Friday, May 14, 2010

There's No Place Like Home

Yesterday, on my way home from my blood test results, (we're making progress, by the way- up to 24 now. Only 1 point behind the requisite lowest acceptable level of feritin!), I stopped in at Safeway to get my Metformin prescription (diabetes meds)  filled.

I submitted the scrawled receipt to the Pharmacist and wandered over to the Starbucks kiosk to get some coffee.

As I roamed the store, waiting for the pharmacy, I texted Randall to see if he wanted anything while I was there.

He suggested a few things, so I picked them up and took them through Till number 1.

When we got to my "Safeway Card" number I gave her my phone number. Not having changed it over yet,  I started, "306-764-...)

The Cashier looked up, "Prince Albert?" she said.

I was a little surprised, but said, "Yes! And you?"

She'd moved from Nipawin about ten years ago.

The store was pretty slow and we had a good 10 minutes before someone queued up behind me. A really nice visit, we had.

She hasn't been working there long, and I hope I encouraged her as much as her friendliness and smile encouraged me.

I'd like to think I started to make a new friend there. I hope so.

I'll be looking for her next time I'm at Safeway.

I should wear a nametag too... so I'm not the only one who knows the other's name.

Especially as our daughter signed up for a Safeway card after I did, and when I use our old phone number it always comes up with her name on it, and I wouldn't want her to go on thinking I'm Johanna...

I did that once- let someone call me the wrong name thinking I'd correct it later, only to find that each time she greeted me it felt more awkward to say anything. She didn't find out until we moved, five years later, that she had my name wrong, and I felt so terrible for her discomfort and embarrassment that I vowed to never let it happen again.

Regardless of how nice people are and how "at home" I feel here,

It was something of a bright spot to find the open warmth of a clear Saskatchewan day in that lovely lady's friendly smile.

5 comments:

  1. You're still using that number too? I was going to have them update it to my current number, but if we're sharing, I won't yet.

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  2. Yeah... not sure how that's going to work. The other day it had a totally different name on the receipt, so I thought they must have given that phone number to someone new, who has also signed up, but the next time it had your name again so I figured they punched in the wrong area code.

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  3. Sure wish I knew that lady frim Nipawin. Elvin grew up there and I did live there. Nice people there

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  4. I still use my mom and dad's phone number to use their Safeway card and every time they hand me my receipt they say "thank you Mrs. Boschman." I never correct them, just wonder what they think when they look at the credit card receipt and see a completely different name.

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  5. Somehow it takes you back to being a kid... when in Melfort I like to charge on Dad's Co-op #!

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