You Can’t Put The Genie Back In This Bottle

I’m a self-checkout attendant in a grocery store. A customer needs an ID check for a $20 bottle of gin, and we make small talk as I do the check.

Customer: “I know I shouldn’t be spending this much; my wife is going to be mad…”

Me: “If cost is an issue, there’s a mini-bar display right behind you. Every bottle is only one dollar, so it’s a lot easier to fit into a budget.”

He turns around and just about lights up upon seeing the display: a rolling cart with about twelve different bins for different kinds of tiny bottles of alcohol, plus tiny cardboard carriers in case a customer wants to make their own $6 six-pack.

Customer: “That’s amazing! How long has that been there?”

Me: “A few months now. They put it up in an attempt to entice the college crowd but, well, half of them can’t drink.”

He didn’t buy any mini-bottles, but he swore that he would next time. I’m not sure if I saved his finances or enabled an alcoholic.