Not So Far

One of the numerous errands I did today was redeeming cans and bottles I meant to redeem yesterday while leaving Fremont; however, the recycling place was closed then, so I went to the one at the Bel Air supermarket in Yuba City. There was one person in front of me, and she didn't really seem to understand how this recycling redemption worked, as her bag of plastic bottles was full of non-redemption-value stuff like plastic bags, soap containers, etc. In the end, she had only about $2 worth of credit. The guy gave her the voucher and said, "You can't redeem this at Bel Air anymore; you have to go wayyyy down there to that other store," he said, pointing to the far end of the parking lot.

"You mean, you won't give me the money?" the woman said, puzzled.

I chimed in. "They don't keep any cash here; if they did, someone would try to knock 'em over."

She was huffy, "I don't see why I even bothered!" In retrospect, I should have offered to redeem her voucher out of my own pocket, since I didn't mind the walk.

The guy made it seem like the other store was on the other side of the moon, but it couldn't have been more than 100 meters or so to the New Earth Market. I like the walking, after all, particularly if you can stay in the shade. It's pretty warm here, but surprisingly dry, so as long as you stay out of the direct sun, it's okay.