It's not even noon, and already I've had the classic "you can't have it because it doesn't exist" and "no, I didn't send you the wrong thing, you requested the wrong thing and I am not psychic" conversations.

Joy.

That's a good question, Theo. I had assumed that maybe NC had some fraud/consumer protection statute that requires them to ask, but maybe it's me. I'll have to pay more attention. It's weird though - it never happened to me before I moved here, but it happens almost every time here.

I would like to not do anything today. Can I have that? I did lots of things yesterday, and yet, they want me to do more things today!

O the injustice.

I don't mind being asked for ID, since it's something I feel they should do--even if they're applying it racistly (and I have no information to support this in my case), I highly prefer it to something useless being wielded in the same cause.

I don't mind either. I just mind being asked when the PONC in front of me was not asked.

The other instance I will ask for ID is a woman using a card with a "man's" name or vice versa. Which means I would probably have ID'd Jesse or bon bon. But I once got completely screwed because I took a card in the husband's name from the wife (I knew them) and then the husband reported that the wife was using the card in an unauthorized manner and they got their money back. I also had lots of people using their parents cards. At Penney's we would often call the parents if it was a Penney's charge card, because we could look up their number. One always knew whan the kid had just taken the card, because they would put up an awful fuss.

I did lots of things yesterday, and yet, they want me to do more things today!

I know! It's just not right! I've totally met my quota for Doing Things this week. Blood from a stone, people. Blood from a stone!

I've known people who wrote "Check ID" on the signature line of the credit card so that the clerks will always request ID.

I saw some reports around the holidays that some stores were cracking down on accepting unsigned cards, including the ones that said Check ID. As mine say See ID, I'm irked, and suppose I should sign them as well.

Shit, they couldn't have picked a different color?

Lime? Hot pink? Safety orange? (All of which I have, oddly, in eyeshadow.)

I also had lots of people using their parents cards.

My mother used to give me her card to use, and I hated that, because even though the company knew I was an authorized user (actually, I think I had my own card, which had her name but my signature on it), the person at the register didn't. How is that supposed to work, exactly?

I've been asked for ID on occasion. Also, is it just me, or is that signature strip getting more and more hostile to actual signing? It got all slippery, and then they printed things all over it, and then they put indentations in it -- I just got a new credit card that I literally cannot sign. It's too slippery.

Indigo is the shade of the aura! They couldn't very well go calling it Hot Pink if indeed it is indigo. These things just aren't arbitrary, people -- get real!

t /false indignation

What I don't like is signing on the panel of those electronic card readers. My signature with a light pen != my signature with a real pen.