Ask, and Ye May Receive

I went in 10Box on Friday, because Hick was out of Diet Mountain Dew. There was no sale, but since he was out, I had to pay regular price, rather than wait for the next sale. The price was $4.15 per six-pack of 20 oz bottles, plus the 10 percent added at the register. Making it $4.565 per six-pack. Still, cheaper than the marked price of $4.99 per six-pack at Country Mart. Anyhoo... I picked up three six-packs of it, as usual. Can't have Hick withdrawing from caffeine! 

My main purpose for going to the store was bananas, but I hadn't planned on doing that for a day or two. Might as well get everything while I was there. The bananas. And some pepper jack cheese, because the pack I saw in FRIG II said to use by November 11, 2023. I tossed that out, even though it wasn't moldy. They were out of Vidalia onions, or the "sweet onions" they sell in their place. So the only item left was the bag of slaw mix. 

The dates on all four packages of slaw mix were 06/06/24. That was the DAY BEFORE the current date of 06/07/24. Still. I really wanted that slaw mix. Not for actual slaw, but because I like to put a little BBQ sauce in some, and eat it as a side dish with chicken patties or regular chicken.

Anyhoo... I got in line. A guy with a little girl about 5 years old was in front of me. She kept gooning at me (my former students' expression for staring) like I had three heads. Finally, I looked her in the eye, and she averted hers. She kept getting in the way, hanging onto the side of the cart, being smashed between cart and the side of the checkout, as the guy was trying to put a loaf of bread, and a case of bottled water onto the conveyor. He didn't interact with her. I'm thinking maybe, since it was the first weekend of the month, it was his visitation with her.

Anyhoo, once I could get close enough, I set one of my soda six-packs on the conveyor. Then the bag of slaw mix. Then my cheese and bananas. It was the cashier who is friendly with me, a fellow lottery player, who always asks if I've won anything lately.

She greeted me with that question. I told her that I won $100 on a $10 ticket, the first luck I'd had in about three months. She shared that she had bought two of the new $50 tickets, and won nothing! While conversing, she scanned my soda. Then as she took the bag of slaw mix, I told her

"It's expired, but I really wanted some slaw mix. There are three more bags back there, all with the same date. Do you think I can get a discount?"

"I'm not authorized to do that, but I can get someone."

"No, that's okay. I want it anyway. But you don't know until you ask."

Just then, the lady who is so nice to me and brings a cart to me on the parking lot came up and handed that cashier a computer printout. I assumed it was the schedule for the next week. Cashier told that gal about the expired slaw, and asked if she could give me a discount.

"Yes. Let her have it for a dollar. I don't remember what the price is. I'll go back and pull the other bags."

I thanked her. I didn't remember the price, but I know it was more than a dollar. Cashier was looking over her new schedule after scanning the slaw mix and my cheese. I put in my debit card. Got my receipt. Told Cashier,

"Hey. It doesn't hurt to ask! Now I have more money to play the lottery!"

Heh, heh. Little did I realize how MUCH more money.

TO BE CONTINUED...