Attention To Detail.

Yesterday, I was with someone for a few hours. She took out £100 pounds from the bank, then she wanted to go to a coffee shop. She chose a hot chocolate, with marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles on the top, she bought the same for me. I was completely shocked, that both drinks came to an eye watering £10! I was thinking, if I ever became rich, very rich, then I would go in that coffee shop and spend that kind of money on two hot chocolate drinks. Was still pondering about it this morning, and I thought for that price, I would go to McDonald’s and have a Quarter Pounder, with large fries and a hot chocolate! Next month, will be a year, that I haven’t been to my favourite place to eat. I decided, that it was far too expensive, that I would not go there anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I have eaten McDonald’s since, but only when someone else has offered to pay, like Meghan, and I have enjoyed it. Another place, that I would rather eat at for £10 would be at KFC. In my view, McDonald’s and KFC, their hot chocolate is far nicer than the one I had yesterday. But I was thankful for it, as it cost me nothing. And finally, I would rather spend the tenner at TKMaxx.

She wanted to buy her Mum some perfume, now perfume is very personal, especially if it is your signature sent. I have mine, others have theirs. I know her Mum, so I texted her and ask, “What perfume do you like?” She replied, “Anything, but I do love Ghost.” Suranne, said, “I want to buy a gift bag,” I said, “It’s best we buy the perfume first, as we don’t know what size the perfume will be yet,” She smiled, and said, “Great idea.” I then suggested we go to two shops, they are opposite to each other, we went into the cheaper one first. I asked, “Do you sell Ghost?” The sales assistant said, “Yes,” Pointing to it right in front of her, she said, “It is on special offer,” I could see that the it is, the price it should have been was £29.99 it was now on offer, for £17.99. I said, “We will go to the other shop over there, and see if we can get it cheaper, if we can’t, then we will be back.” We left the store, and went to the other shop, I asked the sales assistant, “Do you sell Ghost?” She said, “Yes,” Pointing to the bottle behind her in the locked glass cabinet, I said, “What is the cheapest, one you sell?” She opened the glass cabinet, it was different to the one we saw in the other shop, this was a huge bottle, she said, hopeful for a sale, “I think it is on special offer,” As she scanned it, I too was hopeful, but it came up as £40! I said, “Thank you, we will go back to the other store, over there.”

A moment later, we were in the other store. Suranne paid for her perfume; she was chuffed to bits and so was I. It came in a lovely free, gift bag! I said, to Suranne, “Look, it comes with a lovely free gift bag.” She beamed from ear to ear.

Then she said, “I want to buy tissue paper to wrap around it, so that when Mum looks inside, she won’t see the perfume, even though when she had the lovely free bag, she had closed it at the top, and I knew that when she went back home, she would want the bag sealed with Sellotape, so it wouldn’t be seen anyway.

We then walked the short distance to the card store. I asked the sale assistant, “Where do you sell, tissue paper to put inside gift bags?” She showed us the large section. Suranne picked the one she wanted; they all cost £1.25 we then went to the till. Suranne, opened her purse and where the notes were at the side, she took out a crisp note and gave it to the assistant, the sales assistants gave her the change and said, “£8.75,” I said, “Didn’t she give you a twenty-pound note?” She said, “No she gave me £10.” I was completely stunned!!!! But I wasn’t sure! If only I had paid close attention! I could not swear to it, nor could I prove it, but I thought SO much that it was a £20 note! We left the store, I still dazed, Suranne was completely unaware of what had just happened. I thought, shall we go back? Would that upset Suranne? Should I go back, as we walked further and further away from the shop, should I ask for them to look at the camera footage? What would I have done, if it was my money?

We walked 15 minutes, to the next store, I was still completely gutted, beating myself up. I still wanted to go back, for I had tried to save her money, by not buying the £40 perfume, but I was thinking now she should have just bought it!

Then suddenly, during all that grief, the thought came to me, when Suranne is on her own as she often is, when she is shopping, sales assistants, could easily short change her, and she would Never know! I was still hurt, but I just had to stop, and accept that. For she could have given the sales assistance £10, I will never know.

I do know, that next time, I will be more vigilant!