I purchased groceries at Trader Joe’s the other day, buying what I usually buy: tandoori naan, chocolate covered pretzels and, ummmm, around six bottles of wine. When I got up to the cashier station I found a very pleasant man waiting to scan my groceries. He was exuberant. Lively. Talkative. –like all Trader Joe’s employees.
I enjoyed his gregarious nature. I barely had to talk. Just listen. Listen and stand and stare. Stand and stare and think. Stare and think. Think.
I wondered: do grocers judge customers based on what they buy? With my balanced diet of bread, sugar, and alcohol, did the grocer label me as a health food junkie? What would he think if I had bought 10 heads of cabbage and 3 cans of lentil soup? That I’m fighting constipation?
I had to ask the cashier: “Do you form an opinion on people based on what groceries they buy?” The man smiled shyly and looked down. So I smiled in return, “I’ll take that as a yes.” I paused, then, “What’s the most interesting grocery personality you’ve met?”
He hesitated and smiled. The smile grew as he thought. Then he leaned in toward me, “Once, this lady…around 60 years old. She bought 12 gallons of milk. And 12 cans of salmon. She wore a beaten up sweatshirt patterned with embroidered cats. It was covered in hairs. That lady, I knew her story. Not much to figure out. I was blazened by her thematic approach to life.”
I had so much to comment on with his statement. So much to comment on. Everything but what I eventually said. I asked if blazened was a word. Then I walked home. And I judged his judging on the way.
1 comment:
Blazoned? Thematic? I would've challenged him to a game of Scrabble on the spot. I mean, who does he think he is anyway? Someone with multiple graduate degrees? This is why I limit my conversations with grocers to paper or plastic. If I'm feeling adventurous, I might talk about my wedding plans...but that's the extent of it.
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