I have a favorite supermarket – Lucky.

It’s not the greatest supermarket; the selection isn’t amazing; the prices aren’t mind blowing; and parking is usually pretty good. It is convenient and it is familiar. I also like the checkers and the baggers – bunch of nice people.

However, it seems like my Lucky store wants me to shop elsewhere. They suddenly drop brands they’ve stocked forever. They fail to restock items (because, I guess, who wants to make any money selling the stuff that flies off the shelves, right?).

But today was the topper.

I go in at about 10 a.m. (I work in the afternoon). I do my shopping. I take my full cart up to the line of checkout stands and (1) none are lit up (to indicate they are open); (2) none have checkers at them; and (3) they all have the little bungie cord strung across them (indicating they are not open).

Well, fuck.

There are a group of checker-looking people standing around one cash register, so I go up to them. I am told that they are being trained and cannot help me. However, the lady who ostensibly is in charge of the trainees calls over a managerial looking guy, and asks about an open checkout stand. The guy looks at me like I’m an idiot, and tells me checkout stand No. 1 is available. Except – Checkout stand No. 1 has a bungie across the entrance and nobody is at the cash register.

He calls the lady over who is in charge of running the four self-serve checkouts (15 or less, which I am way over); and tells her to open Checkout No. 1. Leaving no one to help with the self-serve (you’ve seen people at the ATM; now imagine them trying to check out their own groceries – yah, you need someone there is assist them if you want anyone to use self-serve checkout), which includes making change for those who want to pay with (gasp) cash.

Then managerial guy runs away. Literally.

The Checkout lady and I sort of know each other, and I ask if he’s supposed to be the manager because he’s doing a piss-poor job of it. I also note that the situation is not her fault – she’s not running the place. She tells me that the store will not have a (dedicated) checkout person at the ready until 11 a.m.

WTF?

Apparently Lucky feels that people should not be buying their weekly groceries (or anything that comes to more than 15 items) before 11 a.m.

And Lucky’s slogan “three’s a crowd”? Well fuck that, at least until after 11 a.m. (as was evidenced by the line of shoppers that formed behind me after I got a checkout station open.

I’d really prefer to keep shopping at “my” supermarket; but not if they are going to make it a battle to buy my fucking groceries. Just saying.