Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The three year old at the cash register

He is on top of a bar stool, balancing, and with grandpa standing behind him to catch him if needed.

His arms are just long enough to reach the packet of Fisherman's Friend on the counter, extra strong sugar free if you must know.

Scan, says grandpa.

With a not very co-ordinated move, the child swings the cough drops toward the small scanner mounted vertically right beside the display of the cash register.

He is too high and has too much momentum. Grandpa stabilises him before he can slip off the stool. As the boy's right hand comes down and swings back towards the counter again, the Fishermen's friend pass in front of the barcode scanner and the machine indicates its success with a beep.

The boy indicates his own success with a sound unmistakably modeled after the scanner's beep and smiles. He continues to hold on to the Fisherman's Friend pack, waving it back and forth above his head.

Grandpa presses the done button, releasing the cover of the register. With the other hand, grandpa takes the pack and puts it onto the counter while the boy reaches for the bank note offered as payment.

Over his happy gurgling, grandpa counts the change aloud.

So, once you have him trained, you can take the overdue vacation?

With a thank you to the child, the customer leaves the gas station.

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