Just One Swipe

Yesterday my mother and I went shopping to purchase the week worth of groceries from one of the biggest retail stores. We decided to shop there because we would get to have a pick from a wide variety of items on display .There were two more reasons , one being  you can compare the slashed rates before you can have your pick and the second one being you can take your own time just window –shopping . Another convenient factor being you don’t have to carry your wallet since all you need is a credit card.

My mother made a list of things that she needed to purchase and I tagged along just to settle the bill with one swipe of my credit card. She was a pro at locating the things that she needed to purchase and I dutifully followed her pushing the trolley. Within 20 minutes, we had purchased 10 items from the list of 17. The remaining ones were located at different shelves scattered around the store. While I was observing the new cake mix available in the market, my mother suddenly disappeared and reappeared after 5 minutes holding grocery items and some packaged foods which were not mentioned in the list. When I asked the reason for her purchase, she said that some of the items would be required sooner or later and the remaining ones were needed to try out a few new recipes.

I felt that the kitchen related purchases should be better left to my mother for I feared that my father and I would have to face her ire at dinner. So I avoided asking her any further questions and promptly showed her the new cake-mix product available on the shelf. She hesitated a little but when she finally agreed, it found its way into the trolley.

After a few more requisite purchases we came across the cloth section and I stopped to have a look at the recent collection of kurtis on display. A purple-coloured kurti caught my eye and I asked my mother if I could purchase it but I was totally turned down. But with some coaxing, I got my mother’s approval and I happily placed it into the shopping cart. But there was one more issue and that being that I had no leggings to match the colour of the kurti. So we made another purchase and the set of clothes cost us Rs. 420.

By the time we reached the counter to pay the bill,my mother and I were nearly lost among the sea of people who were standing at each of the 5 counters. After about half an hour, our trolley finally made it to the bill counter. But by that time, 5 other unlisted items made their way into the trolley increasing the item count to 35. That was more than double the item count that we had listed out for the week’s purchase.

Also the bill showed a whopping Rs.2387 to be paid in exchange for the goods. Just one swipe of my credit card and an instant sms alert on my mobile confirmed that a monthly statement would reach my doorstep this month too.  If I had carried the right amount of cash in place of the credit card we would have capped the bill at Rs.  1100. In today’s care-free world we remain laid back and purchase a lot of non-essential goods because we know that our bank balance wouldn’t depreciate immediately. At the end of the month, the monthly statement finally arrives and discloses the whopping amount we owe the credit card company. But till that time is there anything that could rein in our desires ?