What I should have worn this morning. If I wasn't an eejit.
Have you ever had one of those mornings? Today was one of those for me. It’s raining and slushy in New York City, and I left my apartment in inappropriate footwear. By the time I dropped my daughter at daycare (after pushing her stroller through the slush one-handed while attempting to hold an umbrella over my head), my feet were soaked. So when I got to the gym, I decided to buy a dry pair of socks. (Don’t judge.)
Only to realize that I ALSO didn’t have my wallet. Fantastic.
I was sad. Until the woman at the counter said, “Do you know your credit card number?”
And you know what? I do. I DO.
So I gave it to her. And I worked out in a dry pair of socks. And then I went to the grocery store. Where I’ve made friends with the checkout ladies, because I’m there pretty much every single day. (It’s on my way home, kids. Who doesn’t always need something on the way home? Bread? OJ?)
And THEY let me use my credit card number to pay for my groceries. Mostly because they know me there. But still.
So I made two in-person purchases this morning without a lick of currency on me. No cash, no credit cards, not even an ID card.
And even though I’m pretty sure neither vendor was supposed to let me do that, it definitely beat working out in squishy socks or slogging home to get my wallet, only to slog back to the grocery store, only to slog home again.
These are marvelous times we live in.
(Rain boots by Today is a good day on Flickr.)
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great story!! Just what I needed this morning, thank you!
By: Jared on January 18, 2011
at 2:07 pm
Glad you enjoyed it! It was just what I needed this morning to keep my sanity.
By: Kate Ashford on January 18, 2011
at 2:09 pm
the only problem Kate is that retailers and consumers alike are looking for the easiest ways to buy and sell things. In two generations we have all but forgotten that cash “was” king. I had a customer the other day able to pay cash for a vehicle purchase and I talked her out of due to the fact that I make more money when people finance. It’s a shame that you and I have both had a purchase made easy without cash, cards or an id. Marvelous times I agree, but scary at the same time.
By: uncle martin on January 18, 2011
at 2:21 pm
Oh, Marty, I know. Trust me, I know. But this morning, with wet feet and a cold slushy walk ahead of me and no milk in my fridge, I was pretty happy about it, nonetheless.
By: Kate Ashford on January 18, 2011
at 2:28 pm
honestly, I would have bought new shoes too, as I look under my desk I count 4 extra pair from times my feet were wet and cold due to snow removal on the lot.
and a paper to read later, I would have bought that too. After all, it’s not like it’s real money when your paying with your memory right?
By: uncle martin on January 18, 2011
at 2:46 pm
stunned. just stunned. can’t believe you did that. can’t believe the stores let you do that. mainly, i just can’t believe you have your credit card number memorized (how did that happen? a lot of online shopping?)
nice job, keep the articles coming…. good luck
By: Elaine on January 24, 2011
at 10:12 pm
Right? I do an awful lot of online shopping, actually, because it’s often easier to get things delivered than to brave the subway and crowds of NYC stores. And in many cases, NYC stores don’t carry things in bulk (like diapers) that I can buy online. I can’t believe the stores let me do it, either.
By: Kate Ashford on January 24, 2011
at 10:17 pm
Many years ago as I was driving across country, a “friend” decided that I needed to be taught a lesson. So I got up one morning, checked out of my hotel, and found that ALL my credit cards had been reported stolen and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere a thousand miles from home. I called my bank, and explained what was going on and they said the earliest they could get me a replacement card was the next day. That was so not going to work, especially since I wasn’t home to get it. So I got creative. Got the Police involved to document and authenticate what had happened, and got my bank to give me a new card over the phone. With a number, expiration date, police report and my pretty face alone I finished the drive across country. Not really something I’d recommend as a steady diet.
There is however something to be said for memorizing at least one card number, especially given the incredible power of being a regular. Should I wind up in the same kind of situation I know that my local haunts would be okay with that. So I think my point is I’m going to do that. In the purest technical sense, yeah, it’s illegal. Then again it’s illegal to use a credit card without presenting ID either. So I don’t soon see any of us getting arrested for that.
So this is my long winded way of saying thanks for a great idea and some wonderful articles. I just found your blog, but I’ll be back. Thanks Kate!
By: SamanthaQ on March 16, 2011
at 12:32 am
Wow. That’s… some friend! And what a crazy situation! Thanks for the comment!
By: Kate Ashford on March 16, 2011
at 9:55 am