The “Technology Gremlin” Strikes

By Karen McNew
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: March 18, 2008

Jay and I joke quite a bit on WSLS at 5:30pm about being out of the loop when it comes to some of the latest gadgets out there… I have mentioned before I use my cell phone for talking to people… have only recently touched on the whole texting thing..  I don’t use it for internet access or listening to music although I think my phone may have one or both of those features…

That being said - at the grocery store where I shop there is a very large “DVD Vending Machine”  I have rolled by it many times and wondered how it works but just hadn’t had the nerve or the time to figure it out… low and behold my husband calls me and says I rented some movies from the grocery store and they are only a dollar a day… the machine is easy to use…

So when it is my turn to pick up a movie for us here’s what happened.. I go up to the machine which looks like a giant metal box that is about 8 feet tall with an eye level computer screen… next to the screen is what I call a card swiper… so I go through the touch screen process - I select the movie - swipe my card and the screen reads—retrieving selection… as the machine is “thinking” I start a conversation with the lady next to me about the flower bulbs that are for sale right beside the DVD Machine…

I look at the screen and it’s back to the original screen - I look in the little slot below the screen and there is no movie… I KNEW it couldn’t be that easy… at least not for me…

So I ask around for some help - finally a manager comes over… I explain my frustration over swiping my card being promised a movie and getting nothing.. he pulls a one dollar bill out of his pocket and a nickel and hands it to me…(the cost of the movie plus tax)  I was both embarrassed and even more frustrated and said as nicely as possible and I have to admit there was a slight whine to it—“I don’t want the money… I want the movie.“

He re-boots the machine and goes through the process as I had - I am waiting for him to have an empty end resul… I said I canl swipe my card again - he says no I’ll use mine.. and of course a moment later the DVD in a black plastic case comes shooting out of the slot…

I said, now I feel really stupid - He said… don’t feel stupid just please return that movie on time because it is on my credit card… 

I think I may just stick to picking out groceries and let Matt pick out the movies from now on…