January 11 - in which we meet Muriel and Lorren goes shopping

So I'm in Asda, at the checkout, waiting to get my food shopping scanned, packed and paid for. Never one of my favourite activities. And on this particular occasion, it appears to be taking a great deal longer than usual. The till is manned by a large, middle-aged lady by the name of Muriel, who it seems has not worked at that post recently, nor has any desire to in the near future. She's being helped, and teased, by a younger colleague who is giggling at her frequent errors and unfamiliarity with the mechanics of the till system. "Yayyy, Muriel!" she laughs, as Muriel finally manages to price a bunch of carrots, "You're doing fine! You're killin' at the tilling now!" Muriel giggles, then remembers she's supposed to be cross, and gives her a look. "Hmph! I'm not doing this again tomorrow," she mutters as she tries to scan a recalcitrent barcode. Finally, she finishes dealing with the customer ahead of me, turns to me and asks "Are you in a hurry, darlin'?" I shake my head. "That's good," she says, "Because this could take a looong time." Her colleague falls off her stool laughing.

She presses on in a slow but doggedly determined fashion, hmph'ing and muttering all the while. A security guard goes past and takes the mickey out of her - "Hey Muriel, you're not a young girl, you been here years, you don't need any training..." He gets a look too. We reach the end, with only a minor hiccup over a "2 for 1" item. Muriel looks me in square in the eye, and says very formally, "Now. Do you want any cashback?" Her colleague shakes her head and says "Say no!" I take the hint, refuse, and pay my bill. But I think Muriel is in want of a bit of encouragement, if only for the entertainment she's given me. "Muriel," I tell her, "I just want to say that that was a first-class bit of work you just did. I don't think I've ever had better service at a supermarket till.". Muriel and her colleague look at each other and burst out laughing again. "Thank you, darlin'," she says, "That's very kind. But it's not true." I hope I get Muriel again the next time I'm in Asda. Might even ask for a photo next time.
L spends a long afternoon in the shops with her mum, trying to help her change all the Christmas presents she doesn't want. She comes home tired and frustrated. "At least you've done your Random of Act of Kindness," I say, "that should make you feel good." She gives me a look. Much like the one Muriel threw at the security guard, funnily enough.