Had we not been inching toward a critical shortage of toilet paper and deodorant — two essentials of which supplies should never be fully depleted — I might have walked out of the store.

Months later I now see the power of the moment that could change our political system forever.

I don’t exactly remember the date when I first stumbled onto the frustrating new retail practice, but it went something like this:

The checker had completed the scanning of the important merchandise, and I was attempting to swipe my bank debit card.

Suddenly, after my first card swipe, I realized the tiny little digital screen didn’t seem to respond. I swiped again with the same unflinching response.

Finally, the clerk said, “You’ve got to answer the question before it will let you pay.”

I stared at the screen confronting me with “How likely are you to recommend <insert retailer name here> to your friends and colleagues?” Note, I’m not repeating the store’s name since they don’t deserve publicity of any kind for annoying customers.

Really? I’m forced into answering marketing questions just to do business with them? With little cash in my pocket, I was left with no choice.

I thought to myself, “They’ll probably only ask me this once, since they’ll likely keep my answer associated with the debit card number.”

So I answered — honestly.

A week or so later, the question reared its head again and continues with almost each visit. Frustrated I started selecting “Definitely will not” — only because there was not an option for “Please stop forcing me to answer silly questions, that help you at the expense of my own time.”

The cycle has continued for months now.

Somewhere halfway through Monday night’s political forum for county supervisor candidates, it occurred to me. We need this sort of forced questionnaire on many things in life, particularly in election season.

We need to create little boxes, one for each qualification form for the various political offices.

Before a would-be candidate could access the form, they’d need to answer some simple questions to ensure they have a clue about the duties of the office they’re seeking.

Maybe that would prevent people who completely do not understand the duties of a particular office from jumping into a political race.

Tons of supervisor candidates preach job creation, but supervisors can really only create government jobs. They can foster growth elsewhere, but when a would-be qualifier says he wants to create jobs, the buzzer should sound and the qualification box should slam shut.

Ditto for the county clerks positions. Some of the challengers have talked about everything from being more community minded and promoting youth programs in the county. Those are great ideas, but shouldn’t they know a little bit about actually running the offices first?

Rather than saying things that may sound good to a public that, admittedly, often doesn’t fully grasp the office holders’ roles either, it certainly would be nice if we could focus on actual duties and real qualifications instead of feel-good fluff.

It’s silly to think that we can lock out people who don’t understand the gravity of the elected office they seek, but it’s a good reminder that it’s up to voters to get informed, pay attention and “hire” the most qualified person for the job. Having the wrong person in a public job is far worse that a shortage of toilet paper.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.