This story is by Kat Reeg and was part of our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
It was 1970. Peggy worked diligently behind the cash register at the mom and pop store her husband owned. Her eyes shifted nervously as she rang up the grocery receipt for a customer.
George strolled up the aisle towards the cash register. “Good morning Mrs. Wilson. Do you want me to deliver your groceries today?”
“Yes, please. I purchased more than I can carry.”
Households in the blue collar inner city neighborhood only had one vehicle. The wives stayed home and took care of the house and children. They walked or took a bus for transportation. The husbands used their vehicle to drive to and from work. The mom and pop store delivered groceries for free. George and Peggy had a reputation of being a loving couple who cared about the neighborhood people and each other.
George gathered some candy in a small brown paper bag and handed it to Mrs. Wilson’s daughter. Peggy glared at George as she told Mrs. Wilson the total. Mrs. Wilson’s mouth dropped open.
“Something wrong?” asked George.
“I’m spending too much. I’m way over my grocery budget.” Mrs. Wilson opened her purse and pulled all the bills out of her wallet.
“I don’t have enough cash. Can I write a check?”
“Sure, but if you want to pay later that is okay. I can put it on a tab,” said George.
“A check will be fine. I won’t deposit it until Saturday. I assume your husband gets paid on Friday,” said Peggy.
“Yes, he does. Thank you. I guess my family will have to eat more mac and cheese and hamburger goulash.”
“I will pack your groceries into my station wagon and be at your house in about fifteen minutes.”
Mrs. Wilson wrote out a check, handed it to Peggy, and left. George pushed the cart of groceries to the back of the store. He always parked his vehicle outside the back door. George delivered the groceries and was back to the store within 30 minutes. He found Peggy at the cash register.
“Peggy, do you want to continue to cashier or stock the shelves?”
“I’ll run the cash register.”
George went into the back office and grabbed the label maker. He set it on top of a box filled with cans of peas and carried both to the canned vegetable section. He realized he forgot the new price he wanted to put on the stickers.
George went to the back room to look up the cost on the new price sheet. He opened the file cabinet and noticed a bulging folder. He reached inside the folder and pulled out a journal. When he opened it he saw Peggy’s handwriting. He flipped to the last page, read the entry, and discovered Peggy had been overcharging customers. His face turned red as he walked to the front of the store.
George held out the journal. “Do you want to explain this?”
Peggy’s eyes enlarged. “That’s mine. Give it back!”
George handed her the journal.
“Did you read it?” asked Peggy.
“Only the last page, but that was enough to find out what you have been doing.”
“Why did you go into the file cabinet?”
“To look at the price list. I could not remember the cost we decided on for a can of peas.”
“You could have retrieved the list without reading the journal.”
“That’s not the point. Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”
“Because I knew you would disapprove,” said Peggy.
“You’re right. Overcharging people is wrong.”
“Well, stealing is wrong too. Items are disappearing from the shelves without being paid for. It’s my way to recover money for stolen goods.”
“Stealing from innocent people is not the solution.”
“We don’t know who is stealing from the store. I figured nobody would notice a couple of inflated prices or extra items rung up. The register tape only lists prices, not descriptions.”
“Did you inflate Mrs. Wilson’s bill?”
Peggy looked down at the floor. “Yes.”
“Unbelievable. Stop overcharging! I’m going home because I need some time to think.”
George slammed the door as he left. Peggy stayed until closing time and then went home. She found George sitting on the couch.
“Tomorrow is the annual neighborhood festival,” said Peggy. “We’re registered for events. We have to show up.”
“Fine, we’ll go.” George went to bed.
The next day was Sunday and the store was closed. During the festival, George and Peggy agreed to set aside their differences. They teamed up for a potato sack race and managed to hide their anger. However, as they performed various other challenges it was getting harder to keep the tension beneath the surface.
While they stood a few feet apart by a concession stand, Hank Smith, one of their loyal customers, stormed up to them. He was clenching his fists.
“I just wanted you to know I will no longer be buying my groceries at your store,” said Hank.
“Why not?” asked George.
Hank glared at Peggy. “I checked my cash register tape and discovered that some prices were inflated. I had a conversation with Frank Jones and he mentioned that the number of items rung up did not match the number he had purchased.”
“Mistakes happen,” said Peggy.
“Well, they always happen when you are running the cash register. You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m going to tell people what you are doing.” Hank stomped away.
George and Peggy quarreled on the way home. Peggy begrudgingly agreed to stop inflating prices. However, the damage was done. Word traveled through the neighborhood about Peggy’s deceitful actions. People gossiped that a neighbor reported Peggy to law enforcement. Disgruntled customers boycotted their grocery store. There were days when no customers entered the store. Sales tanked. Within two months the store operated in the red, which had never happened in their ten years in business.
George went into a deep depression. He felt isolated and ostracized by their once supportive community. George faced the stark realization that his trust in Peggy may have cost him everything he held dear. The once-beloved grocery store stood on the brink of ruin. George and Peggy’s relationship was fractured. He stopped speaking to Peggy when they were not at the store. George had to come to terms with the devastating consequences of Peggy’s actions while grappling with the loss of his reputation and livelihood.
He knew he had to make a pivotal decision – whether to forgive Peggy and work towards redemption or walk away from everything they had built together. After a lot of thought, he decided to stay with Peggy if she agreed to make it up to the customers. She agreed to do that. Together they installed large mirrors in the aisles to help deter theft.
Peggy hired a person from the neighborhood to be the cashier. She cashed in a savings bond her father had given her. Every customer received a $50 coupon. Customers returned as word spread about the coupon.
“George, I have another idea to bring in customers.”
“What’s your idea?”
“Let’s hold a weekly drawing for a free bag of groceries. Every time customers purchases $10 or more of groceries, the cashier gives them an entry ticket and places the ticket stub in a jar by the cash register.”
“When will the drawing be?”
“On Friday, at noon each week.”
“That sounds great.
“Glad you like the idea. I will put an ad in the local newspaper so people know about it.”
Hank came into the store the day the ad ran. He walked up to Peggy and George, who were discussing a new store layout. Hank thanked them for the coupon and running the ad. Peggy told him she appreciated his business and had missed not seeing him in the store. Hank walked away to do his grocery shopping.
“Peggy, I just wanted you to know that I’ve noticed how you are going the extra mile to take care of our customers.”
“Thanks for noticing. I have another idea.”
“What?”
“Not everyone purchases the newspaper. I want to have flyers created. At checkout the cashier will place a flyer in a grocery bag.”
George’s eyes lit up, “That’s a great idea. I’m proud of you.”
Within a month of Peggy’s changes, all of the loyal customers came back. Peggy even started handing out free candy to the children who accompanied their parents to the store.
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