“I’m done arguing.”
He pressed a button.
“Tyler, get the supervisor.”
Then he looked pointedly at Arthur.
“Apparently four coupons need a management hearing.”
The woman behind Arthur said:
“He asked you to check four coupons.”
“You’re the one making sure everybody hears about it.”
Brent ignored her.
Arthur looked down at the groceries.
His face felt hot.
He hated that.
At eighty-two, he had believed embarrassment would become easier.
It did not.
Your body still understood being singled out.
Arthur picked up the oatmeal Brent had removed.
He put it back on the belt.
Brent immediately said:
“There you go.”
“Put something back.”
“That could have saved everybody ten minutes.”
Arthur turned slowly.
“I’m not putting it back.”
Brent looked confused.
Arthur held up the box.
“I can pay for every item here.”
His voice shook slightly now.
Not weakness.
Anger carefully contained.
“I just never thought I’d have to prove that to a cashier.”
Brent spread his hands.
“If you can afford all of it, why are we fighting over coupons in the first place?”
The woman answered before Arthur could.
“Because a coupon isn’t an admission of fraud.”
She pointed toward the store logo printed across the top of Arthur’s coupon.
“It’s a discount your store offered.”
Brent looked toward her.
“I’m not standing here reading fine print for him.”
He tapped the scanner.
“If my register rejects a coupon, it’s dead.”
Arthur said:
“There’s a code printed beneath the barcode.”
Brent’s eyes flashed.
“I’m not overriding the machine because somebody doesn’t like the answer.”
Then a new voice entered the conversation.
“What exactly seems to be the problem here?”
Everyone turned.
A woman in a forest-green store vest was approaching from the customer-service area.
Mid-forties.
Glasses.
Her name badge read:
DANA REYNOLDS
FRONT-END SUPERVISOR.
Brent immediately changed tone.
“He has four store coupons.”
He gestured toward Arthur.
“The scanner rejected them, and he keeps arguing.”
The woman in the navy coat spoke.
“He has four store coupons.”
“Brent says he won’t check them if the scanner rejects them.”
Dana looked from her to Brent.
Then Arthur.
“Sir?”
Arthur took a breath.
“I printed these from your website Sunday.”
“I checked the dates.”
“I bought the items listed.”
“One didn’t scan.”
“I asked him to verify it.”
Dana held out one hand.
“All right.”
“Give me the coupons.”
“I’ll verify them myself.”
Arthur handed them over.
Dana checked the first.
STORE SAVINGS.
$0.50 OFF OAK MILL OATMEAL.
She looked at the oatmeal.
Correct size.
Correct brand.
Correct date.
She tried the scanner.
Rejected.
Dana frowned.
Then used the keypad.
She entered the printed manual coupon code.
The register beeped.
COUPON ACCEPTED.
Dana looked at the screen.
Then at Brent.
“This one isn’t expired.”
“The item matches.”
She pointed toward the register.
“Why didn’t you enter it manually?”
Brent looked defensive.
“The scanner rejected it.”
“I assumed that meant we weren’t taking it.”
Dana’s expression hardened.
“It accepted the manual code immediately.”
She set the coupon aside.
“This coupon was valid.”
Brent shrugged.
“Then the scanner was wrong.”
“Exactly.”
Dana said.
“So you verify before blaming the customer.”
The line became completely still.
Dana checked coupon two.
Twenty-five cents off soup.
Valid.
Manual entry accepted.
Coupon three.
Seventy-five cents off coffee.