To be completely embarrassed

[Toothsil]

I have no idea what happened in Tesco this morning and I am SO embarrassed. I used the self scanner and did a full weekly shop. There was one item that said it couldn't scan so I gave that to the assistant and she put it through. All was fine. I went to the car and started putting the shopping in when I heard someone say "excuse me, you didn't pay for your shopping" 🙈 It was the assistant who had clearly run out after me. She said it was all still up on the screen. The worrying bit is I have no idea what on earth happened. I remember selecting the card payment option and thinking I'll have to put my card in because it's over £45 but after that - nothing. I didn't notice that I didn't have a receipt or that it obviously didn't say transaction approved on the card machine. I have absolutely no memory between thinking I would have to put my card in, and pushing the trolley out of the self service area. I remember that because I said thank you to the assistant as I left. I remember exactly who I was walking behind going out and everything else after that.

I don't know whether it's something wrong with me, or whether my mind was just a elsewhere but I was so embarrassed having her run out to the car after me and having to go back in with the trolley. And after struggling to fit all the heavy bags into the car I had to take them all back out and take them back into Tesco. Aaargh.

Those machines sometimes don't work anyway.

I had a phone call from the cattery telling me I hadn't paid when I collected my cats. I was sure I'd given her a cheque (This was back in the day!) but she was adamant I hadn't paid. Went back there and wrote her a cheque and noticed the previous stub was marked as cattery, handed the cheque over, she lifted a paperweight to put it under until she could bank it and there was my original cheque.

She could not apologise enough for making me do a 10 mile each way journey for her mistake.

Aw don't worry, OP, it was an honest mistake!

I forgot to pay at my hairdressers THREE times in a row. In my defence whenever I went to pay, the receptionist would start chatting to me, then she would book my next appointment and hand me an appointment card. My absent mind tells me she's returning my credit card and then I say "thanks, bye then" and walk out! THREE TIMES they have had to call me and ask me to pay!! Once is forgivable, twice a bit vacant, three times, looks massively sketchy

My mind is always thinking about 100 different things, I need to learn to be in the present more

I really wouldn't dwell on this, it will have been obvious from your general demeanour that it was an honest mistake. I make hapless mistakes like this all the time. Card machines often play up too, so I'm sure she's used to doing things like this.

A few years ago used self service and when I got home I realised I forgot to take my shopping with me but I had the receipt !!

Yesterday I was waiting for my food to be delivered thinking it was meant to be between 12 and 2 at 2:50 I went to my email to get the order number and I had actually ordered click and collect from a shop in another county !! One embarrassing phone call and a 3-5 day wait for the money to go back !!

I have left a shop without paying for fuel numerous times (all in the last year) .
I fill up the car, go into the shop, pick up a coffee or whatever I need, go to the shop to pay and forget about the fuel, get in the car and drive away.
Even now when the cashier asks 'do you have any fuel?', I have to look out the shop window and see where the car is parked to check .

I went to a petrol station on a long drive home. I had first gone to buy a coffee, and the machine was playing up, the guy had to come and sort it. I then bantered with him about the free twix that came with the coffee, paid for the coffee and left.

I was in my husbands car and about ten minutes after I got home, he got a call from the police asking if I had left a petrol station without paying. I denied it, confused, but then my face was apparently a picture as I realised what happened. With all the coffee faffing, I had completely forgotten that I hadn’t paid for fuel. In my defence, if the guy had said “any fuel” like they have every other time I’ve been in a petrol station, I’d have said yes. He saw me walk to and from the car so he must have been distracted too.

Thankfully they were great about it and waited a couple of weeks until someone I knew was passing the petrol station and went in and paid for it as it was 200 miles away.

These things happen. Don’t give it another thought.

I went to the McDonald’s drive thru last week. Ordered. Paid at the window. Then drove off without stopping to collect my grub. Got home and it wasn’t until DP asked where his quarter pounder was that I realised

Brilliant!!

Something similar happened to me in Tesco the other week. Selected to pay with my card, transaction went through and I got my receipt. Then I noticed the screen was still saying it needed to be paid. I called one of the staff over and showed them my receipt and they let me go. So perhaps it wasn't your fault after all OP. Check you haven't been charged twice.

I remember walking around Boots, with a basket of stuff I was buying, but chatting on the phone. I got completely into the conversation, so forgot that I was holding basket of stuff. I walked out the store, still having a very animated convo. Got about 20feet out, stopped, looked down at basket and said, "oh my god!" really loudly. Turned around to run back into store. I was so embarrassed and full of apologies...the cashiers thought it was really funny (luckily!)

if its a one off thing where you have forgotten something then it's more likely stress.. your mind wants to get away from that moment in time and be anywhere else than stuck in a supermarket paying your shopping at a self scanner during a world pandemic and you know what, that's OK! Don't be embarrassed by it.. You aren't a shoplifter who makes a living from this, you're just a mum trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Please don't be hard on yourself.

It happens, and the staff won't think much of it.

Apparently my contactless hadn't worked one day and I hadn't noticed. Since it was on the scan and shop it would let me use it again until I paid. I was so embarrassed, but they said it happens all time by accident and not to worry.

I've paid for stuff at the self checkout and not taken the shopping! Albeit it was only a basketful but about £20 worth. I think I felt so embarrassed I didn't tell anyone

Oh no, I feel for you OP! I walked out of a shop once without paying, it was a 99p can of air freshener and I was chatting to my boyfriend and just completely forgot I had it in my hand! I could have died of embarrassment though, more so as it was so cheap! I don't think there's anything wrong with you, your brain had just moved on to the next job on your list without your permission!

I " lost" my car in a very small work car park yesterday. I missed my (every day traveled) way to my daughter's school today. Most of us are absent minded nowadays.

We all lose time now & again. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve returned home & not remembered the drive at all.

I did once put loads of shopping in my basket in boots, loads if sun stuff, sunglasses & make up as we were going abroad on holiday (remember those?). I must have had about £150. I then remembered that I wanted look in another shop in the shopping centre...so I just walked out of the shop with the basket on my arm. It was only when I went to pick something up in the other shop that I realised! I was mortified, no one noticed & I went back in & paid. It gave me cold sweats for weeks afterwards.

Do you suffer with migraines? I have terrible ones and would have things like that happen all the time. Just about 5 minutes would disappear from my day. Turned out to be linked to my migraines and the blood vessels in my brain.

I had an eye test a couple of years ago and just walked out, I was almost home when I realised so I turned back and “handed myself in”, they just laughed, they hadn’t noticed either

Don’t be embarrassed! It happens so easily. I was trying to pay contactless and couldn’t work out why it wouldn’t work. The assistant was really confused too. It took us both a couple of minutes to realise the total was over the limit.. We just laughed at both having a ‘moment’!

I walked out with a Now TV device in my trolley that I'd completely forgotten about till I put the trolley back and saw it sitting there 🙈 Took it back and apologised. I think they probably know the difference between those who mean to steal and those who don't. I'm on autopilot most of the time so I wouldn't worry about it 😊

@Toothsil

In America we call that a brain fart. It happens to everyone regardless of age - be kind to yourself.

Done similar last week. Filled my car up with petrol, went into garage shop to pay , met an old friend, was chatting for a bit, paid for some items and walked out. Only when I checked my bank later that day did I notice a small transaction.
Jumped in and drove to garage, luckily the guy on till recognised me on cctv and they held off reporting.
Easily done hun

@consfusedandlookingforwine actually I do suffer from migraines, and as the day went on yesterday, I started to get my classic warning signs, which are dropping things, ridiculously short fuse and just feeling generally not right - then at 1.30 I woke up with an absolutely pounding migraine. I didn't even think to connect it, but that would make sense!

@Toothsil. I've done this quite a few times, also always in Tesco's. And invariably with the same assistant on duty.

I've never made it the car park though.

Basically, I've thought the card reader read the card but actually it came up with a message saying something like "card presented too early". Sometimes I've had my headphone on or been a bit distracted.

How old are you? If u are of a "menopausal age" then let me assure you this is a normal act as brain fog is real