Personal Stress Relief from Economic, Environmental Issues

Here’s the scenario: I had just put in my 8 hours and can’t wait to get home, but I have to go to the supermarket because, well we’ve got to eat. So, I go to Walmart which as I’ve established previously, I shop in for financial reasons only. I had finished my shopping and headed toward the checkout and came to a line where the people in front of me had only a few items, Great! Then, as happens more often than not, I realize that I forgot something. My thought process was ‘do I get on the short line, which is a rarity and pick up the item at another time or go and get the item at that point.’ I forego the line and go get the item.
To my surprise when I go back to check out the same cashier has the same people and they have the same few items on the belt. Now being of sound mind and body, I thought that they were probably waiting for a price check and should be done any minute, so I got on the line.
Since the belt was mostly empty I started to put my items on the belt. Now picture this. Walmart has carts for children that are huge. The basket is in the front and then there is quite a large seat in the back for children to sit. The cart is basically blocking the entire belt. Generally, when I empty my contents on to the belt, I move my cart so that the people behind me can begin to load their items. I guess that’s not the standard thing to do. This customer in front of me is watching, arms crossed and totally indifferent to my struggle to reach over the cart to place my items on the belt. As I bumped the cart several times with no reaction on her part I became angry enough to know that it was probably best to keep my mouth shut because there was no guarantee of what would come out. I continued to struggled.
In the meantime, the cashier was standing there doing nothing and I’m starting to wonder what’s going on. About five minutes later the husband, I assume, comes walking back up to the register with a loaf of bread and orange juice. The cashier looking puzzled checks what I gather is a coupon and tells the man that the items are still not the ones on the coupon. I gathered by the cashiers face that this wasn’t the first time he tried to explain this. A lengthy conversation ensues because apparently the man did not understand English and had no idea why the items he brought back were not the right ones. The wife, still with arms crossed, just stood there. At this point, I felt some relief figuring that the man would leave the items and finish his purchase. Not the case! Instead, he took the bread and orange juice and went back to find the right items. Not only were they at the total opposite end of a massive supercenter, but he was walking at a snails pace to do this.
Now, I can feel my blood boiling. The cashier was shrugging his shoulders. The wife still hadn’t moved. I’m actually debating whether or not to remove my items, place them back in the cart and find another register, but with the amount of items that I had just unloaded I decided to call my sister instead. Donna is basically my fail-safe call before I blow, she’s a great listener. I spent 2 minutes venting before I hung up the phone. Now all I had left to do was pace back and forth looking to see if the man was on his way back. A full eight minutes later he was in sight and strolling along as if he had rocks in his shoes. As he approached I noticed the cashier shaking his head. They were the wrong items again! That was all I could take and I exclaimed out loud, “you have GOT to be kidding!” at which point the cashier told the couple that he needed to ring through the sale. It was about time!!!
With the cart still in place and the woman still with arms crossed it took another 4 minutes for the man to pay and load his purchases into their cart. Finally, a full 23 minutes after I had gotten on the line, they pulled away!
I’m not sure what possesses people to have such disregard for other’s around them. I know that if I hold someone up I apologize. The cashier commented that he was amazed at my patience. I didn’t feel the need to tell him what I was actually thinking.