“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 585 (Friday)

The longest Friday ever finally ended the week that is a serious contender for longest week ever. There were great hopes today would not follow the pattern of the four days preceding it. Unfortunately, hope is not a plan and it also cannot control time. Of course, the few hours since work ended have flown by. What the actual hell? Why does free time not last as long as work time?

In other time references, today marks the 10^th anniversary of the night I broke my leg playing roller derby. I didn’t even realize it was the anniversary until seeing it in Facebook memories, so that feels like huge progress. The nerve damage is much less than ten years ago and walking lacks the ongoing reminders of shin and foot numbness. The top of foot numbness is now fleeting and random.

Comfort for surviving the day was considered in the form of delivery dinner. Unfortunately, the wallet is still reeling from the recent financial trauma of water tank replacement, vet bills, chimney work, and dental work. Instead of a delivery that could run to $30 or more, it was a $3.10 Tony’s Supreme frozen pizza from Family Dollar. The pizza was an add-on to the intended purchase. The visit to Family Dollar on the way back from the chiropractor was to get sympathy cards, which I’ve bought far too many of this year. 

Cards in hand, I found the end of the checkout line part way down the frozen food aisle. During the long wait in front of the freezer cases, I ended up with a pizza box in hand. The wait was comical. The guy in front of me went from complaining about the wait to all in earshot to making funny faces at the baby on the hip of the woman who landed in line behind me. Thank goodness for that woman and her youngling. 

When I finally got close enough to see the registers, the sight was, well, surprising. A woman at what had been the only open register had a shopping card heaped with items from the kids clothing section and more hangers hanging on the outside of the cart. The counter held a two feet high mound of more kids’ clothes. A second shopping cart was full of rung up and bagged clothes.

Curiosity burned my brain. Why would someone be buying the entire kids clothing department? Was she reselling it?  Is her holiday gift list comprised of 100 kids? Whatever the reason for the heaps of clothes, the result of the massive shop and one cashier was six people waiting in a line that kept growing longer. Finally, another team member arrived to run another register and things began moving.

Supper!

As a former recreational shopper and retail worker and current nosey person, I really wanted to know the retail value of the entire Family Dollar kids clothing department. But the pace of the check out and bagging process was glacial. Three items were rung up from the heap then put into a bag which was tied up and set into the cart. 

As curious as I was, supper was greatly needed and I didn’t have that kind of time available. It seems like a reasonable estimate that two hours later, they are still there checking out. As for me, since leaving the spectacle of the giant order, I’ve baked that $3.10 pizza and dined on half of it, accompanied by a 16-ounce hoppy lager. But dang, I’d still love to know how much that massive haul of kids clothing cost.