Outside the Box

The other day I learned a clever way to cut in line at the grocery store.

Calm down, calm down - I am not in the habit of cutting in line anywhere - I am American ;)!  But in this country cutting in line seems to be, maybe not acceptable, but more, I don't know - tolerated? expected? - except by foreigners like me.

Anyhow, it works like this:

Think of the check-out line at the grocery store.  First is the customer who is being helped.  Her things are on the conveyor belt being funnelled to the cashier for scanning.  The customer belonging to these groceries is waiting to pay, with her wallet at the ready (Obviously a work of fiction, this, but we can dream.).  At the end of her line of purchases is one of those handy plastic dividers.  After that comes my stuff on the belt - sorted by temperature & shape.  (This is not fiction, I always sort my groceries - I am a woman!). 

Now, here is the clever part - a different customer with a couple of items in his hands has walked around the bank of cash registers & is standing next to the bag boy who is bagging up the woman's groceries in front of me.  As soon as she pays & moves out of the line, I start to push my empty cart thru so I can get to the paying place.  But suddenly, SWOOP!, the customer hanging out with the bag boy darts into the paying spot from the wrong side of the line & thrusts his items into the cashier's hands.  Well, what else can she do but ring him up!

Annoying - yes.  But, hey, credit where credit is due - I had to admire the thought process!