Gai-Jin Godzilla Shoplifter

It was a Thursday night. Well, really, it was 7 o'clock but it felt really late since it's dark by 5:15. I have been in love with a certain orange little guy lately and I was determined to find more of his kind.

Oh, persimmons!  I love you!  So delicious! 

I decided to walk to the grocery store. The first one was closed but no biggie, I figured that one out on my own.  So, off to LIVIN I went. I entered and grabbed a yellow basket that was by the door. I headed to the produce sections and picked up six of my lil' loves.   Then, I was moseying around, picking out figs, grapes and...

" Oh my god, what are you doing?! Don't do that!  Please stop!  You don't even understand what I'm saying do you!  Augh, you are bringing disorder and chaos to our peaceful land. Please, wait here, don't move, please!"


This, is at least, an approximate translation of what was all of a sudden being yelled at me. Not yelling by volume, but definitely by tone. A little stocker/store worker had torn me from my fruitful reverie and all of a sudden it was clear that I was doing something very, very disturbing. 

So, I did what she said and just stood there as she ran off. At this point, I really had no idea what I had done, I just knew that I had done something wrong. 

She quickly returned with another basket, this one gray colored. We transferred my things, bowed and said a lot of Sumimasens.  We then parted ways.  

I still had no idea what exactly was wrong. I thought maybe it was another store's basket since all of a sudden, I realized everyone had the gray baskets.  

At the checkout, I paid for my purchases and at that moment, realized what I had done.  In Japan, the cashier rings you up and then you take your things to a little counter space just past the register to bag your things. Sometimes the cashier gives you bags, other times they're at the counter space (this is mainly a grocery store thing).   Anyways, as the clerk rang up my purchases, he transferred the items from the gray basket to a bright yellow basket!!!  I had been using a yellow, "already paid for" basket!!  Basically, I was the most ridiculous shoplifter ever. Don't mind me, I've already paid for these persimmons!  Just blending in with the crowd, yessiree!

Seriously, though, I almost gave that woman a heart attack.