If you do enough traveling by car, sooner or later you’ll find yourself at one of the many truck stops lining the nation’s highways.  Truck stops provide a plethora of services for those who make their living transporting all kinds of goods around the country.  Most everything a person living on the road needs can be found at a truck stop, which sometimes includes a warm shower, a bed for the night and some things I’d rather not mention.

When I find my way into a truck stop it’s usually just to get a little gas (I know what you’re thinking – I’m talking about the kind that makes my van run), use the restroom, and pick up some red licorice.  What I found during a recent stop, though, took me by surprise.

As I entered the restroom I noticed a HUGE scale. Now, I realize that there are a number of women driving trucks nowadays but seriously, is there anyone who really needs to weigh themselves in a public restroom? But wait, this isn’t just any scale; this scale states with pride that it will provide you with a “highly accurate weight measurement.” Are you kidding me? They want people to pay 25¢ for a “highly accurate measurement?” Personally, I’d be more likely to pay 25¢ if the scale had advertised, “Guaranteed to boost your self-image. This scale weighs on the light side.”

In all fairness, this scale doesn’t just weigh you, it also promises a daily message. Perhaps if the message said “you are the most beautiful woman in the world,” I would be interested in parting with my money, but my guess is that it would, more likely, give me diet tips such as “skip the red licorice.” The last thing I want to invest in is a sassy scale.