And This Evening!

This is truly how I know Menopause is a reality for me!

My Menopausal Mantra of Today Is: If it seems mad to you, then it probably IS MAD! So breathe deeply and challenge the madness. You will be wrong, far less often than you are right!

Tonight is a night that I finish work (which I do from home) early, so I can take my daughter to a club she likes to go to. Normally I work until 5pm and so friends coming home for tea isn't an option but my wonderful employers, have agreed, so I can give my daughter the chance to do do normal childlike things that I can finish early on a Thursday because this is the usual night of a club she loves to go to - (yes I know I am lucky to have an amazingly flexible employer.) Club doesn't start until next week but this meant I could collect her from the place I'd had to cajole her out of bed to go to this morning: And bring her (boy) friend home for tea :-) 9 with a boyfriend - how cute is that?

Anyway, we live in a hovel, with 4 legged beasts, rescued from all sorts, and whilst we are perfectly clean it's small and humble so not a lot of place to play in. So I gave them the choice - McDonald's so long as I could go to the Park (via Sainsbury's) or vegeburgers at home!

Anyway, because they were together, they were as good as gold and I could shop - I didn't need much but I did comment to the shelf filler on the way round " are you kidding me? It's not yet the end of September and you have Christmas Stock on the shelves!" To which she replied " I know, it's mad isn't it" And some! So I am not the only one who thinks it's MAD to be displaying Christmas stock, before October - Nay before the end of September!

So I am at the checkout...........
Kidz have been really well behaved!
The question is asked .......... "M- uuuu-m..... can we have 20p each to go and get a gobstopper from the machine?" (so conveniently placed at the end of the tills!) And I realise in a panic, my coat is in the car - change is in coat pocket and I am paying by plastic but need 2 x 20p pieces to reward these two very well behaved children and I can see they sooooooooh are hoping I will say yes.

Oh dear I say, not sure I can because I don't have any change, let me see what I can do. When the lady opens the till, I will ask her to give my some change (for my emergency £5 note which I carry in the pack of my purse, so much do I want to reward these children.)

And so the till goes 'ping' and opens and I dare to ask.

"NO!"

expression of disbelief on my face after I have ask so nicely.

"We can't give change! We aren't allowed to"

my jaw drops slightly

"Sorry!"

but she looks as sorry as a less than sorry, sorry thing!

So I ask

"Are you telling me, that I have put my £70 plus shopping on this conveyeer belt, my children are feeling restless but have been very well behaved in the store, I have a £5 note in my hand, they have askd for sweets 'sold' from your dispenser the other side of the till, but you won't give me any change for them to buy those sweets?"

"Yes I am sorry" .. replies the clearly crazy woman on the till, " we aren't allowed to give change!"

By this time my mouth is open wide!

I then try to put it a different way...... " So you are saying to me, that you are willing for me to walk away from all this shopping on the conveeyer belt, and go to Tesco's up the road, where I know they will give me change, so I can reward my children for behaving well for me in your store?" Waving the £5 visibly

"I am sorry", comes the now feet dug in retort, "I have been told not to give change", (and I don't do normal or apply rational thought and I feel like being bloody minded right now, reply.)

"You are quite sure about that?" I ask

"Yes, I can't give you change", she sneers.

"Then would you be kind enough to call for a till supervisor?" I ask in my nicest of voices.

Thank goodness for a voice of reason! "Good heavens," she Say's gently to the checkout lady," this customer has shopping on the belt and cash in her hand, she's asking for change and it really is OK to give it in these circumstances."

They have a brief discussion where checkout lady tries to say she's in the right and then HURRAH gets told to give me some change.

Children are rewarded

I pack my shopping ( and I am so nice and chatty as I do s0)

And as I leave can't resist saying - " I appreciate that must have been irritating to you, but I am sick of living in a world where if no one challenges the ridiculousness we are greeted with every day, no one realises, that it's ridiculous, so nothing gets done about it!"

This brings me back to my My Menopausal Mantra of Today: If it seems mad to you, then it probably IS MAD! So breathe deeply and challenge the madness. You will be wrong, far less often than you are right! And if we don't challenge the madness, there is no hope!