I usually shop for groceries at two different stores, buying different kinds of stuff at each. Usually I buy more at one (Trader Joes) than at the other (WinCo). Today, though, there was an amazing coincidence. The totals from each store was exactly the same: $35.57.
I’ve had minor coincidences before such as the total from one store be an exact dollar amount, even though I’m buying a dozen or more items, none of which are priced in even dollar amounts. But this coincidence goes beyond that. Just amazing.
A couple of weeks ago, I returned some boots that didn’t fit well. I didn’t have the receipt, so I had to get a gift card- it came to $50.29. While still in the store, I shopped around and got a couple of shirts and pairs of jeans. I figured it up roughly in my head to be around the amount that was on the gift card. It turned out to be exactly the same amount- $50.29. Bam!
Nice stories about coincidences…but can you top this one?:
I knew a guy 30 years ago who made a religious event out of his matching receipts.
He had been saving money to buy a very expensive camera. After a long time, he finally had enough money, and drove to the store to buy it., but had a traffic accident on the way. The repair bill for the car was the exact price of the new camera.
He decided that God was trying to teach him a lesson about how material possessions aren’t important, and he should put his money to better use. So he started donating to charities, and became very religious.
Nice guy,too. Got a Phd in ancient Greek and became a professor of Biblical Studies at a major university.
One day, I left home to do two things: Getting new plates for my car, and stopping at someone’s house to pay some money I owed him. The plates were three letters and four numbers. The three letters were the name of the guy I owed money to, and the four numbers were the exact amount I owed him. The odds of this happening are 17,575,999 to 1.
Years back lost a combination lock while bicycling near a small bridge with a creek running under it. A week later I thought I stopped at that same bridge just to rest. Walked down to the water edge. Found my lock!
Its not very amazing, but I purchased 3 successive vehicles over the course of 10 or so years and each one was one June 6. I had no intention of this. just kind of worked out that way, it was either an immediate mechanical reason to be getting a new car or an immediate financial one.
Many years ago, I would buy $5 worth of gasoline, and two 16-ounce soft drinks. The total would sometimes (depending upon the store) be $6.66. Every time that happened, I wanted to burst forth with some kind of demonic laughter, but I never did.
I bought a pair of those horrible Skechers shoes, tried them out for a couple of days and then returned them for a in-store credit of $89.99. I went back to the store a year later, picked out a pair of shoes and it came to $89.99.
ELAINE: No, no… but it is quite a coincidence.
RAVA: Yes, that’s all, a coincidence!
ELAINE: A big coincidence.
RAVA: Not a big coincidence. A coincidence!
ELAINE: No, that’s a big coincidence.
RAVA: That’s what a coincidence is! There are no small coincidences and big coincidences!
ELAINE: No, there are degrees of coincidences.
RAVA: No, there are only coincidences! …Ask anyone!
Not too amazing, but a few of us went out to watch the Stanley Cup finals at a local bar. We ordered a bunch of pizza, beer and munchies. Anyhoo, the Red Wings win and at the end of the night I say that the night’s on me (that’s actually the amazing part). I ask how much we owe and the waitress says $100 even. I start to say something and she pulls out the itemized bill and says “I added it twice and brought the tab so you didn’t think I just made up a number.”
The cool thing is the people there that night still bring up the night I picked up the tab, but mostly because of the even $100 event (which, again, is not that amazing).
