My husband’s company has a Rewards and Recognition program which allows him to accumulate points for a job well done. Those points can then be cashed in for incentives, such as gift cards for local stores or catalogue merchandise. Needless to say, my husband is a complete overachiever and was able to cash in a slew of points for Best Buy gift cards…sixty-five $25 gift cards to be exact.

Last night, we went to Best Buy to purchase a Mac Book Pro. Not a bad reward for all his hard work and dedication! It was quite embarrassing standing at the check out while the cashier processed our purchase. My husband decided I was perfectly capable of handling the transaction, so he walked around the store and left me there with his 65 gift cards! I didn’t realize it, but each gift card has a 4-digit security code under a silver scratch-off strip. The cashier called for assistance and we began scratching off the strips. The shavings filled the air like confetti, it was like having a scratch off lottery ticket party!

The cashier then had to enter the 4-digit security code for every single card! He warned me that if he pressed one button incorrectly, then we’d have to wait several hours for Best Buy to reissue the money on the cards that he had already processed. I held my breath and waited.

I was completely mortified when other shoppers found my transaction to be amusing and engaged in conversation about why I had so many gift cards. I suspected this would happen, so I printed off all the paperwork from hubby’s job so I could prove I didn’t steal these or anything. The cashier was really nice about the whole ordeal and said this wasn’t an odd purchase, he had seen much worse. I think he was just trying to make me feel better, what could be worse than processing 65 gift cards?

The cashier was diligent and the transaction was completed successfully. Our new Mac Book Pro cost us less than $400 thanks to my husband’s rewards! Not bad! Even better, my husband was hurting from holding our 13 month old son while I purchased the laptop. I know from experience how painful it can be to carry around a 25 pound toddler, so I didn’t mind the transaction taking a long time (that’s what he gets for leaving me with 65 gift cards)! Maybe next time he’ll entertain the thought of using the stroller!

Have you ever purchased something with a stack of gift cards or waited while a transaction was completed with gift cards? Last night I vowed I would be patient with others in similar situations because now I know how it feels!

Thanks for visiting The Unemployed Mom.

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