earlier tonight, i went to return some clothes to the gap. mission accomplished, so then i walked around the store looking for some deals. pretty much the entire store was on sale, so i scored some new pants, including one pair of flat front cords for $4. yes, that’s right, they were FOUR DOLLARS! this could possibly be the best purchase ever in the clothing arena for me. i was tempted to buy a new shirt at old navy for $2.97 one time, but it was incredibly ugly, and i was able to overcome my desire to get a shirt for three dollars.

feeling great about my luck, i headed to walmart to pick up a couple of things. i arrive to the express lane with only three items. all three lanes have someone in them, so i go to the one where the customer is closest to unloading his cart. i come to find it’s an older gentleman who has a penchant for high priced pharmacy dept items, and he’s bought a lot of them. the lane said “20 items or less”, but i’m suspecting he was breaking that rule. if that wasn’t bad enough, he paid with a check! i don’t understand people still paying with checks. by now everyone should have a check card, and if you don’t, you should get one. it’s much easier than cash, and really, when you watch commercials that demonstrate how much easier paying with one is, you should take note. this guy was trapped in 1983 and paid with his pastel colored check.

i tried going to the subway inside the walmart, but the place closed at 8 pm. i went to the subway down the street which stays open till 9. i walk in and no one is in front of me. i order my sandwich, and as i’m ordering, a young boy comes in with a $20 bill. he orders at the same time, and somehow between my sandwich being toasted, he jumped me in line. he proceeds to demand that they heat his sub (which is plain turkey on white bread) in the microwave for 12 seconds. not 11, not 13, TWELVE seconds. he then pays with the $20 bill while asking all kinds of questions of the things at the register. i had to wait for this kid to learn what a gift card was, what a nutrition brochure was, why the cookies had been taken out of their case, and then had to wait about 30 seconds while he decided if he indeed wanted a cookie. i nearly had to say “kid, i’m hungry, move along”, but just as i realized i would have to resort to being “that guy”, he decided in in fact did not want the cookie and did move along.

i figure the universe was balancing my $4 pair of pants with the guy writing the check and the boy with the $20 bill. i haven’t had such an obvious balancing in a while. toss in the fact that i lost $5 playing poker last night, and the $4 pants may not have been worth it.

in other news….JERICHO IS BACK! the story will be completed!