Читать книгу The Checkout Girl - Tazeen Ahmad - Страница 23

For the first time in six weeks someone comes through my checkout and, when I tell them the total is £72.97, they actually say, ‘That’s not too bad.’ Her entire shop is from the Sainsbury’s Basics range.

Everyone is starting to ask about their reward points. I redeem as little as £2.50 up to a staggering £130 for one couple who have been collecting their points all year. Now the yuletide spending has begun and the Christmas gift shopping is well under way—they’re all buying beauty gift packs by the dozen: soaps, creams, bath oils. It’s the thought that counts, but if you ask me, it looks like a pretty thoughtless gift. And just as I’m wondering what constitutes a deep and meaningful gift, a woman comes over and piles packets of cake cups, cake mixture, marshmallows, smarties and cake icing on to the belt.

‘Are you having a party?’ I ask.

‘Oh no—this lot are my Christmas gifts. I do food hampers.’

‘That’s a great idea!’ I exclaim.

‘I’m making cakes, biscuits, pasta, chicken soup—I’ll spend two days cooking, and then I’m done.’

The whole thing costs her £85—and there are gifts there for about twenty people. Now that’s a creative credit-crunching Christmas.

Another lady tells me she’s dishing out cash for Christmas. ‘There’s no thought in it and it takes the pleasure out of giving, but at least they can get what they want.’

A teenager and his mother discuss their Christmas plans with me; Mum’s looking forward to a couple of weeks off work with her family. ‘If only, though, I could get the kids away from their computer games.’

‘Tell me about it,’ says the lady behind her. ‘The Xboxes, Nintendos, Wiis—so much for spending time together at Christmas.’ In both sets of shopping trolleys they have, you guessed it, computer games.

More couples arguing today. And no one cares that I’m watching. One man storms off, receipt in hand, furious at the amount his wife has spent. I watch her follow him, red-faced, pushing the huge trolley and dragging her toddlers behind her.

Richard runs from till to till saying he wants to see us all get into the Christmas spirit from tomorrow.

‘I want to see tinsel, lots of tinsel. I want to see reindeer hairbands, Santa Claus, the lot.’