Well the long-term picture is better. God bless the short attention spans of Americans.

My final strategy for that store was to just plunk my backpack in a cart just as women put their purses in, and that seems to have dropped me below their radar.

Then, just before Christmas, another Kroger tried it. They made a real fuss, and I gave them a good long verbal sparring. I also bought a reel of tickets and some tape so that if they were going to be fussy, at least I would be able to insure accountability on their part. Two tickets, the same number, I get one, one goes on my pack. Available at any Office Depot.

Then I spent a couple of weeks flying around the country to visit family and friends. When I got back, I nervously went in, but no one seemed to notice my backpack, so I plunked it in the shopping cart and strolled in to do my shopping.