So, I am at Wal*Mart and I need to buy a money order. I go to the return desk where you'd normally buy that sort of thing. Unfortunately, on this date the return counter is also checking people out and the couple in front of me is checking out in some sort of byzantine manner that involved sorting the stuff in their basket into three different groups and paying for each separately. While I'm waiting, I spot an ATM-like machine that Wal*Mart has set up on the other side of the of the checkout line which sells money orders.
By the time the couple in front of me has completed their transactions there are at least 5 impatient people behind me waiting their turn. I don't want to make all these folks wait while the clerk figures out how to sell me a money order and I definitely don't want these people to see me pull hundred dollar bills out of my wallet to pay for it. So, I decide to go use the machine so that I can keep my transaction private. I pay for my snickers bar and walked over to the machine.
I hit the start button and the machine gives me instructions to enter the amount of the money order. I hit the numbers and push "Enter" on the screen. Suddenly a voice comes from the machine, "THREE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS." Holy Crud! Everybody within 50 feet heard that clearly. I quickly hit the "Pay" portion of the screen and it announces in a loud claer voice, "PLEASE ENTER THREE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS AND FOURTY SIX CENTS." I stick a hundred dollar bill in and it announces "PLEASE ENTER TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS AND FOURTY SIX CENTS." I stick another hundred dollar bill in and it announces "PLEASE ENTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS AND FOURTY SIX CENTS." I stick another hundred dollar bill in and it announces "PLEASE ENTER FIFTY DOLLARS AND FOURTY SIX CENTS." I stick another hundred dollar bill in and it announces "YOUR CHANGE IS FOURTY NINE DOLLARS AND FIFTY FOUR CENTS."
Everybody in the line or who walked out the door (which was next to the return desk) heard every bit of my transaction. Luckily, it was in the middle of the day so I felt semi-safe walking as quickly as I could to my car. And, believe me, I was very happy that it wasn't night time.
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