Blue Light Special

So, I was at K-Mart today looking for some cheapo blue jeans to wear until I can fit into my prepartum pants again. Kennedy & I were finishing up in the dressing room when I realized that I was stuck. Not stuck in the jeans I was trying on (although that's happened before too). Rather, I was stuck in the fitting room. They had some super-sonic deadbolt lock on the handicap stall and I could NOT get it unlocked.

Do I crawl under the door? Wait, no, Kennedy is with me and her carseat won't fit.

"Hello?"

(no answer)

"Hello? Anyone out there?"

(no answer)

"I'm stuck in the fitting room. Anyone out there?"

(no answer)

Luckily I was near the exit of the fitting rooms and could peek through the crack to see out into the store.

I waited and waited for a customer to walk by. It's not a busy store; there was no one.

I waited longer.

"Hello?" (louder)

(no answer)

"Hello??" (even louder)

(no answer)

(I start knocking on the door and walls) "Hello!?!?"

(no answer)

I stood, waiting for anyone to walk by. There was no one.

I finally saw a customer in the distance. We're talking clear across the department.

I yelled...

"HELLO?! EXCUSE ME, MA'AM!?"

(innocent customer doesn't hear me)

I yelled LOUDER..

"EXCUSE ME, MA'AM! PLEASE HELP!"

The customer kept making circles, even looking up. She wondered where the voice was coming from (or maybe she thought she was on Candid Camera)

"YES, YOU IN THE PURPLE. PLEASE HELP. I'M STUCK IN THE FITTING ROOMS"

She found me in the fitting room and I asked her to find an employee, which she did.

The employee arrived.... "(Sigh) This isn't even my department." She picked up the intercom and said, "Customer service needed in the fitting rooms."

She put down the phone and walked away. That's right, she walked away. I thought, "What if no one ever came? What if the one person who works in this department is outside on a smoke break?" I couldn't believe she actually walked away.

I waited and waited until finally an employee walked by. It must have been her department. "Please help" I cried out from the dressing room. "I'm stuck!"

When she realized the problem, she quickly came and unlocked the door. It seemed like forever but it probably wasn't that long. I was glad to be rescued.

Lessons learned:

1. Never try on clothes if you have to use the bathroom. You might be there for awhile.

2. Always take your baby's diaper bag and bottles in the store.... even if you're just 'running in' for a minute.

3. Always keep a good snack in your pocket (think 'tator tots' like Napoleon Dynamite) when trying on clothes

4. Use the buddy system. If you yell, "Marco!"... know that someone is going to yell, "Polo!" to find you.

And that, my friends, was today's blue light special.