this story I heard the other day

"You know, I go to the grocery store, same as everyone else. And lately, I've noticed something. These 'self-checkout' lanes... they're anything but self-sufficient. You've got these screens yelling at you, 'Unexpected item in the bagging area!' when all you've done is put a loaf of bread down. And then there's always some employee hovering, supposedly 'monitoring' you, like you're going to smuggle out a jar of pickles under your coat.

But this... this story I heard the other day? This takes the cake.

This fellow is trying to bag his groceries, minding his own business, probably just trying to get home before the ice cream melts. And this employee, who is there to 'monitor' mind you, not actually help... she starts giving him grief about double-bagging. Double-bagging!

"Now, I understand the concern about plastic. I do. But if the bags are so flimsy that you're forced to double-bag them to keep your groceries from ending up scattered across the parking lot, well, maybe Walmart should invest in some decent bags! It's cheaper than settling lawsuits when some guy drops a gallon of milk on his foot.

But the logic of this employee! She wants him to use the same number of bags, just not double-bagged! So, he's still using two bags, but because they're not connected, it's suddenly a victory for… what? The environment? Sanity? I don't know.

And this is what we're paying people $15 an hour for now? To harass customers about their bagging techniques? To lecture them about 'Common Core' logic? ( It really makes you wonder. Education is so important, but what are we really achieving when something like that is even remotely possible? We throw money at 'free' education, but somewhere along the line, a simple sense of reasoning seems to have gotten lost. It's a pity, really.) I thought Common Core was about teaching kids new and confusing ways to solve simple problems; I didn't know it had spread to the grocery store.

"And then she goes back to her podium to text! Probably complaining about the customers to her friends. Look, I get it, bagging groceries isn't the most glamorous job in the world. But it is a job. And if you're going to 'monitor' people, at least try to be helpful, or, you know, bag the groceries yourself if you're so concerned.

No. I think it's clear she didn't want to work hard.

It's just... you'd think a grocery store employee would have something better to do than argue about bag usage. This country is going to the dogs!"