After work today I went to Dierbergs to return some bad celery. - TopicsExpress

After work today I went to Dierbergs to return some bad celery. (Yeah.) As I began to speak to the clerk at the customer service desk, a very old man cut in front of me and yelled, in a helpless old man voice, Somebody took my cart! The clerk asked for clarification. Someone took my cart and all my groceries and my shopping list. My shopping list was in that cart. I need my shopping list. Can you find my cart for me. (This last sentence was not a question.) From my years in customer service I could tell that no one took this mans cart. The clerk, trying not to smile too widely, asked the man where he last saw his cart. In the produce section! he said. My shopping list was in that cart. The clerk said he would make an announcement over the intercom, and he did, Attention shoppers. If you have taken a cart from the produce section that had groceries and a shopping list in it, please return it. Thank you. The old man, satisfied, walked off to get another cart. The clerk refunded my $4.72 for bad celery. (Yeah.) I walked to the produce section to get some not-brown celery. I passed a lonely cart with a shopping list in the top section and some bananas in the bottom (not in a plastic bag). Nothing else. I saw the old man two aisles over trying to decide which apple to buy. I pushed the cart over to him. Excuse me, sir. Is this your cart? He looked at me, then the cart, then back at me. In a growly voice he asked, Why did you take my cart? Did you just realize it wasnt yours? No, I wasnt using it. Well, where was it? Two aisles over. I looked everywhere for it. Must have been hiding behind one of these wire racks. Good day to you, sir. Without another word he turned back to his apples. Soon after, I bought non-brown celery. Moral of the story: people had much better manners in the olden days.