Last evening we stopped at Sam's Club because I was nearly out of Diet Cokes. We picked up a few other things as well; for example, at Sam's 32 bottles of Crystal Springs water is eighty cents more than a six-pack of generic water at the grocery store. We got to the point where the cashier had totalled our purchases and I needed to sign on the little screen. The pen/pointer thing wasn't in its slot but hanging down by its cord in between the counter and the register, so I was going to pull the cord to pick up the pen.

When I pulled the cord, though, the entire sign-out screen (where you choose English or Spanish, no cash back, and sign for the purchase) and its little black frame toppled off its stand! I let out an unfortunately loud "Oh shit!"and made a grab for the thing. I caught it before it hit the ground and tried to put it back on its stand - I suppose it clips or there are plastic tabs that it has slots to fit, I don't know. Every time I thought I had it reinstalled, it would fall. The cashier was fumbling with it too, but she didn't seem to know how it fit onto the stand any more than I did. Alan was watching these proceedings and after the fourth unsuccessful reattaching attempt, he asked calmly, "Honey, did you break Sam's Club?"

I finally got the screen balanced on top of the stand and told the cashier to charge the purchase to my Sam's card. I don't normally do that but there was no way I was swiping my debit card, punching in my PIN, etc. on that screen. I'd topple it again. To sign, I held it still with my left hand and very gingerly made an 'H' and a squiggle. Then we hightailed it out of there before the thing fell again. In the parking lot, Alan muttered, "I can't believe you broke Sam's Club!"

We need to go grocery shopping, but I may put it off until tomorrow. I'm not sure I'm ready to face another sign-out screen of death just yet.