Random Story Shared for Reasons Unknown

I went into Rite-Aid this evening to get a bottle of wine for my mother. It took just a second, and I was pleased to see that there was only one person ahead of me in line. Oh, if only I'd known ...

I guess Rite-Aid has those newspaper circulars with coupons in them right when you walk in. Well, the woman in front of me was one of those coupon ladies. Like, hard core! And then the worst part was, most of what she was buying were multiples and the coupons could only be used once. The customer was a good sport, actually (she had a Louis Vuitton bag, so I'm sure the coupons weren't necessary ... or maybe that's how she got her Louis Vuitton bag, by clipping coupons). Anyway ...

The cashier seemed rather excited to get in on saving this woman big bucks. She went and grabbed a stack of the circulars. And then--I swear this is true--took out a pair of scissors and started cutting out each coupon the woman needed and said, "I'll just ring them all in separately."

Now, this woman had a cart full of stuff. Full! I'm standing there with a bottle of wine that isn't even for me, and this is clearly going to be a lengthy procedure ... But then the customer, who seemed to find the whole thing amusing, said to the cashier, "Why don't you let the lady behind me go? It looks like she's had a long day." (I might have groaned a bit at the arrival of the scissors ... maybe that's what she was referring to)

Anyway, I bought the wine (twenty-eight seconds start to finish--yes, I counted) and went home.

I don't know why I'm posting about this, but I have a very strong urge to. It's odd. Is it because the customer was so decent? The cashier so dim? I don't know ... what do you think? What about this little exchange made me feel compelled to share it?

Coupon Clippings: The Annoying, Endearing Traits of Others

When I came downstairs to have my coffee this fine Sunday morning, my mother was sitting at the dining room table reading the Sunday paper. She reads it in parts, beginning with the Parade magazine, and as she finished gave me each part to read.

She then opened up the coupon section--which she had saved for last, naturally--and went at it with a look of sheer bliss on her face. This was obviously the highlight of the Sunday newspaper experience for my mother, and this is something I will never understand.

My mother has always been a compulsive coupon-clipper. I know there are many people with this pasttime, by the way ... it's just that most of them actually USE the coupons. Not my mother, though. Nope, she clips out coupons for everything from dish soap ("I know I only use Dawn, but this is forty cents off of Joy, which is cheaper anyway") to breakfast bagel bars ("These look disgusting--I wonder what they look like?").

When I cleaned her kitchen the other day, I found a drawer full of coupons dating back to 2003. None of the coupons were for things she would ever use. My mother's scope in terms of purchasing is small--she is very particular about name brands (except for mayonnaise ... for some reason, she will only buy Market Basket mayonnaise, eschewing Hellman's or Cain's relentlessly).

Although part of me rolls my eyes when I see my mother clipping coupons, most of me thinks it's just adorable (I can't think of a better word for it than that). What are some annoying, endearing traits you encounter with your loved ones?