Thief!

Yesterday I went to the supermarket to get some stuff for a salad. I was on a bit of a time crunch. I buy my groceries and am walking out of that section of the store. There are what looks like metal detectors, but aren't, right at the exit. I walk through and the thing goes haywire! I decide that I'm just going to ignore it, play the dumb foreigner and keep walking. I do that. Meanwhile, this lady is yelling at me in Chinese. I honestly don't know what she's saying so I keep walking. She catches up with me and keeps repeating what she's been yelling at me while directing me to come back to the little detectors. They know that I'm the one that has made these detectors go nuts.

I walk back through it. It beeps! I give the girl my shopping bags and walk back through again. It's still going off! At this point it now looks like I've stolen something and I'm a thief! This, of course, draws the attention of every Chinese shopped in that vacinity of the store. "Look, the foreigner has stolen something!" (I didn't, don't worry!)

I take off my jacket and walk back through the detectors. It goes off again! so I take off my scarf, hat and gloves. Walk back through. It's still going off! I have no idea what is going on! Meanwhile, this other lady has been on her walky-talky calling the head of the store to come up there to "deal" with this/me. I can't figure out how to communicate what I need to in Chinese. She's talking to me in Chinese and all I can say is "I don't understand what you're saying." I'm motioning to her that I have nothing and as I keep walking back and forth through the detectors the Chinese shoppers are all laughing, thinking this is hilarious.

I finally tell her that I really need to go and that I don't have anything. She, thankfully, lets me go. And as I leave so do all the spectators. Of course they're all talking about what happened to foreigner.

It's funny now. I don't think I'll be forgotten at the supermarket EVER! :)