Friday, December 03, 2004
Its Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Xmas...
I went to the local grocery to pick up a few things. There were Christmas caroles in the background, elves working in the aisles, garlands, wreaths, colored balls - you get the picture. So I'm at the register. One of the courtesies I like to perform (and I'm not lauding my munificence) is to leave the pennies from my change in order to save someone else a little aggravation.
Essentially, this is generally viewed as a grassroots fund for the the grassroots and I dont believe that it's typically accumulated in the coffers of Corporate America and thrown into the profit/loss statement at the end of each quarter.
Well, guess again!
Now I dont as a rule use the pennies which are sitting idly on the edge of registers throughout America. Seems I'm generally not even close to exact change in my pocket (I hate change in my pockets) in order to take advantage of the pennies.
Not today.
Today I'm 2 cents shy in the exact change department and am going to have to break a 20 dollar bill in order to extract the 2 pennies to cover the bill. I ask the charming Nazi guarding the cash register if she's got any pennies, eyeing them next to her elbow as I ask.
"No", she coldly replies, eyes fully upon me. Undaunted, I reach over 18 inches to the register directly next to me which is conveniently sporting 5 or 6 shiny coppers and grab the requisite 2 cents.
"You cant take them - they belong to her register" Fraulein spits out and although I continue to hand her my now ill-gotten lucre, I am handed back Nineteen Dollars and Ninety Eight Cents to go along with my 2 New Shiny Pennies. Add it up. Yup, 20 bucks...in change. The money comes with a reiteration of her proclamation even as I incredulously disagree.
Joy is so easy to dispense, especially at this time of year.
Some people just dont get it...or give it.
Essentially, this is generally viewed as a grassroots fund for the the grassroots and I dont believe that it's typically accumulated in the coffers of Corporate America and thrown into the profit/loss statement at the end of each quarter.
Well, guess again!
Now I dont as a rule use the pennies which are sitting idly on the edge of registers throughout America. Seems I'm generally not even close to exact change in my pocket (I hate change in my pockets) in order to take advantage of the pennies.
Not today.
Today I'm 2 cents shy in the exact change department and am going to have to break a 20 dollar bill in order to extract the 2 pennies to cover the bill. I ask the charming Nazi guarding the cash register if she's got any pennies, eyeing them next to her elbow as I ask.
"No", she coldly replies, eyes fully upon me. Undaunted, I reach over 18 inches to the register directly next to me which is conveniently sporting 5 or 6 shiny coppers and grab the requisite 2 cents.
"You cant take them - they belong to her register" Fraulein spits out and although I continue to hand her my now ill-gotten lucre, I am handed back Nineteen Dollars and Ninety Eight Cents to go along with my 2 New Shiny Pennies. Add it up. Yup, 20 bucks...in change. The money comes with a reiteration of her proclamation even as I incredulously disagree.
Joy is so easy to dispense, especially at this time of year.
Some people just dont get it...or give it.
