A young man brought two energy drinks, a Coke and a sandwich to the register. Total just over $10.
He swipes a credit card.
"I'm sorry," I say. "That card has been declined."
"That's strange," he says, which is funny, because that's the first thing EVERYONE says when their credit card is declined.
"Do you have another form of payment?" I ask.
"Let's just take off the sandwich," he says.
And so begins the triage. I was expecting the Coke would be first, but I misjudged him.
"I'm sorry," I say, after he's swiped the card a second time. "It says insufficient funds."
"I don't know why it would be." The second thing EVERYONE says. "Let's take off the pop, too."
Ahh. Now we're down to the bare essentials. Two energy drinks prove more valuable than the meager sustenance of the sandwich or the sugary kick of the Coke.
By this time the guy is visibly flustered by his economic situation. But, truth is, I feel a little bit sorry for him, and certainly don't pass too much judgment when a credit card doesn't work.
The third time, the $6 transaction goes through, and I wonder if he'll be hungry at lunch time.
