March 2020 SOLC–Day 17
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Looking at a potentially long stretch at home with less than the usual work load, we decided to head to Home Depot for painting supplies. We gathered our paints, brushes, tarps, etc. and headed to the self check-out.

I held up each item helpfully while Kurt scanned it.
Beep!
Beep!
BeepBeep!

“Oops! I double scanned that one,” Kurt said.

We motioned a sales person over and explained the situation.

“Oh, no problem,” he said, grabbing our package of paint roller covers and heading back into the store, “I’ll just go grab you another one then.”

“Wait…what?  No…” we stuttered.

He turned around, laughing. “Pretty good, huh?”

We laughed, too and then he proceeded to help us sort out the issue.

“I tell you what I’m gonna to do,” he said. “I’m gonna get rid of this one,”–he pointed to the doubled charge on the screen–“cause you only are buying one. Ok?” He looked at me pointedly, waiting for me to respond.

“Ok,” I said dutifully.

Beep!

“Then,” he continued, “I tell you what else I’m gonna do. I’m gonna also get rid of this one,” –he held up the package– “and give it to you for free, cause I want you to fill out the survey on the end of your receipt and say I did a great job. Ok?”

“Uh. Ok.”

Beep!

He pushed his name tag forward.

“Kirc”

“Like Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise,” he explained dramatically.

He leaned slightly toward us.

“I’ve been grounded,” he confided. “They found out I was racist.”

We looked at him, at a total loss, slightly concerned at what he might say next.

“Yes,” he continued, “I just hate Klingons. So they grounded me, and now I can no longer boldly go forth.”

He finished up our transaction, handed us the receipt, and pointed to the survey at the end of it.

“Don’t forget,” he said.

All in all, it was a successful trip to Home Depot and a nice bit of levity in these crazy times. I guess, as Kurt always says, “Ya gotta find some way to make your job fun!”

Clearly, this man was already a master at that or maybe just a real space oddity.