Did You Ride the Short Bus to Work Today?

Jason and I are grilling steaks and vegetables for dinner tonight. I needed to get a few things, namely vegetables, so I ran to the Crest in Edmond. (For anyone who might not know, Crest is a grocery store that usually rocks.) I witnessed an incredible display of intelligence. For the following story, keep in mind that I worked in a grocery store throughout high school, so I have certain expectations about common sense in clerking.

In the middle of scanning my order, the clerk called a manager over. They had a conversation which made me want to beat my head against my cart.

Clerk: "Is the name on the WIC thingie supposed to match their name?"

Manager: "Yes. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children."

Clerk: "No, that's not what I mean. I mean, are they supposed to sign the right name?"

Manager: "Yes, they're supposed to sign their name."

Clerk: "No, I mean, does the name on the thingie have to match their name?"

Manager: "I don't understand what you mean."

Clerk: "Does the name they sign have to match the name on the thingie? The girl signed the name Hannah and the name on the thingie was Elizabeth."

Manager: "Oh. Sometimes people sign using their middle name or a different name."

Clerk: "But even the last name didn't match. Do you think I should have asked for ID to make sure it was the right person?"

Manager: "No. They check for fraud when it comes back to the WIC office. They look to see that the name signed matches the name on the thingie exactly."

Clerk: "Well, the names didn't match and the lady acted funny."

Manager: "It's probably okay, and if it's not, I guess the government will fix it."

Okay, seriously??!?! A million years ago when I clerked at good old Ray's IGA in Fredonia, if we didn't know the person, we were supposed to ask for identification when they used their WIC. If their ID didn't match one of the names listed on the certificate, we were not allowed to fill the WIC order and were supposed to notify the health department. Now, that's been a good 12 years ago, but I would assume the rules are still, at least, somewhat the same. Obviously, if you have a name/person/ID that doesn't match anything on the WIC voucher, then you have cause to be suspicious. I'm not saying that the woman buying the WIC was committing fraud, but there's always that possibility. I just would like to know that a little more care is taken with my tax money to ensure that it's not wasted on someone who doesn't need the assistance. Don't get me wrong - I think WIC is one of the better government programs. It's just apparent that these two idiots needed some better training.

Oh - and not only was the checker slow in thinking and scanning my order, but she also was wearing a button on her shirt that said "If you don't like my attitude, then quit talking to me." CLASSY.