I’ll start by saying thank you to Wendy for our prompt word of the day, “change.” Thanks, Wendy! You can find Wendy’s Just Jot it January post here. Go visit her and say hi, and give her a follow!
They say the only thing in the world we can be certain of is change.
And yet I never seem to have any in my wallet anymore.
What’s up with that?
It sucks, actually, when you want change for something–to get on a bus, to throw into a tip jar, or worst of all, when you need a quarter to get a shopping cart.
Do you get those where you live? Shopping carts that are chained together and the only way you can get just one is to put a quarter in a slot to release the chain?
They suck.
Seriously, I’m not going to steal your cart, nor am I going to fail to put it away.
A few times I’ve been so completely out of cash that I’ve had to use one of those hand-held baskets for way too much food. If I’m really desperate and I really need a lot of groceries, I’ll put the food into my reusable bags. But then I walk around the store feeling guilty, like everyone must think I’m trying to steal food.
Which I’m not, of course. I just don’t have a quarter to put into your damned cart, Mr. Grocery Man!
Still, I always make a big show of turning my bag upside down at the checkout and shaking it to prove there’s nothing in it.
Ah, the joys of the convenience of debit and credit cards.
P.S. I have heat! Still waiting for a part to come in, but we’re good for now. And I only got one repair man this time!
This NOT GUILTY post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/24/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-24th-2020/
“…so engrossed in reading it almost missed getting off at my station on journey to work…” ~ Angela, Amazon reviewer
On sale for the rest of my birthday month! Get it for 99 cents until January 31st! → Click here
lindaghill.com 
January 26, 2020 at 1:25 am
Oh! Your lucky its just a quarter! Over here we have to put 2 euro in to the slot! We do get it back though if we put the cart back when we’re done! 😛
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January 25, 2020 at 7:45 pm
We had one big-box discount store that tried charging the quarter deposit. Then they put stanchions in place so you couldn’t even take the cart to your car. If you were shopping alone, you had to leave the cart unguarded and run to get your car.
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January 25, 2020 at 6:43 pm
I think I’d shop in spurts for as much as I could carry rather than pay for a cart. LOL. We like the bring your own bags. We never forget because as soon as we unload, we place them in the trunk of the car.
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January 25, 2020 at 6:20 am
Most big supermarkets here charge for the trolleys and yes it is annoying having to remember change – especially when nearly every purchase I make these days is by card. However the most annoying one for me is one supermarket that also charges you to park. Fair enough – if you spend money in the store they refund your parking fee – but they don’t return your cash, they offset it against your bill so they get to keep the hard cash and you need to find more for the next visit! We also have to pay for bags now too.
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January 25, 2020 at 10:41 am
Charging for parking? Wow. That must have garnered a lot of complaints when it started. It doesn’t make a lot of sense from a business perspective, either, unless all the stores do it. I’d just go somewhere else.
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January 26, 2020 at 10:38 am
I think it was to discourage people parking there and not actually using the store. It’s in a shopping area rather than out of town. And yes you do have to pay for parking in lots of London shopping centres.
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January 25, 2020 at 3:08 am
I know exactly what you mean by never having any change, Linda. I never have any cash, full stop. We life a plastic life now.
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January 25, 2020 at 10:38 am
We do. I can see the Salvation Army donation people who stand in shops at Christmas going by the way of the dinosaur within the next decade.
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January 26, 2020 at 3:50 am
Yes, I agree
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January 25, 2020 at 1:10 am
Wow! We don’t have to pay change for carts here. But the recycle police are starting to march as it is the law I’ve wanted it for a while but the family is having a hard time remembering the bags. I, too, feel the recycle bag can make you feel like a thief. When I was working retail, I worried that folks did slip out with stuff they didn’t pay for as I might not have handled each and every item as I rung the customer out. I guess it is a learning curve as law and businesses move on. Glad I’m retired as I watch the checkout person fumble the many different sized bags or boxes.
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January 25, 2020 at 10:37 am
Recycling is important! But yes, it does take some getting used to. I’m glad I don’t work in retail anymore too. 🙂
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January 25, 2020 at 5:20 pm
🙂
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January 25, 2020 at 1:05 am
Luckily the carts are free to use here!
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January 25, 2020 at 10:35 am
It seems they’ll put a deposit on just about anything here. 😛
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January 25, 2020 at 11:24 am
Too mean. I can get that people might leave them here or there instead of returning but there are other means of ensuring that.
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January 25, 2020 at 1:02 am
We have to pay for bags if we don’t bring our own but we don’t have to pay for shopping carts. That’s a terrible idea!
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January 25, 2020 at 10:34 am
Not all grocery stores do it, which is part of the reason I often forget to make sure I have change on me. It’s annoying! And yeah, we have to pay for bags too.
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