Alright so this happened to me last week and it has taken me some time to get over it enough to write about it. It may seem stupid to some, but to me it was traumatic! Here's the story:
I needed a few last minute things for dinner one night so I loaded the kids up to make a quick trip to Albertson's. Since I was already there I decided I might as well get the rest of the groceries for the week. I ended up filling my cart full! Avery usually sits on the inside of the cart while Brody sits in front, but with the cart being so full she had to get out and walk the last little bit. She loves this of course because she thinks she can run wild! I finally was able to scoop her up in my arms while pushing the cart to the checkout lane. She is screaming because she wants some M&M's and I am NOT GIVING IN! (Curse that damn checkout lane) I know I looked like the hag mom but I honestly didn't care at that point, just wanted to get out of there and get home. The total comes to $127.86. I swipe my debit card while trying to contain Avery who is trying desperately to squirm her way out of my arms. The debit card is not going through. Try again. Nope. Try a third time... Nope! By this time people are lining up behind me waiting to pay for their own groceries. The checker slides his monitor over to me and shows me that it is saying non sufficient funds, something like that. My face goes RED. I fumble in my wallet, looking for something to bail me out. Nothing, we have no credit cards, I don't carry a checkbook. (I have my own separate account that JD set up for me last Christmas thinking it would be a good way for us to track who spends what. Well it's stupid if you ask me because I just transfer my own money into that account anyways. I must not have checked it for awhile because apparantly I didn't have that much money in there!) Finally the checker tells me I can use their phone if I need to. I step out of line and call JD. I get his debit card number over the phone and go over to pay for the groceries. They tell me they need the actual card, they can't just punch in numbers. The manager came over to me and asked if I lived far. I don't, so she said just to leave the groceries there and come back. I ask if they take a check and she says "yes." So I sling my purse over my shoulder with Brody and Avery in each of my arms with Jace screaming from behind me, "Mom you forgot the groceries... MOM, THE GROCERIES!" Um, yeah just a little embarassed. On my way home I call my friend April and ask her if she can watch the kids for a few minutes while I run back to Albertsons. Thankfully she was able to.
I get back to Albertsons with check in hand. I wait patiently by my cart of groceries that are just sitting there so I can hand over the check. The checker and the manager talk to themselves for a minute trying to figure out if they can even do this transaction since it was voided, something like that. So they take my check and try and run it through. They try and try and try. It's NOT going through. My face is RED again, I just want to cry. The checker tells me I have to go back through the line so they can ring up my groceries again. So there I am, taking groceries out of the sacks and loading them back onto the belt. I can't help it anymore and I just burst into tears. I felt SO STUPID! All the employees were so nice and understanding, but I seriously just wanted to die. The groceries get rung up again, and the checker takes my check again, and again it is NOT going through. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? (This is the account with money so I KNOW it was not because of NSF.) Through my tears I step out of line again and I call JD. Luckily it is the end of his work day and he is 10 minutes away. I leave my groceries sitting there and go out to the foyer to wait for JD. When he comes walking towards me all I could think was "my knight in shining armor!" It was SO GOOD to see him. He comes in and sees me crying and tells me to go out to the car, he will take care of it. (I'm sure he was thinking how retarded I was being!) I don't know why I was crying so hard, but I am just so tired of dealing with the daily stresses of the kids and everything else that goes with it. This summer has been the hardest yet.
On a very happy note my sister Leisha gets here TOMORROW! I can't even begin to express how excited I am to have some help. No more treks to the grocery store with kids in tow!! I am smiling right now just thinking about it. :)
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19 comments:
One time I had my cart full, they rung up all the groceries and I went to pay for them and realized I didn't even bring my wallet with me! Wow yours is much worse though, I can't even imagine that plus kids! Good luck going forward!
Awe. That is stressful, embarassing, and with kids....impossible! I rarely do my "big" grocery shopping with my kids. I go the second Bill gets home. That little Avery of yours sounds a bit like my Miss Madi. "stubborn"......I call it determined! :) I would've left my groceries, made the fam eat mac n cheese that night, and then went back later that night to the store to get my groceries. (to a different check out line ofcourse) :) This did happen to me at Target, but it wasn't a NSF either. If the bank sees charges in a account continuously, in a different state then your norm, then they freeze the account. Maybe that's what happened. ??? I think your one tuff cookie going out their to Texas yourself. And when a Husband works long hours (that's my life!!!) and your with kids without a little breather...it's hard. Hang in there! Just dirty those Knees a little. ;) I'm glad your sis is able to come visit! Perfect timing huh.
Thanks for liking the new do....I'm going back in to have him give me more layers in the back...other then that I think it's awe-ight.
That does suck! I would have been bawling too! Sorry your summer is hard so far. Good thing for your sis coming! Talk to you soon!
Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I think it's a little interesting to b/c that has happened to me before...not to the extent as your experience but I was at Alberton's when it happened to me two time in a row. Honestly I think it's their little machines, I don't shop there anymore b/c I'm so paranoid it will happen again. You're a trooper though :) Lova ya!
Leah, that is so aweful! I would have been to chicken to go back! You're so brave!
Hahahahahahaha!! Sorry to laugh Leah but it is pretty darn funny. I think most people have had something along those lines happen to them. I did one time and my face went RED too. I had tons of grocerys in my cart and swiped our credit card that's linked to Mike's account but has my name on it and it declined over and over. I had to step out of the line and call the credit card company and everyone was starring at me, plus i had Tayson with me. They tell me that once you go over a limit and your using your card all the time they freeze it just to be safe. I still don't understand it fully but that's what they were telling me and because it was under Mike's account they said he had to call and get it unfrozen so i could use it again. Well Mike was at work in a customers house and didn't answer or get back to me for awhile, so i left cause i felt stupid just sitting there waiting for his call, and i never went back to get my gorcerys and went and shopped at a different store the rest of the summer! It sucks when something like that happens. Sorry that this summer has been so hard for you. I had a really hard day with Tayson yesterday and just broke down to Mike when he came home and was in a really bad mood. I feel bad now cause i was just angry at everyone and everything that was in my way yesterday, including Mike! Poor guy, but i hope things get better now that your sis is coming. Just hang in there. Summers are always more difficult than the rest of the year.
I have done that!!! Seriously, it is the worst! Had to leave because they didn't take my check. But I have so been there. We all have! Who hasn't?! People that live off credit cards thats who!!! ( Have you seen shopaholic? Not that we are!!! Well, I might be but it is so funny) And believe me we've all been there. Sometimes the grocery trip is the worst. Yea that your sister is getting there! You won't know what to do with yourself ;)
Ah man...I know it totally sucks, because I remember being like 20 dollars short, and I only had cash with me. It's totally embarrassing! But I had to laugh a little at your story. C'mon, laughing makes things much better! Good thing Leish is out there now, and you don't have to drag the kiddies to the grocery store there anymore! (And did Avery finally get her M&M's?)
I would be on the phone with the bank RAISING hell. Sorry you had to go through that! SUCK! You are a trooper!
you poor girl! I've been there! I think its a right of passage all mom's need to deal with at some point! glad ur sis is coming to help! I've got mine out helping me and its great!!!!!
What a day Leah! In my opinion, you hung in there pretty well. I am glad your sister is in town. Enjoy some hot weather for me OK. It has been a very mild summer here so far. Later, Alex
I think most of us have had one of those moments :) They keep us in check for all of our future outings!
Thanks so much for your comment on my blog. It really helps to get some moral support and know others go through the same kinds of things.
It's amazing how much harder grocery shopping (and everything else) is with kids. Your family is adorable, and it was good to hear from you!!
OMG! Sad to say but I have had a few too many of those similar situatuions happen to me too but one in particular that was most embaressing, actually almost identical to yours; Tylar screaming for chocolate, Braxton pulling off everything from the shelf and asking for everything in sight and my card wouldn't go through! They had to put my cart aside while I went to the atm and still no luck; I had $80 cash on me already, so the cashier and I had to go through all the bags pulling stuff out and voiding it until it got down to $80 which by the way my bill was at $140 it took forever to look through it all and prioritize it all and I swear it wasn't voiding fast enough! Tons of people were waiting and to make matters worse, I was at walmart, so imagine how many people there were, it's always busy there and never enough cashiers! Then the cashier offers to buy a few of my things, which I have never had happen but of course I refused, that's embaressing but extremely nice of her! She did refuse to buy a sprite for Braxton since he was bugging me nonstop, she was super nice but it was VERY embaressing!!! so when I was reading your story, I totally understood but I only tell you this, hoping it makes you feel better. I'm suree alot of people in this world have experienced something similar, so don't feel too bad! I'm sure you will enjoy yourself while your sister is out there, so have fun! Miss ya! xoxo!
Oh Leah, I laughed and felt sad for you all at the same time. That is not fun! My mom was single growing up and had no money and we payed for most things with a TON of change. Or how about not having enough on your food stamp(horizon) card. Wow, I wouldn't be as worried now about it, but it was embarrassing for sure. I totally understand the crying thing, that is so something I would do. And having all 3 kids, I will say it again you are super woman, I don't know how you do it!
Sorry you had to deal with that! I'm glad to know someone else has done that though. I've done that TWICE in the last month!!! Once it was my fault and the other time it was the banks. It is so embarrassing. I still get nervous everytime I swipe my card.
Oh you POOR thing! I was just at the grocery store Thursday and while I was checking out I realized I didn't have my CARD! I was so embarrassed. The cashier was so nice, and said he would put my cart in the fridge in the back until I could back in about an hour.
When I came back the receipt in my cart was gone. So they too had to RE-ring everything back up again! I kept saying I am SO SORRY, I can't tell you enough how STUPID I feel.
I feel your pain!
So, this comment is a little late (our computer has been out of commission).
Taking three kids to the grocery store is a big job in and of itself - even if everything does go smoothly!
I've had this very thing happen to me a few times! And my face goes red so easily! I hate it - so embarassing! I need to do better at keeping track of my budget - I usually just call the bank before I make a shopping trip to see where I'm at. But, sometimes I forget or whatever. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I go to swipe my card for fear it will decline (if I haven't been keeping track).
Thanks for sharing the story! It's comforting to know that someone else goes through the same stuff as me!
So what happened??? Did you get your groceries???? Love ya Lana
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