Friday, December 25, 2009

A Local Merry Christmas

If anyone ever thought shopping local wasn’t fun and exciting you just have to get out there and know each experience is a personal reflection of the owners – and they’re all different!

Jon and I dropped into a bakery in Niagara Falls the day before Christmas thinking we were going to buy a loaf of bread. Surprisingly, inside there was a whole host of Italian food items so I began to browse. I wasn’t impressed with the style and quality of bread but I did get a few other things including some cheese. I stood in front of the deli counter and the girl at the cash yelled to another in the back room to come out and serve me –heaven forbid she’d walk the 3-feet to do the job herself.

Out from the back came a rather husky, robust woman, olive skin, dark hair tied back, twice my size with a rather nasty disposition that she was being very careful to keep in check – no doubt for my sake.

“How much is half that block of mozzarella,” I asked and was immediately shown cheaper balls of mozzarella in the cooler in the centre of the room. It wasn’t what I wanted so I bravely challenged her orders and ordered the mozzarella from the deli counter. She grunted as she took it out, claiming it was more expensive. She was a women of definite food opinions and not afraid to show them.

She wrapped the cheese, walked past the girl standing at the cash register and placed it with my other purchases. Then she reached under the counter and pulled out a hand calculator – pushed a few buttons while visually scanning my purchases. “Ok, gimme twenty bucks”, she said.

Jon handed here a $20 bill and she stuffed it into her back pocket before she began to bag my food. I stood there wondering how I could get a receipt since she didn't use the cash register – our eyes met, she smiled rather sinister-like and wished me a Merry Christmas in a firm, deep voice.

The visual signs were all there – ask for a receipt lady and you die! Jon and I left the bakery with our goods and once in the car, burst into laughter. Who knows, she’s probably a very nice lady, just stressed because she hadn’t finished her Christmas shopping – hope we helped.

Merry Christmas and may it be a delicious one…

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