I "Pulled a Patti" at the Grocery Store Today!

I “Pulled a Patti” at the grocery store today. And once again, it left me dazed and confused. I told the Checker that I am really unsure how I get through life each day. I think he wonders, too.


My shopping excursion began normal enough. Starting at the produce aisle, I began to bag various items for a nice healthy salad. Spotting the watermelons, I struggled to pick up the largest one and placed it into my shopping cart. Then, I zigzagged over to the bananas to grab a dozen or so. I was on a roll as usual. Moving fast, swerving among the crowded store, I was making serious headway. My plans started to unfold for the next few days which included chicken and noodles, baked steak and hamburgers for the family. As I grabbed items, I was making mental notes of what else I would need to complete the meal.

Almost finished, I was trying to figure out how to place a couple of bottles of pop in the now heaping shopping cart, I began to move things around when I became aware that half of the items in my cart were NOT placed there by me. Somewhere along the way, I grabbed someone else’s cart. After pondering what to do, I advanced to the checkout line. When my turn approached, I glanced at the Checker’s name tag, called him by name and said, “Eric, half of this stuff is not mine. Half way through the store, I high jacked another person’s cart. So, we are going to go slow and I am going to tell you which items are mine and which are not.” At this point, I was hoping beyond hope that he would reassure me with words such as “Lady, this happens all the time.” He did not. He looked stunned and amused. After the groceries were bagged and in the cart, he yelled over to a co-worker a couple of check stands away, “Hey, Nancy…. Do you want to hear a funny story?” Quickly diverting his attention from Nancy back to me, I said, “Eric, I need you to watch these groceries because I have to go back and get the other stuff I obviously don’t have.”


Quickly, I started back in the produce aisle. I began to bag various items for a nice healthy salad. Then, I managed to put the “second” largest watermelon into my shopping cart….and on I continued through the store…… until, half way into the recovery mission, I saw it! There in the bread aisle, I pulled up to a cart that had the same identical items as in the cart I was pushing. Now what to do! The lady handing out samples was watching me. Graciously, I removed the meat items from my previously abandoned cart and put them back. I thought that was the least I could do. I looked both ways, and took off with my replacement cart towards the check stand after I realized that mission was accomplished with the discovery of the abandoned cart.

I chose a different line. The nice man smiled and asked me how my day was going. Darn it, why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut for once. Honesty always takes over and words just fly out … “Not very good sir.” “Why not?” he asked. Decision to be quiet was overrun by my mouth…. “Well I….. and proceeded to tell him what I did.” His reply was, “Oh, I have never heard of anyone doing that before.” Note to self:  Second confirmation that I am not normal!

At this time, I had the attention of the sack boy as well. This was good because as I was watching another hundred bucks worth of groceries being bagged and put in cart #2, I was seriously starting to worry about how I was going to maneuver the two carts full of groceries without embarrassing myself any further. I smiled at the boy and pointed to that lone buggy “way over there” and asked him nicely if he would go retrieve it for me and add these groceries to those.

I just don’t get it. I maybe never will. It is not fun to “Pull a Patti”. The only thing that is worth anything at all is to share with you to perhaps bring a smile to your day – on my behalf. I know I did not bring a smile to the person whose cart I took. I wonder if they started from the produce aisle again or simply just called it a day and left.


A joyful heart is good medicine... Proverbs 17: 22