More Mall Rats

From time to time I see a new face and if I see that new face again, in a new environment or situation, I remember them… I think. Of course, if I forgot them, I would have no proof I remember them… anyway, as I was saying:

Two weeks ago at Town Center Mall I was to meet Anna outside Vitamin World. I was sitting where I was suppose to and in front of me was a rack of little red strollers that looked like little sport cars with a big handle on the back for Mama to push the babe.

After a while of sitting I figured out by watching the people do business with the rack that held the little sports car strollers that a parent would pay $5 to rent the stroller. And when and if they brought the stroller back and shove it in the rack on a little track they would get one dollar refunded to them. Actually the stroller rent was only $4 if one took advantage of their bribe to return the stroller, or instead of a bribe, I guess it is a deposit.

This one rather big brute with two brute looking women and a gang of kids came to return their stroller. They were all eating ice cream and the ice cream was melting over the little red sports car stroller their kid was in. The three grown up could not figure out how to shove the little red vehicle into the rack on the track for it to register the click to deposit their dollar. They tried and tried. The did it forceful, they did it gentle, each one tried it. It reminded me of a group of Neanderthals trying to make a machine do its magic.

I don’t know if they ever got their dollar back or not. Anna showed up and we went off. I do know, if they left the little red stroller there, the next kid in it would be stuck to the seats because of the ice cream that it had to sit in.

The following Wednesday at Krogers I saw the same family. The big crude little brute with the jet black hair and his two big women. I wonder if one was his sister or sister-in-law. They kids were all over the place that all three would scream at them to “get back over here!” but was too busy to follow up to see if the kid obeyed their command or not.

I saw them entered the 15 items or less automatic scanning device line where you scan your own groceries. I thought this should be good, about 4 or 5 days before they couldn’t put their little stroller in the right slot to get their deposit.

I had things to buy so I kept on shopping. About 15 minutes later I walked by and they were still looking at the directions above the counter.

I picked up some more stuff then cruised by the magazine rack and flipped through some magazines. A good 10 or 15 minutes. I walked by and they were progressing. They had 3 items on the other side that made it that were scanned. I picked up my frozen foods, which probably took a two to three minutes. I walked by them and they had scanned two more items…. Very slowly… this time they were arguing among themselves about something.

I went to another self-checkout scanner and checked out and I as I was driving away I saw them and their kids leave the grocery store…. I should have hung around to see what kind of car they knew how to drive.