On a usual trip to Walmart, I was surprised at the self checkout by a store clerk. She saddled up beside me and started talking to me in whispers. I wondered what the heck she was going on about, until I heard the word Mastercard. Then I understood.
She really tried hard to get me to sign up for a credit card. She was quite befuddled why I wouldn’t, because I could instantly save $25 on my purchase. When I protested, she said, “But you don’t have to use the card ever again. Just this once.”
Oh boy. Famous last words.
She was young, so she doesn’t have a firm grasp of the credit card rabbit hole you can quickly and innocently go down, and down and down…
Here’s what having a credit card is like, especially if you are poor. It is like having candy in your cupboard when you are trying to lose weight.
There is no way you ain’t gonna touch it.