Content warning: gross, germs

I just had a really strange experien- nah I can’t do it this time, it’s too embarrassing, I’m going to be upfront that this was a dream.

I had a strange nightmare last night.

I was shopping in a supermarket, and I needed to buy two packets of mince. For some unknown dream logic reason, I decided that since the mince was frozen, I didn’t need the packaging. So I took the packaging off, and put the two naked frozen lumps of mince meat in my basket.

Later, when it came time to check out, I realised that the mince didn’t have a barcode. So I went back across the store to the mince, and I removed the barcode from one of the remaining packets on the shelf.

Unfortunately one of the store staff saw me doing this. My heart sank. I had hoped nobody would notice my embarrassing mistake. They pulled me aside for a little chat, thinking that I was trying to replace the barcode in order to scan it for a cheaper price.

I explained the situation to them, that I’d had a brainfart and removed the mince packaging. They saw my two blocks of bare mince and were incredulous. They said they’d never seen someone get themselves into a mess like this before.

Then they scanned the barcode that I’d grabbed. And it scanned as a packet of mini-muffins. Cheaper than the mince. So they decided once again that I’d been trying to defraud the store. I had no idea how I’d accidentally grabbed a muffin barcode, I’d honestly been trying to get a beef mince barcode.

My face was burning, I felt so ashamed and trapped and daft and bad. When I woke up, my tears were real.