Fidélité

Got my carte fidelété!

So they ask every time at the grocery if I have one. The first few times I didn’t know what they were talking about. Then I would just say, “Non.” (That’s a whole new logistical obstacle to navigate, and I figure I’ll wait ‘til I’m ready…)

Then this morning the clerk asked me something else, right after. I thought maybe it was, "Would you like one?" so I said, "Oui!" but nothing happened. Hmmm.

Obviously I answered a different question. Like maybe she said, "You know you can save money with a fidelity card?" "Oui!"

Reminds me of the time the movers were packing us up to go to England. They were great, hard working guys, but they didn't speak much English and were probably recent immigrants. (When labeling the boxes TUCKER, for example, it was pretty clear they were just copying shapes of lines and weren't familiar with writing letters. We had boxes labeled TUKER TCKER TUCKR etc.)

It was a long, hot, miserable day and I really wanted to help them in any way I could. So at one point I walked into the kitchen and asked the guy there if there was anything I could do to help. He smiled enthusiastically and said, "Yes!" And then promptly went back to packing. He probably thought I asked if everything was okay. I think I finally got them all pizzas and soda.

So the next time I went to the store, I had a plan. When asked if I had my fidelilty card I said, "Non,” as usual, but then added, “pas encore," "not yet."

And it was like magic. A drawer opened, "Would you like one? Here is the form. It is simple to fill out. You get one point for every 5 euros, etc. etc." (That part all in French, BTW.)

I did it!

I'm no longer just passing through.