EQUAL AND OPPOSITE (REACTION BEING THE OPERATIVE WORD)

Shortly after the bandaids were delivered to our door I went into CVS ready to make some more deals. I had all the kids, Gary, and my visiting Dad with me.

One of my items rang up wrong. It was the same item that had rung up wrong for me earlier in the week. During that trip I removed the sale sign from the shelf to bring up to the cashier. Why she didn't go look herself at that point is beyond me. So the item rings wrong again this trip. I ask them to check, and the cashier sends a manager to do so. When the manager comes back she reports that there is no sign and wonders why I think I should get the item for less. Sigh. It's only a dollar, so I tell them not to worry about it.

As I am cashing out the manager asks me in an accusatory tone where I got my coupon. It was one of those $3/$15 that was in one of the online magazines this summer, so I told her, "Online." "I need to know WHERE online!" She said forcefully. I explained the it was from an online magazine subscription, and she then told me that CVS doesn't take any coupons unless they are printed off the CVS website or cut out of a paper. I explain that this was an ad that CVS placed, and as it was an online magazine the only way to redeem it would be to print it.

She begrudgingly agreed to accept it and told me that she would be calling to check up on the coupon. The manager then mumbled some things about fraud and the inability to identify fraudulent coupons as she walked away. The cashier asked me, "Do you know if I am allowed to take your coupons?" I told her that I was very sure that she was allowed to take them and she completed the transaction.

I went back for a few more shampoo bottles. The manager was close to the register as I approached and I decided to have a word with her. Her implications had really bothered me, and I wanted to clear the air. "Excuse me," I said, "I would like you to know that I am an honest person who plays by the rules. I have legitimate coupons and it isn't fair for you to imply otherwise. If the employees aren't able to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate coupons then that is a problem that you should address with corporate offices and not me, the customer." I had been rehearsing this in my head for the last three minutes.

She stood up strait and said, "It isn't just you, ALL of you are taking advantage and I have every right to know where you get your coupons!"

"Excuse me? You do NOT have the right to drill customers about where they acquire their coupons. You should address the issue with corporate."

It was at that moment where I saw the disconnect in her eyes I and knew that the conversation was over. She began SCREAMING, and lest you think I am exaggerating, Gary and my father, who at this point had taken all of the children with the exception of Katherine to the car could HEAR her yelling from there!

"GO AHEAD, CALL CORPORATE! YOU ARE ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH THEM ALREADY. YOU CALL AND COMPLAIN ABOUT US ALL THE TIME AND HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES ME FEEL? GO AHEAD, CALL THEM. I DON'T CARE ANYMORE. GET ME FIRED. GO AHEAD. IT'S IMMORAL WHAT YOU PEOPLE ARE DOING. IT'S UNETHICAL. YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS!"

"Excuse me?"

She was close enough for me to see the big ugly hairs on her chin. "THAT'S RIGHT, YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS. AN ILLNESS. YOU ARE SICK. YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS AND YOU ARE IMMORAL."

At this point the line behind me had grown to about 10 people and I was beyond humiliated. My blood pressure must have been through the roof. Not to mention my child was still standing by my side. I noticed that one of the teachers from the local elementary school was in line. Ugh. I tried my best to just ignore her at this point, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"YOU ARE ALL IMMORAL. YOU NEED HELP. IT JUST ISN'T RIGHT. YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS AND YOU NEED HELP!" (woa, project much?)

Not only was she screaming at me, but she was not helping to check out the ever growing line of customers who were presumably illness-free.

"YOU STARTED THIS. YOU ARE HOSTILE. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CAME OVER TO ME TO START THIS. YOU ARE SICK. GO SHOP SOMEPLACE ELSE. THIS ISN'T THE ONLY STORE, GO FIND A DIFFERENT PLACE TO SHOP! YOU STARTED THIS. YOU STARTED IT!

It took all of my restraint not to bring the other shoppers into the argument. It was very clear that I was not the one who had escalated this interaction.

She stopped yelling and I told Katherine to go put back her candy as we needed to leave right now. By this point I was done paying for my shampoo and needed to get the hell out of there.

When I left, I was shaking. I felt like I had been attacked, assaulted. And verbally speaking, I had been.

It's true. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.





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