Contributed by Local Columnist Fannie Moore
Don’t go wandering around in a store, just looking. It will get you in trouble.
Especially if the store happens to be Sam’s.
A few days ago we were in the neighborhood and Hubby decided to run by and fill up the gas tank while he could get the fuel cheaper than at our regular store. After he completed the task, he asked, “Do we need anything from Sam’s?”
I answered that we didn’t need anything but he suggested we go in just to look around. I knew that was bad news, but I thought I might find some fresh salmon so why not go in and look a bit?
We strolled in, and soon thereafter ran into a couple of friends. He was picking up meds for his mother so we said a quick hello and all went on about our business. The problem was, we didn’t have any business, and certainly knew better than go in just to look.
As we made our way down the aisle, a gentleman stopped us with, “Ma’am, I’d like to give you this pen that says, Jesus loves you.” He was holding out a beautiful pen. He added, ‘Since you have on green, I thought you needed this green pen.”
I thanked him for the pen and we commented on his unique witness, wishing him a great day as he walked away.
From that point on, it was serious looking. Of course, we found two items near the front of the store that we thought we needed. So, in the cart they went.
Walking on, we came upon the shelves containing the various kinds of oils and this reminded me I was out of olive oil. We scanned the shelves and found what I could use and it went into the cart. And of course the olive oil reminded me that I could use some bell peppers, squash and cucumbers. As we made our way up and down the aisles where the produce was displayed, we found everything except peppers, squash and cucumbers.
But, there sat some beautiful red ripe strawberries, in two-pound boxes. Could I use that many berries before they went bad? I wasn’t sure but they were so pretty they, too, went into the cart. You can see by now, my cart was beginning to
fill up and I had not even reached the refrigerated section containing the salmon.
When we got there, I saw beautiful slabs of salmon and I could just almost taste it baked with a bit of garlic salt and parsley. As I looked at the label, it said pond raised. I didn’t know salmon were raised in ponds. I thought they grew in the wild in the northern states and Atlantic countries. As I looked farther, I saw the words Atlantic salmon. Could it be both? Then, just below that it read, a product of Chile.
I envisioned maybe Norway, but never Chile. I wasn’t too sure about the origin and the method of salmon farming, so, as badly as I wanted fresh salmon, I passed on it. I just couldn’t put that fish in my cart.
Now, all you major chefs and experienced cooks might have chosen to purchase the fish because you are more knowledgeable about it than I. But, somehow, to me it just didn’t seem to be the real salmon I had in mind.
I was disappointed that I couldn’t find what I especially wanted to find, although as I said, we were just looking.
As we began to make our way back toward the front of the store, Hubby found his favorite little snack cookie, except it was vanilla and not chocolate. We debated, and his reasoning won. These would be just about as good as the chocolate ones. And naturally, the quantity was about three or four times more than the regular ones he usually bought. Now where would he store them when he got them home?
Since we were already in and pretty heavily committed, we made our way through the clothing section, just looking. There was nothing that caught our fancy so we strolled on toward the checkout counter.
As the total kept creeping up, I was beginning to be sorry we had entered the store to just look.
We paid for our unplanned purchases, made our way to the car to stash our goods, and left the parking lot several dollars poorer.
Please, let me remember to never go in Sam’s again unless I need something and I have a list.
And you might want to heed this also.
Don’t go in a store “just looking” as it causes big trouble.