In 2003, Ma had a stroke. Dad was her full time caregiver until he he had a car accident that totaled the car. So in 2006, I became their chauffeur among other jobs.
At the time, to deal with the stress of running two households and working, I kept a blog entitled CJ's Whine and Cheeze. Egged on by some friends who enjoyed the first read through, you'll see your part when it comes by.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Spontaneous Marketing
We were nearly out the door when Ma told Dad to get the cans for deposit. (Massachusetts has a nickel deposit on soda cans and bottles). Then she told him not to forget the five bottles for Roche Bros. (another supermarket on the other side of town).
I felt my blood begin to boil. “No, no, no, no, no. We are not going to stop at Roche Bros. for five bottles.”
“But we go right by.”
“No! You want to go to Market Basket, we’ll go to Market Basket, but we are not going to make stops along the way.”
“But the bottles!”
“Wait until you have ten, and then I’ll take you.”
Her eyes goggled at my disobedience. “I hope this never happens to you! I hope you never find yourself in a position where you can’t get help.”
I’m sure there was more to her tune. I only heard the small voice in my head whispering Peapod, peapod.
I can hear some tsking out there. “Shame on you for not stopping so the poor, old lady can get her deposit on a few bottles!”
You understand OPD is really an issue of control with a heaping helping of guilt tossed in for good measure. If I made the stop, I would be setting a new precedent. The one appointment/one outing rule would be forever changed. Stopping at Roche Bros. would mean another hour added to an already grueling task. First, there would be ten minutes at the bottle return, and then as long as we were there, let’s just check out the market specials. We’d still have the big shopping at Market Basket ahead of us. Nope, better to nip this kind of spontaneous marketing in the bud.
So we sailed right by Roche Bros. No comments were made. The shopping at Market Basket was whittled down to two hours. Ma and I tackled produce and Dad? Not sure what he was doing as he met up with us an hour or so later with three cans of baked beans in his cart.
Dad walked me to my car as I was leaving. I mentioned a future trip to Roche Bros. when he had gotten enough cans to make the trip worthwhile.
“What cans?”
“Ma said you had cans that had to be returned to Roche Bros.”
“I don’t have any cans for Roche Bros.”
I am so glad the Spontaneous Marketing Ruling was over ruled.
I can imagine only too well how that trip would have turned out.
ReplyDeleteAnother 3 hour tour
DeleteWe don't return bottles-- that area of every market no matter how upscale is disgusting. On Trash day I leave them out at the curb in a separate container and a kid comes by and takes them. You 100% made the right call regarding Roche Bros- seeing the fallout of a new precedent is a super power and you had the vision to do the right thing. If those cans had existed, I would have taken the 5 cans, gave her a quarter and told her I would return them, then I would have thrown them in a public trash can somewhere. 25c is a tiny price to pay for the 2 hours you saved.
ReplyDeleteNice job as always! I love these Weeble posts!
The problem is, Andy, that giving her the quarter was a rational thing, but people with dementia are in capable of thinking rationally. Another time she wanted us to go to MB to get her favorite olive oil which was on sale. At the time, Himself passed by my parents' house twice a day on his way to and from work. There's a Stop and Shop two miles away. So he stopped picked up her oil and brought it to the house. Left it on the front porch so he could get to work. We were not asking for reimbursement. The mistake was, he left the olive oil in the Stop and Shop bag. No a MB bag. She was fit to be tied that he didn't got to MB even though it was the same oil! Albeit not at her sale price, but we weren't asking for money back. Some days it just didn't pay to chew through the straps.
DeleteThis is triggering my OPSD!!! (Old People Stress Disorderš)
ReplyDeleteš¤£Maybe you should skip the blog on Thursdays
DeleteI hope my brain never gets so inflexible that an idea gets stuck in my head. Hmmm. But is that like wishing I'd never get any older, which we all know won't happen unless I die. And I don't want to do that for a long time. Hope you didn't have too much wind today.
ReplyDeleteIt was very windy today. I thought some trees were going to come down at Teague's house the wind was blowing so strong
DeleteNever a dull moment. So himself went to Purdue. Small world. I wonder if we were there at the same time.
ReplyDelete78-80? (I think)
Delete