I was sitting at the kitchen table this morning, reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and minding my own business. Suddenly my wife exclaimed, “Shit. You need to run to the grocery store. I need some fresh organic cranberries, a shallot, four pounds of Brussel sprouts, some fresh thyme, an organic orange, and unsalted butter.” Seems she had decided, at the last minute, to bring a side dish with us to the Thanksgiving dinner at my son’s home.
I wasn’t dressed, so I quickly slipped into a pair of jeans, put on my sneakers, grabbed my car keys, and drove to Safeway. I dutifully filled my cart with all the items on the list my wife gave me. I wheeled my cart to the checkout aisle and loaded my groceries onto the short conveyor belt as the cashier scanned each item.
When I reached for my wallet in my jean’s pocket, the cold, hard realization hit me that I had forgotten to bring it with me. I looked plaintively at the cashier. “I seem to have left my wallet at home,” I said.
She looked at me, saw my iPhone in my cart, and said “Give me your iPhone.” I shrugged and handed it to her. She looked at it for a second, handed it back to me and instructed me to tap on the icon on my screen that read Wallet.
I did as she instructed and this popped up on the screen:
Then she said, “Hold your phone up to the scanning device.” I did and in an instant, the word “Approved” showed up on the scanner’s screen.
“Cool!” I said.
“Here’s your receipt,” she said, handed me the paper that popped out of the register. “You’re good to go. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.” I said.
When I got home, I said to my wife, “Guess what I learned how to do at the grocery store.”
This, That, and the Other 
Wondrous! The young people are so patient with us when it comes to the new technology.
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Oy in some ways all the newfangled technological advances can be so very helpful~
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4lbs? Bet no-one can wait until tomorrow!
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I went on a quick shopping trip to Whole Foods, yesterday. I forget to think about the discount for Amazon/prime members, but was asked about it by the cashier. I use (when reminded) someone else’s phone number for that… bingo (it is his credit card after all). I haven’t decided, yet, to use Apple Pay for anything; haven’t set it up. It is nice you had the convenience in the moment.
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I have never done that, but I have seen others pay that way.
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🙂 Welcome to the twenty-first century, Fandango.
Now, that you have learned that you can pay for items using your iPhone, you will have to make sure that the battery has a reasonable amount of charge before you leave the house.
Imagine yourself going up to the cashier and saying to her, “I have no physical cash on me, and my iPhone’s battery just died.”
She might smile at you politely and say, “That is not a problem, Sir. I have an iPhone charger,” take your iPhone from you and plug it into the charger, press the power button, turn it on, hand it back to you with the charger still plugged in and say, “Go right ahead and use Apple Pay.”
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She would be a very impressive cashier.
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I have never paid for anything with a phone as yet although I have served customers at the Op Shop where I used to volunteer who did. The one I found the strangest was the customer who wanted to pay with a smart watch.
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Good heavens TW….I had someone other day wanting to pay with cash. Can you believe that? Could’ve knocked me down with a feather. Couldn’t give required change. Know what they said? Keep the change. How nice. Still some people with heart in the world……
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At a hotel I used to work in I remember the reception staff being a bit taken aback by a guest who wanted to pay cash. They thought it was a bit dodgy. This was in the early 2000s too.
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While I was being tongue-in-cheek (I use cash most times) some today get taken aback. Some even won’t take cash but that could be due to covid contamination risk……
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Yes, Covid has made some people wary of cash. It really is filthy loot.
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Yep. My cash isn’t filfy lucre haha….
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I have a $20, a $10, a $5, and a singles in my wallet “just in case.” Can’t remember the last time I used them. I think they’re getting moldy.
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I like fifties and ones best. But twenties are most useful.
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Ha ha I get my cash from od jobs I do for clients. I keep plastic ‘just in case’…… never goes mouldy. Do you remember ‘Mouldy old dough? 50 years ago I believe. I miss those times Fan. Was that I saw you dancing?
His mother played the piano. I understand the piano is now in a museum of memorabilia. . So it should. Outfits remind me of Leon Russell RIP
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I have to admit to no recollection of that song.
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It’s British….probably why. You would remember the wave of British pop stars which ‘invaded’ America in the 70’s (?)…..
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I do. We called it the “British Invasion.”
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That’s right ‘British Invasion’. Beatles lead the troops…..
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I think it started in the 60s with the Beatles.
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I do like Stephen Wright.
“They stole everything and replaced it with an exact duplicate. Hey friend look what they did? Friend replies ‘Who are you?’ ”
haha
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I would prefer not to carry ones, but valets show up in unexpected places lately. I might hand a guy more than a dollar, where a five could be fitting, but I don’t really want to go with a five on the way in and another five going out… when I didn’t plan on a valet being present at all. No less than two fives might only be right if I lived in a place where the cost of living is nuts (like California or NYC or even Chicago). When I go places where I know there’s going to be a valet, I’m not the one paying the valet (and then it’s more than two fives since we want a close spot and since I have a couple sons who work for the valet company in their spare time for now).
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Cash is very dodgy. 😂
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Yes, it apparently does work with my Apple Watch, too. Who knew?
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All great Fan but you’ve really let me down here mate.
You got all these fancy techo gadgets right?
But you didn’t know this?
Why?
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I guess I just never paid attention. But now that I know, I’m going to invest my entire retirement next egg in cryptocurrency, whatever that is. It’s a sure thing, right?
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Crypto’s a quagmire Fan. Stay clear.
Another: those penny bombs as kids. Bang
You ever seen a hydrogen balloon explode on 3ft ball of flame? Kaboooom. Crypto can explode. II n my chem class I used to give thrills to all . Kids all enjoyed those lessons. Even attracted the principal et al…….
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I’ve done that in Seattle. Here I don’t think it works. But a handy way to pay.
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WOW!!! What will they think of next? I had no idea you could do that! I wonder if it works with Android phones, too?
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Oh, I’m sure there’s Google Pay.
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Oh. I haven’t heard of that, but at any rate, I wouldn’t trust Google with my bank account!
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I’ve never used Apple Pay, but it seems real common nowadays
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They make it way too easy to spend money anymore!
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