After shopping at Food Circus for over 40 years, Thelma knows more about the store than it's manager. After hearing some of her ""Old Fashion horse sense,"" Mr. Palmer (the Manager) hires her for the store, as a customer consultant. Being her job to give people advice on what to buy. Her new post in the store is right next to the express lane, Naomi's counter.

It doesn't take long before Naomi starts to complain about having her 'mother-in-law' so close, saying it's distracting her from her work. So, Mr. Palmer comes upon the idea that Mama should know everything about the running of the store, starting with Naomi teaching her how to be a checker.

Mama's first test turns into a fiasco, when she can't get the hang of ringing things up. After that, she gets her first customers (with Naomi as her bagger). It goes smoothly ar first, but things soon turn sour when Mama has to look up the price for a special and it takes her forever. After a continuing stream of more problems and the register