A Place Where Time Stands Still

I would never have thought that there be such a place where time stands still; yet I think I have been there. Come to think of it, I think I have been there in the past before as well. Now I even question myself as to whether I am still there and all that has happened to me in life has just been a dream; I never actually left that place at all. Because today I found myself in that same place again where it felt like time stood still. Of course I am talking about the check out line at Michael’s craft store.

I don’t know what it is about the check out clerks at Michael’s, but every time I have had to endure that long line of waiting they always seem to take foreverrrrrrrrrrr.

To stay true to form, today was no different. After waiting for oh, I don’t know how long; I was finally the next in line. But that is when the forces of nature took over and time stopped dead, as the person in front of me dumps out about twelve items and two receipts with a request for a refund. The clerk proceeds to punch something into the cash register and begins to scan the items. What followed did not happen in real time, but seemed to be more in slow motion. The customer and the agent exchanged possible means of refunding the items by separating the products with the correlating receipts, but this was not to be the end of this return transaction. Next, the clerk dropped her chin in order to speak into the little microphone device attached to her lapel, and sends out the request to anyone in the store that could help her with these product returns. When there was no response she repeated the request with an additional plea for help because she had never actually done a return before. The manager finally did come, but his assistance was brief and minimal because I guess it was part of her initial training to work under pressure and figure these things out on her own. The customer was actually of more help than the manager and finally between the two of them they were successful.

Finally I was next. Before I knew it, the cosmic force of time took over and I found myself paying for my items with one dollar bills, nickels, and pennies. Again the phenomenon of time stopping was in play but this time the target was that of the next person in line.

The moral of this story is: If you plan on doing any shopping at Michael’s craft store, go ahead and prepare dinner for the evening using the crock pot. It will be done by the time you get home.