Elanso

I went to my favorite local antique store today to take some photos for an old-stuff feature I’m adding to Junk Creation. I was there an hour or two . . . it blurs.

After that I went to the grocery store. Since I drink way too much water, I decided to stop by the restroom at the front of the store. I had a lot of stuff — my purse, my camera, my reusable shopping bags.

I decided my shopping bags could wait in the cart. They were empty. Who would want empty bags? I pushed the shopping cart away from the door just in case. I left it by the spices in the produce section near the entrance.

When I came out of the restroom, the cart and bags were gone. And I saw a man walking quickly away into the store and glancing back. I was only in there a couple of minutes. It had to be this guy. He took my bags and they were in his cart somewhere!

I followed him for a few aisles, but he was walking at a crazy pace. I stopped by the potatoes.

How was I going to apprehend him anyway? Throw a Russet tater at his head? If I hit him, how would I explain to the police if he didn’t really have my bags?

I came to my senses a bit and circled the area where I left my bags. My heart pounded. I’m not sure I love my bags that much, but I would have to replace them. Maybe it was just the thought of being a victim of a crime that made my heart pound.

Glancing over at the deli section, I decided it would be wise to ask those ladies if they saw who took my bags. The really nice lady in the hairnet said, “Oh, we were afraid they’d get stolen so we took them to customer service.”

Turns out the deli ladies were the true speedy racers. They acted quickly to hightail those bags across the store. Perhaps they did me a favor after all. There could have been a bag thief lurking.

Do you keep an eye on your shopping bags at the grocery store?

The winner of our Zabar’s Rainforest Alliance coffee contest will be announced on Earth Day, April 22. Don’t miss your chance to enter at the contest post.

Image via flickr.

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