the self check out line....

Now that is the most ironic name known to man. All the self check out line means, is when you get stuck on something while checking out, you are on your own, all by your "self" to solve it. Last night I had to run to Walmart for a couple quick things to help with a school project for one of my kids. I hurried and grabbed the items and made it to the checkout lines in record time. All two regular lines were backed up (I think all the cashiers take their breaks at the same time) and so I decided to brave the "are you smarter than a talking computer" line. I am totally not a risk taker, but decided to chance it. You can probably foresee that this story does not have a happy ending, all I can say is, where were you to tell me the self check out gamble is never worth it. (I am going to write a book entitled "self check out lines for dummies!" I could make a bundle and buy my own check out line in the future.)

Needless to say, as soon as it was my turn to try my luck with the ever unpredictable machine, I took a deep breath and went for it. I pressed the start button and nothing happened; it wasn't allowing me to scan my items. I tried pressing the button again and I must have hit something else by mistake because the darn machine started speaking to me in Spanish. I had no idea how to get it back to my native language and so eyeing the long line of mom's in the same rushed situation behind me, I decided to take the gamble (stupid stupid stupid...shoot we aren't supposed to say that "s" word at our house). I should have cut my losses right there.

While scanning my three items, the computer obviously didn't like what I was doing so it started to speak to me again. Not having a translator handy, I had no idea what it was saying. Do I rescan? Take the item out of the bag? It's hard enough to figure out what you did wrong when it actually speaks something you recognize. Great! Now I had to wait for the teenage kid to get me out of my mess. Trouble is, when he finally got there, he didn't speak Spanish either so he had to go recruit someone. I didn't dare look at the line behind me to see the faces of the exasperated moms. I finally got someone to figure out my problem, trouble is, they didn't stay by my side long enough to help with other translation issues. Fifteen minutes and two more rescue sessions later, I was out of the store.

I am determined to either take Spanish classes or never EVER try my luck at the "speedy" line again. (To any mom who might have been behind me last night and is reading this, I AM SO SORRY!)