sometimes i feel like i'm being ripped off

Venturing into the realm of the mundane today.

I was in Office Depot yesterday picking up a few odds and ends for my office. Nothing special, just basic office stuff like a stapler, scissors, that sort of thing. After standing in line to pay for these exciting purchases (does having just one cashier on a Saturday afternoon going into the holiday shopping season seem like a bad idea, or is it just me?), the kid gives me the grand total: a hundred and eighty-eight bucks. Hmm, I thought to myself. Did I grab the solid gold stapler or what?

Reviewing my receipt (and making friends with everybody behind me in line, as I didn't step away from the cash desk), I noted that one item had been rung up at $95.76. Odd, I thought, but the "description" on the receipt was too cryptic to identify what the item was. My best guess was some little sticky things you use to put stuff up on the wall without tacks.

I asked the cashier to clarify this, and he zapped the little sticky things' UPC code again. Sure enough, $95.76. "Uhh... maybe they're just really, really good," he offered. Turns out this was way beyond his authority to deal with, so the assistant manager was consulted. "Er," was her response. I guess she could have been a bit distracted by the angry looks the forty or so people in line behind me were shooting at us.

Anyway, I got my money back, though it wasn't a simple process. And they gave me the little sticky things for free.

Told you we're dealing with the mundane today.