth, Cranky reluctantly agreed to help me and Crazy headed out triumphant.
I placed my order under Cranky’s glare and told her I appreciated her help. She reminded me again that they close early when there’s only one person working – perhaps as a note for future visits, though I would have no idea about their staffing.
With lunchmeat in hand, I headed out – grateful to have had an advocate and to have escaped; confused, but unscathed.
By contrast, the deli restaurant we ate at later was staffed by delightful people. And when we cleared off our table, one of the women that worked there declared that – because I had tidied up the table – my house too must be neat as a pin.