There Are None So Helpful, Nosy, and Butt-Inconsiderate as Sis-Townians

With the Backroads Country Mart closed for 11 weeks due to renovations, I have to shop at the Sis-Town branch. Monday was my first time in there since we lived in my $17,000 house just up the street. I was tipped off by one of the closed-store employees that the Sis-Town location still has their deli, and the dark meat chicken special on Mondays. 12 pieces for $8.99!

I found the deli, finally, which is on the opposite end of the store from where it used to be. I asked the gal behind the counter if they had the dark meat chicken special, since I didn't see any sign denoting such. She must have been barely 16. Nice enough, but not very knowledgeable.

"Um. I don't know. Do we have a dark meat special?"

The other guy might have been 18. He looked at something on the wall that was not for customer eyes. "Oh, yeah. This is Monday. We have boxes already made up on the hot bar."

My look must have tipped him off that I had no clue what he was referring to.

"I'll just go check." He returned momentarily, saying they didn't have any ready. "I'll have to get some from the back."

"Wait. I think we might have enough out here. What do I do, just fill a box?"

Maybe she was new. Kind of odd, with school starting next week. But she folded a box into shape, and began tonging out chicken. I couldn't believe my good fortune! She was filling my box with mostly THIGHS! I don't think they're supposed to do that. I think it's supposed to be 6 and 6. Then she told that guy:

"Whew! We barely had enough. There were only two legs!"

Not complaining at all! When I got home, I also discovered that one thigh was a breast. Hick can have that one. He likes legs, and I like thighs, and he also likes white meat.

Anyhoo... the deli was my last stop, because I had headed the opposite direction when I came in. After first stopping by the lottery machines for some scratchers. I was still getting my bearings as I went down my first aisle and grabbed a 3-pack of Puffs With Lotion. At the end of the aisle, as I was trying to read the hanging signs to find the soda, a woman stopped me.

"I saw you buying lottery tickets when you came in. Did you win?"

"Uh... I haven't scratched them yet. But I heard there was a big winner last week at Casey's. $10,000 on a $20 ticket!"

"Oh, my! That's a lot!"

She was nice enough, but that's kind of forward, don't you think, stopping a shopper to ask about their gambling habit? It would be different if she was also buying tickets, but I didn't see her there.

Anyhoo... the soda aisle was next. I found the Mountain Dew section. I saw a pink price label on the shelf, which means a sale. And the notice of 3 packs for $11. Another lady came down the aisle, and sidled up beside me. She grabbed that notice and read it. 

"Huh. Only good one more day. Better get some now." 

I'll be darned if she didn't grab a 6-pack of Diet Mountain Dew that I'd been looking for. At least I knew where it was now. But there was only ONE 6-pack left! And the deal was for three. So I don't know why that butt-insky was so hyped up to get ONE 6-pack. All she did was ruin it for ME, because I could have taken those two, and thrown in a Diet Dr. Pepper, which Hick will drink on occasion. But not two 6-packs worth. No way was I paying regular price of $5.99 for one 6-pack.

Nobody's ever butted-in on me like that at the other Country Mart. Nor asked me deep in the store about lottery tickets they saw me buy. And the deli workers there knew their own specials, and had them written on a whiteboard on the wall and a smaller one on top of the glass case.

This is going to take some getting used-to.