Occupy Grocery Stores

Margie: Edna, you know those Occupy Wall Street people? I thought they were probably just a bunch of hippies looking for a handout but I was wrong. I think we should start our own Occupy movement and call it Occupy Grocery Store. How do you like that? I'm sick of these greedy corporations raising prices and cutting the size of everything. They draw the big bucks while our checks never go up. I say we gather all senior citizens and put them on the front lines. How will it look for the police to haul old ladies like us to jail?

Edna:  Oh honey, I do think you might be on to something.  And I certainly have plenty to say to those greedy food companies.  They think we won't notice when they put our favorite food in smaller packages and then charge us more.  They must honestly think that we're a bunch of morons who don't notice anything farther than the end of our collective noses.  I think it's time for the American buying public to rise up and say "Heck no!" to re-packaging and higher prices, and show those corporations a thing or two. 

Should we pack a lunch?  We might be protesting for a while and I don't want to faint from hunger.

Margie: Preach on, sister. Down with greed! Up with cheap Oreos!

Sister, let's take that old cooler of Daddy's. I'll fry some chicken and you pack the white bread and sardines. Should we take something sweet? Besides me?

Edna:  Grab the cheap Oreos and let's get this thing started.  You go cook, I'm activating the church phone tree and find us some warm bodies to go with us.

Margie: Edna, be sure to call Mr. Green. He lost his wife recently so he'll be anxious to join us. Actually, why don't you ask the men's Sunday school class to go? Tell them to bring some cards.

Edna:  Oh no you don't, you hussy.  This is a protest, not an  old-fogey mixer!  If those men come along then all you floozies will lose your focus, and I won't have that.  We'd best make this a ladies-only gathering.

You'd best get to cooking, woman, so we can start protesting.  Now hop to it!

Margie: Edna, who died and told you that you were in charge of all this? Maybe I'll handle the protest and you can go Occupy Jericho jail!

The Good Deed

Edna: Margie, your prune juice story got me to thinking about something nice I saw happen at the grocery store recently. And it wasn't some old hag flirting with a young man, that's for sure!

Margie: Do tell, Edna. Old hags shouldn't flirt with anybody if you ask me.

Edna: Oh, good Lord folks, there goes her selective memory again. Anyway Margie, you remember how you and I have lamented over the state of people's manners these days?

Margie: I surely do remember. Just the other day a lady almost knocked me down trying to get in line ahead of me.

Edna: Good grief, how many times do I have to apologize for that, you harpy?

Now, let me tell you, I saw a young man do a good deed and it just plumb warmed my heart. I had Cousin T take me up to the Save-a-Lot grocery the other day. For our readers who don't know, you have to bag your own groceries there, which I surely don't mind doing since it's so economical at that store. I don't have any problems bending down into the cart to get my groceries out to bag them. But this older lady was there practically bent in half with arthritis, just struggling with getting her canned goods out of the cart, bless her heart. So what do you think happened but this nice young man saw her trouble and helped her bag up all her food and then offered to take her bags out to her car, all without being asked. He even stopped his own bagging to help her out. My lands, I guess there's hope for young folks today after all!

Margie: There's always hope, Edna. Well, not in your case.