“Did you drive here?”*
Let me set the scene. There I was, at work. In a store — you know, the kind with registers where you purchase things. They’re *really* obvious. After all, if there’s one thing a store wants its customers to be able to find, it’s the place where you pay, right?
Anyway, today was the day chosen to relaminate the counter on which the registers normally reside. It’s a big counter. Takes up a lot of space right there in the center of the store. And to make this project happen we had to clear the entire thing — registers, screens, big flower arrangement, candy, dog biscuits (yeah, it’s a weird juxtaposition, but some people really love their dogs…)
So now there was this large, empty counter. I’d like to reiterate that it was empty. (We were using an auxiliary register on a side counter.) But a woman walked up with a full basket, and started unloading products onto the (empty) counter.
Me: “I can take you over at this register.” ::broad hand gestures indicating the emptiness of her current chosen counter, and the awesome register action happening elsewhere::
Customer: “What?” ::long pause; confused expression:: “Well, okay, if you’re sure.”
Me: “Yup, I’m sure.” ::not sure if I should comment on the obvious register change, but deciding to err on the side of caution:: “We’re laminating the counter today, so we have to use this register today.”
Customer: ::understanding dawns:: “Oh!”
(*This is the question I always want to ask when people say or do things in the store that make me worried to be driving on the same highway system as them.)