Typically, I love grocery shopping! I love filling my cart with fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats, whole grains, and low fat dairy products (yeah, I'm a health nut). I had heard somewhere that in Eugene you can't get plastic grocery bags at the store and you have to bring your own bags. Lucky for me I had 3 reusable bags. With my bags in hand and my new debit card in my purse, I hopped in the car and headed to the store.
I felt a little lost in the grocery store, the floor plan was different from the store back in Utah and it was incredibly crowded (I don't really like crowds). Eventually, I found the things I was after and headed to the check out.
As I was standing in line waiting to check out I became aware of two women standing in line behind me. They seemed a little annoyed that the store was so busy and they were antsy to get out of there.
As I stepped up to the register, I told the checker that I had just moved from Utah and wasn't sure how the reusable bag thing worked. He explained that they don't give out plastic grocery bags, it is illegal. You can bring your own bags with you to the store and they will give you $0.06 back for each bag you bring or you can pay $0.05 for each paper bag you use. He said since this was a new thing for me to just use what paper bags I needed. I appreciated his explanation and kindness.
The checker finished scanning my items and as I went to swipe my debit card the checker told me that my pin was invalid. This really confused me, I had just gotten this new card a few days ago, there was no reason it shouldn't be working. I swiped the card two more times and it wouldn't work I started to panic because you can't use a credit card at this store. In that instant I remembered that I had a few checks in my purse.
As I began to fill out one of the checks, the women behind me became more irritated, you could tell that they did not want to be in that store any longer.
I was so glad to get out of the store. I can't recall a time in my life where I was so happy to be out of the grocery store, normally I love shopping for food. Later I went the bank and learned that they hadn't pinned my debit card right-- I have the worst luck sometimes.
In case you find yourself shopping for groceries in Eugene one day don't forget to bring an alternative form of payment and your own grocery bags, you may need them.
