A ROUTINE VISIT TO A 21ST CENTURY SUPERSTORE by chickadee

“Excuse me; my watch seems to have stopped. Could you please tell me what time it is?” the woman asked as she handed her keys to the associate at the automotive desk. Then she deposited her paycheck at the instore bank, left her dress at the dry cleaners, turned in a roll of film at the photo lab, returned a video in the appropriate slot, and dropped her prescriptions off at the pharmacy. Next she slid into a chair, read a few charts, made a few choices, and new glasses were ordered. After having her teeth cleaned and her hair trimmed, she felt ready to have her picture taken. “But not in these ratty clothes,” she concluded. So she was off to buy a new outfit, shoes included, of course. When the photographer told her to say “cheese,” she remembered that she didn’t have any at home. “But I really shouldn’t get groceries on an empty stomach,” she thought as she sat down in the restaurant. While enjoying her combo, she was joined by an old friend, who unfortunately had bad news. Luckily, however, the florist was just next door. “Life is so short,” she reflected. “You just never know how much time you have,” she reasoned as she stepped up to the travel agent’s desk. Then, feeling a bit weary, she flipped through her two sets of prints, signed for her medicine, and draped her dry cleaning over the groceries. On the way out, she stopped at the ATM. “That’s impossible!” she told the machine as she checked the printed balance. “Oh, well, I’ll straighten it out tomorrow.” Maneuvering the cart into the parking lot, she searched helplessly. As she fished unsuccessfully for her keys, the sad truth dawned on her. With a deep sigh, she turned the heavy cart, almost hitting a fellow shopper. “Excuse me; my watch seems to have stopped. Could you please tell me what day it is?”