Trip to the Store

Hello,



I am almost out of whole wheat flour. It is local and organic at the store that is my source for almost all my granola supplies. I could get some of them as well. Because I am a member at this store, in the mail came a coupon for ten dollars off the first online order and then pick up outside the store shopping experience. Shopping online is not really my favorite thing, but I went at it with gusto. The only trouble was that when the shopping cart had as much in it as I wanted and I started to check out, I learned I had to have an online account. Ok, I backed out and created an account. Once again at checkout point I learned that I needed to have $35 order and I only had $25. I looked at the possibilities, but decided that I did not want to stock up and store things; also I could not find the place to put in my promo code. That was enough of that! I would just go to the store which is a short distance away. After assembling all of the things I might need such as hand sanitizer, mask, store card and credit card, I got in the car and drove to the store. At the store and still in the car I tried to put on my mask, but could not find it. I got out of the car, looked in the back seat where I had a shopping bag, but no mask. Considered going in the store without a mask, but instead went home where I found the mask on the garage floor close to the small door. Then I needed to use the toilet so I did that before getting back in the car. At this store they provide hand sanitizer and gloves just inside. I went in used hand sanitizer; got a glove out put it on, got out another glove, but this small glove did not fit my large hand. Groan! What to do? I laid that glove on the table and got another out of the large size box. In the store I learned they were out of the flour that I wanted, but I got three other things. At the exit I stripped off the gloves and went to the car.



Because I had worn gloves there I decided to go to another store on the way home and get the flour. They did have wipes to use on the cart so I did that and looked for the flour and popcorn that had also been missing at the other store. I was happy to find local popcorn even though it was not organic. I did find whole wheat flour from a company that I trust and respect even though it was not organic or local; I bought it as I did not want to go out again. At the checkout I kept the recommended distance from the guy in front of me who did quite a lot of coughing without a mask. He was also using one of the motorized shopping carts. When he left he left that cart at the end of the checkout lane. I fortunately had a small cart so I could get past it when I left. A woman who was coming up apologized, saying, “I need to wipe that down before I move it as I think he was sick.”



“I noticed that”, I said. She and I both had on masks, but she said, “Maybe you should leave this area.”



So I headed on out to the car. That guy may have had some other long term condition that really makes him more vulnerable that I think I am. I suspect he was not sick with the current virus.



A trip to the store for 3-5 things certainly turned into a longer affair that I had counted on.



Paula