A few days ago, my OH and I went to a local large supermarket where we had our flu and Covid jabs. Afterwards, I settled OH in a chair and went to get a few things that I needed, including a couple of ready meals for him in case I reacted badly to the jabs. I turned round with a ready meal in hand to put it in the trolley——-the trolley had gone, complete with my handbag.(Yes, I know it should have been around my shoulder where it usually is but I was so flustered after getting OH in and out of taxis and in and out of clothing that I forgot.)
I shouted “Someone’s taken my handbag” and a member of staff rushed over, asked what was in the trolley and sprinted up and down the nearest aisles but no joy, so she told me to stay where I was while she contacted security. I was in total panic as my bag contained my credit and debit cards, £100, my phone, specs and house keys.
A male staff member joined in the hunt and I stood there in shock for 10-15 minutes, then they returned with a woman pushing my trolley, everything intact, explaining that she’d taken it in error. Still shocked as I was, I was so relieved and the male staff member finished my shopping for me, opened a checkout just for me and OH and I went home.
It was only when I got home that my brain started working. The trolley abandoned by the woman had been standing nearby although I didn’t know this at the time, It was nearly full of beige items, bags of rolls, loaves, pizza bases. I’d registered it in my mind as a “reduced for quick sale’ trolley. My trolley had two brightly coloured shopping bags in it, and just a few punnets of fruit and broccoli, plus my handbag.. What my brain is saying to me is, how can someone push a trolley around a store for 10 minutes or more, adding items , without noticing that it was wildly different from her own.
Do you think that I’m being oversuspicious or would the hairs at the back of your neck be standing on end?
By the way, I am so grateful to the shop staff who were so kind and efficient. They even went over to my OH, who has a degree of dementia, to reassure him that I would soon be back.
