I was browsing through the produce section of Country Mart on Tuesday, shocked to see that my favorite oranges had gone from 79 cents apiece to 89 cents apiece. That's highway robbery! But not as bad as the 5 small limes for $5. At least I can eat a whole orange, and not just make use of the juice.
Anyhoo... there were a couple people around me. I was trying not to be THAT CUSTOMER, who takes up room in front of something another person is trying to get to. The woman with the cart finally went around me as I was selecting my oranges. The other person was a man in khaki pants and a dark blue polo shirt. I assumed he was the store person in charge of produce. He was looking at all selections, touching some. I tried to be on my best behavior. I didn't want to be banned from buying produce like Kramer was for daring to return a less-than-delicious fruit.
Blue Shirt passed me at the citrus section, then looped to the right, in a clockwise fashion, past the onions and bagged potatoes on tables in the middle. When I turned and doubled back to pick out two baking potatoes, there was Blue Shirt, at the tomato display beside the loose potatoes. Again, I figured he was inspecting the merchandise. And he was CHEWING something now! Huh. Quality control, I guess.
As I parked my cart and ripped off one of those confounded bags that are impossible to open, Blue Shirt glanced at me, and LEFT the area. He had picked up a small bunch of tomatoes on the vine, and carried them to his CART that was parked two tables over, near the open cooler of fancy cheeses.
What in the NOT-HEAVEN?
Blue Shirt was a customer all along! And somehow, he had EATEN A WHOLE TOMATO before taking a bunch to his cart!
Who does that? A grape, I could understand, though I have never sampled the merchandise before buying. A strawberry. A blueberry. Something small. But this guy ATE A WHOLE TOMATO! I don't know how he did that! Even if I put a whole cherry tomato in my mouth, it squirts out when I bite down! There were no cherry tomatoes in that area! The closest were the grape tomatoes, which were over on a different table, in plastic containers near the bagged onions. The smallest tomato in the area where I noticed him chewing was the size of a pool ball. How'd he do that?
No. I didn't tell on him. I'm not the Produce Police. Maybe the store should start weighing people as they come in, then again when they go out! It's no less offensive than putting someone's assumed age on the receipt when they buy alcohol...
There needs to be a produce police. Around these parts there is always some ass-hat that shucks half of each ear of corn to get "THE BEST ONE" of course all the rejects dry out, and who wants someone else's REJECT!
ReplyDeleteTomato taste testing before buying is even worse.
I know just the person to select for the commissioner of the Produce Police! Those shuckin' shuckers! Shuck them! Ruining it for everyone else.
DeleteI guess it could have been worse if this guy had taken a bite out of the tomato, and then put it back!
This is why we can't have nice things. If this keeps up all produce will be packaged so we'll have to just take what is offered without picking out our own veggies and fruit.
ReplyDeleteAlso, didn't this idiot realize that those tomatoes were probably not washed before being put on the shelf, and even if they were rinsed off there's no telling how many people have handled them or coughed or sneezed on them before he decided to do his little taste test? Maybe he'll end up with a colossal case of the trots.
Yeah, like the bags of onions at Walmart that always have several rotten ones included! At least I haven't encountered this at Country Mart. It's not their style. They're more likely to have expired cans and jars on the shelves.
DeleteCoughed or sneezed? Those tomatoes might have been peed or pooped on! By animals or humans! Hopefully in the field, and not there on the table in the produce section!
I know plenty of men who can fit a whole tomato in their mouths and chew it without opening their lips at all. He was probably tasting to be sure they were flavourful enough. It is wrong of him to do that though, tomatoes aren't cheap and if everyone did that the store could lose a lot of income, which in turn would see prices rising.
ReplyDeleteI don't consider that tomato trick anything to be proud of!
DeleteWhat if we all decided to taste EVERY ITEM before we bought it? This is not some roadside stand, giving samples. Think how high those priced would go. We'd probably have to stand in line and get all our groceries shoved to us through a little slot like banks use.
This store already has high prices, but it beats walking through Walmart, and it saves the highly-priced gas it would take me to drive there!
What is wrong with people? Who raised this person? I hope he gets sick for eating something touched by so many others! Has Covid taught him nothing?
ReplyDeleteIt would be more efficient for him to just lick the card-scanner buttons!
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