A suggestion for all you check-writers out there, or one of my biggest pet peeves

Just last week, I made many a trip to The Wal-Mart, otherwise known as The Downfall of Society Today. Or at least I think that's what the people who wear those "No Wal-Mart" t-shirts really think of the giant superstore.

On each occasion, while waiting in line to purchase my goods, the cashier rang up the goods of the shoppers in front of me. On each occasion, the ringing-up took several minutes. Just for your reference: several=more than three, less than 10.

On each occasion, said shoppers watched as their goods were rung (oh shoot, is it rang? ringed? all three look funny) up by the cashier. At the completion of the ringing-up process, the cashiers cheerfully (as full of cheer Wal-Mart cashiers will allow themselves to be) proclaimed the final total for all to hear: "That will be seventy-two twenty three" or "Nineteen thirteen please!"

On each occasion, said shoppers then responded with something like, "Oh! Okay." And then, it was as though a giant light bulb went off and they realized that they actually had to pay. Pay for their goods. No, scanning goods is not just a requirement so The Wal-Mart can track inventory - they had to provide something, namely cash money, in exchange for their basic life necessities, like 20-lb bags of dog food and feminine hygiene products. And Skittles.

On each occasion, said shoppers then (after a good thirty seconds of confused staring), then reached into their purse to pull out a checkbook. A checkbook. One more time: a checkbook. A blank check - that had nothing filled in, by the time the cashier was finished ringing up their purchases, and the line had grown from two people to 10.

Now. I'm all about taking life a little slowly, savoring the roses and whathaveyou. And I have nothing against paying with a check. Nothing. I don't think everyone has to use a credit card, or a debit card, or even cash. But I would like to make one teensy, weensy suggestion to those of you who write checks: Please Be Prepared.

It would help those of us hurrying home if you could start writing your check before the final total is proclaimed. Three to 10 minutes is sufficient time to write the date, the store name, your signature, and start an entry in your check register. Plenty of time. I know this, because I used to be a check writer myself. Then, when the cashier proclaims the final total, you can just zip, zip, zip, write the amount on the line, in the box, and in the column in the register and be on your merry way.

Which means that the rest of us waiting in line will not have to be grumpy at you and the cashier (even though we know it's not the cashier's fault we are now missing the beginning of our favorite TV show). Which means the rest of us waiting in line will not have to sigh loudly and shake our head at your being unprepared. Which also means that the rest of us waiting in line will not have to put the People magazine back, ready to get our order going, only to realize we put it back too early and we could have actually finished reading that article to find out what boy-name-ending-in-X Brad and Angelina just gave their seventeenth adoped son.

Please, check writers: it's just a small request to help make our shopping experience at The Wal-Mart a little more enjoyable.