I would have chalked up my missing shopping cart to a momentary mental lapse had it happened once. Or twice.
But when it was purloined a third time at Whole Foods one recent Sunday, I figured there was a rush on tomatoes, avocados, vitamin E or a carefully selected chunk of fresh tuna, or a poltergeist was at work.
Why else would the cart disappear from Aisle 2, then reappear in Aisle 4 with alien items (a yoga video)? Then disappear again, only to reappear in dairy with chunks of cheese priced beyond my wallet.
Each time, I restarted the shopping process. Until the third time.
I was so frustrated, I ditched the “alien” foil pan and bottled barbecue sauce and headed to checkout. I held on to the cart the entire time, rolling down the aisles in a protective mode.
The thing that soothed me? Consolation from friends who had endured similar experiences with phantom carts at many stores. And a large iced cookie coupled with a tall decaf.