I don’t use petrol vouchers. The Bolshie conspiracy theorist in me knows that the 4c discount I’m getting by buying petrol from Woolworths or Coles is surely recouped many times over somewhere in the money they took from me in order for me to get the voucher in the first place.  The realist in me knows it’s a moot point, since small-town rules dictate that at some point every fortnight I’m going to have to shop at these stores anyway, or else forgo some of the nicer things in life (well, that’s an overstatement, but I can never find the peanut butter I like at the IGA).

I made an exception last night, since I had to both buy a DVD and get petrol, and I’d left the refuelling situation to the point where it was possible that if I drove across town to the independent petrol station, I’d be cruising to the pump on fumes.   Of course, Murphy’s law dictates that the moment I hand over the receipt to get my whopping $2 discount, the forces conspired against me and damaged disc one of my DVD set.

The same laws of nature of course also dictate that when I absolutely have to go into a shopping centre, daycare is cancelled.  And on finding out daycare is cancelled, my two year old flatly refused to put on shoes or brush her hair in protest.

So, running late for school drop-off, frazzled, un-caffeinated, and dragging a screaming, barefoot child who looks like she slept wearing a crown of thorns, I battle my way into the shopping centre to exchange without a receipt.   I kid you not, as we passed a gift store I heard a little girl say, ‘mummy, that child has no shoes!’ and I turned just in time to see the mother clutch her own child closer to her, looking warily at the two of us.  I knew it was going to be an excellent morning then and there.

Now, I know that I don’t have a receipt, and technically they don’t have to allow an exchange, but really, was a lecture necessary? Or the glare and the rolling of eyes?  Or neglecting to unlock the meffing DVD after I went down to the entertainment department to find the replacement, so that when I went into Woolworths a few minutes later I set off the alarms causing everyone within a 30 metre radius to stop what they were doing and stare openly at me?

And by the end, it cost me a $3.00 tub of yoghurt, a hot chocolate and smartie cookie from the cafe ($6) and a promise of lunch at McDonalds just to get out of the shopping centre without my toddler drawing any more attention to us.   So I’m down $9 and had a really rubbish start to the day, purely because of discount fuel. I told you they were evil.