The Original Terry Ann

In the checkout lane, lots of little things happened. Nearby, a woman entered the store with 3 children, all of them screaming at the top of their lungs. She stopped walking and held the hand of the worst screaming child. When I glanced her way, she rolled her eyes as she waited for the screaming to end. Someone told me it looked like the child might have attention deficit and was over stimulated. My coworker walked over to see if she could help and give out stickers to the children. The other two children were laughing a bit later. The screaming child never ran out of steam. When they left, we felt a huge relief but sorrow for what that family must go through.

Another time, a man and daughter came through. She said, “You both have the same first name!” I said hi to Terry. We chatted a while. And, as it seems to happen a lot here, the woman next in line said her name was Terry. We thought it was unusual to find another Terry.

A man came through wearing a very scary shirt of a bloodied man with his mouth open and fangs dripping in blood that said something about biting the heads off cattle. I guessed it. He was a vegetarian and a fan of a certain rock group. Whew, that shirt was gory! Rock group names can be super crazy.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me in August, 2015.)

In the checkout lane we were very busy with people getting stuff for Father’s Day tomorrow. I noticed that the week before Mother’s Day, we sold lots of cards, flowers and chocolate candy. This night before Father’s Day, we sold lots of cards and wine. It’s funny to see the trends.

One couple came into my checkout line with nothing but two bunches of flowers. They looked about age 40 and were dressed nice. One of the other customers in our long line asked about the flowers (which is not something many people buy for Father’s Day). The couple said they were on their way to a wedding - their wedding! They explained that they did not want to go through the expense and bother of a formal wedding, so they stopped by here to get some flowers and then go straight to the courthouse - just them and the officials there. They looked pretty happy. The atmosphere in our rushed line turned from tired to jovial. People smiled. Everyone in the long checkout line congratulated them, even someone walking by who heard the news. When it was time to ring up their purchases, I also congratulated them and asked how they met. She worked at the military commissary here and he was a regular supplier from out of state. It was so sweet. I hope they had a happy wedding.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that recently happened to me.)

In the checkout lane, I met the local college Football Coach. Since I love football and he was the only one in my checkout lane, we took the opportunity to talk a while. He said that most members of the team are returning and they expect a very good year next year. I asked if it was true that good recruiting is the most important part of making a successful team, as Saban says. He agreed. They recruit from the entire country. He even travels to California. I learned that there are 12 coaches for the team, each with an area of specialization and learned several more things about a team. Times like this make me glad to be working with people.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me personally.)

In the checkout lane, it got very dramatic. As she was paying, my customer received a call that her place was on fire. She was frantically calling her husband and others. She some lived about 60 miles out of town and had too long of a drive to get there in time. I was so worried for them. Her teenage daughter said she was in shock. They finished paying and hurried out of the store. I hope it was stopped quickly.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me personally.)

In the checkout lane, we were very busy with the many people who came for the Easter sales plus on Easter, we’d be closed (one of only two days a year that we close all day). In the rush, there are carts and items and trash and stuff around.

When a young girl and her teen-aged high school brother came into the line, I apologized for the mess and asked them to give me a minute to move the carts out of their way. Her brother said he’d help. As she continued to pay, he took several carts and baskets and walked all the way across the floor to return them properly.

The efforts he took were impressive. He left a row of clean. Impressed, I told his sister to take a message home to their parents. I said, “Tell your parents that they raised you right and did a great job.” It’s good to know that kind, smart kids exist in our world.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me personally.)

In the checkout lane last night, I met several interesting people. One wore the Huntsville Havoc logo and told me about how the team was doing (we are in the playoffs - yay!). Another older gentleman wore Korean Vet logos and told me that he worked in a MASH unit during the Korean War. I love the TV show and had many questions for him. One lady wore the Apple Edition Watch with the new Hermes watchband (total cost about 12,000 dollars). I was duly impressed and enjoyed seeing both and she was glad to talk about them and show how it fit, etc. If the line is empty, some people will stay and talk with me a while. I love people. I feel like I have made many new friends working here.

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me personally.)

In the checkout lane, I am honored to be among the best of people. A mother came in with several young children and bought a few necessities. She was paying with a type of food stamp card. The card granted only a few cents. She tried again. We could not get the card to grant any more. She began to dig through her pockets, found a dollar and a few cents as she decided on what to keep. The customer in line behind her went to the machine and swiped her credit card. She told the woman that it was on her and have a Happy Mother’s Day. I couldn’t contain my tears knowing how good people can be. I told the generous customer that she had made my day. ❤️

(I work at a large department store and meet lots of people. I love people. That was something that happened to me personally.)

In the checkout lane today, a father and teenage son were buying groceries for the week. They were a little awkward about it. The father explained that they don’t usually shop but his wife was not able to do it. I asked what was wrong. “Mom broke her ankle and will be in a cast.” “She can’t walk for six weeks,” said the father. I asked how she broke it. “Riding a unicycle.” I tried to imagine the mother of a teenage son on a unicycle. I tried hard not to laugh until after they were out of earshot.