3rd Degree on Shopping Spree
      by Jen


 Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 9:53 PM

     These things are nice, normal, everyday things. You go to the store to spend consumer dollars on buying merchandise, but no! In my "special" little world these are neither normal nor nice, everyday ventures. I am harassed by the world, particularly on the items of no significance such as batteries, movie rentals, and writing checks. Last week I went to Radio Shack… a place where we all have visited at one time or another. I needed some AA batteries, that seems simple and innocent enough to me. But I was wrong. I have to be cross-examined by a pimply, teenage mutant of a salesclerk who isn't old enough himself to probably even have a job, and he is giving me the third degree about buying batteries. I had to not only explain my personal need for the batteries to him, I had to fill out a questionnaire when I purchased them, answering questions such as "my name, my address, my phone number, my hobbies, my reason for the purchase, my birthday…my hopes and dreams for the future to come, my social security, How much K I brought in a year?" Ok… that was a little exaggerated ranting - but only after the three dots. Why do they need to know my personal information in order for me to make a purchase. I don't see the relevance of it. I mean, it's not like "Oh no, she's packing 'batteries'!" Moving on…I know for a fact that I look at least 17 years old, so why is it that I have to prove my age every time I go to rent a rated R movie. I mean, jeez. I'm in college, I'll be 21 in January - do I really have to be insulted and annoyed every single time I go to Blockbuster. I mean, really. The other thing that just irks me about Blockbuster is the fact that the same people work there - they have always worked there (and Azle isn't that big), why is it that just because my name is under my parents account, do they feel the need to call my parents to make sure I can rent a video under their name, after I've done since I was old enough to drive? I mean, these people KNOW me, and yet they have the insane need to "exercise their extreme authority to me" every time I go to rent a movie. It almost takes the rental out of me. Moving on, again. All of the Arkansas people are going to LOVE this next one. This is the complete and honest truth - I swear. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to pick up some mat boards for my mother. I wrote a check - I write checks a lot, thanks to my own personal checking account. They made me give my thumb and fingerprints after I wrote the check, so that they could "trace" me if they had to. What is our world coming to, when I can't buy picture frame mats at Hobby Lobby without them taking my IDENTITY??? This is psycho!! I apologize for being so bitter, but as my Identity has been stolen in previous years, I take offense to this, because in the case of the actual crime…the thieves have yet to be caught. So really, what is the point? People steal thousands of dollars, people steal children and babies, people steal even more than 3 condoms at a time at the nurses office…but I can’t buy batteries, check out movies, or buy picture frames without getting practically put in jail myself. So what is with that? There is something very wrong with our system of trying to ‘capture’ future criminals rather than actually trying to capture the ones who actually commit the crimes!
 

-Jen “I am so not the blue girly fish from Finding Nemo!”

Currently watching: Buffy Buffy….and Buffy…and Angel…and Buffy.
Currently playing: I beat James! I beat James! I beat James!....at chess, and pool, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2… - I love you anyway James.
Currently listening to: Save Ferris and Letters to Cleo – trying to arrange a NuFusion piece.
Currently reading: Janette Oak – Roses for Mama