Yesterday I stumbled into a bit of a quandary which I think might be worth exploring here. I think I’ve noted here before that I don’t use credit cards much these days, simply to avoid fraud. It’s safer to stick to cash, so I don’t carry a credit card with me. I have probably also noted how, more often than not, I feed myself wraps for lunch, which I usually buy from Tesco.

Yesterday, though, I had a bit of an “out and about” day. I was coming home, quite hungry, through North Greenwich tube station when I passed a small Pret A Manger shop: the shop was actually underground within the station itself, which struck me as rather cool.  I therefore went in, and spotting quite a nice looking cheese and pickle sandwich, indicated to the staff that I wanted to buy it. Of course I knew it would be slightly more expensive than my usual lunches, but yesterday I fancied something tastier.

As usual, I then indicated where my cash was and how to get it. However, somewhat aghast, the assistant told me that they didn’t take cash in the shop- it was card only.

We were both silent for a few moments, wondering how to get out of this predicament. To be honest I have been in similar situations before. The lady then asked her manager what she should do, and she kindly said that I could have the sandwich for free. 

That wasn’t too unusual. Hence, not being able to articulate what I wanted her to do vocally and not having time to type it in to my iPad, I started to try to indicate that I wanted the lady to put the sandwich into my bag, waving my hand towards the back of my powerchair. The problem is, the lady thought I was suggesting that she put it back on the shelf. Of course, I know that that’s what I should have done: I couldn’t pay, so I should have left the sandwich and gone elsewhere. Yet in that moment,  as hungry as I was, I really didn’t want to leave without anything to eat.

In the end I persisted, corrected the lady and made sure that she put my lunch in my bag; and  very nice it was too, far better than the usual wraps I have for lunch, to be honest.  Yet I  nonetheless  felt guilty for taking it. I think this is one of those little ethical dilemmas that a life like mine sometimes throws up. What should I have done? Left the sandwich, or taken it? And now that I have taken a free sandwich once , what’s to stop me going to the same shop again in the hope of receiving the same treatment? Then again, it wasn’t my fault that the shop didn’t accept cash, or that I cannot use chip and pin credit cards. Oh the quandaries of being a hungry cripple.