Thursday, September 30, 2010

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Yes, I am standing here, two feet away from you. Yes, I am looking directly at you, a shopping basket in one hand,  and a prominently displayed advertisement from your store in the other.

And yet, the two of you continue your conversation, conveniently keeping your eyes from roving anywhere near my vicinity. If you don't see me, you can't be blamed for not offering to help me, right?

Come on, throw me a bone. Maybe a "Hi, we'll be right with you." That's really all I need, just a slight acknowledgment of my existence in your world. No? Ok, you can leave out the "Hi", I'll do just fine with the rest of it. Still no deal, eh? No, you're right, I can wait. Given that I am at your mercy, as I've already exhausted my own resources for finding these products, I guess I can't be too picky.

Am I allowed to at least point out that one of us isn't getting paid to stand here?

Wait, what's this? A turn of the body in my direction?

Oh, you. You're good. Because, just when I think that my time has finally come, you keep your eyes firmly glued to the floor and ease on by. My admiration of your creative interpretation of the word "work" multiplies tenfold, as I watch you contort your torso in order to avoid running into me.

Really?

Whatever, I'm not letting this opportunity slip through my fingers.

"Excuse me, can you just point me in the direction of where these products are located?"

Well, shit. When will I learn to choose my words carefully?

"Yeah, see that shelf at the end of the store? The one behind the displays? Over there." You point at some mythical spot on the horizon. And in a flash, you're gone.

I don't know. I'm thinking that since you work here and know the layout of the place, it might have been a bit more helpful had you walked me over and then pointed at the shelf in question.

So, anyway, I just want to take this opportunity to let you know that I have learned my lesson and I humbly apologize. I won't be back to interfere with the flow of your day ever again, I promise.

And, you keep this up, maybe most of your customers will finally get the message and stop bothering you with their pesky business. Then you can stand around and talk all you want.

Only thing is, you might be doing it under a sign that says "Going Out of Business Sale".

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