This one was a little over a decade ago, when plasma TVs were still manufactured and sold, and LCD TVs were still catching in terms of awesomeness.
I was a young, bright-eyed electronics associate working for the big “blue and yellow save money” company. This particular day was a steady but peaceful day, and I was working the counter, cashing people out and directing them to various areas in the department where they could find things.
I had just finished ringing a customer out for a PS3 game when a fella walks up to the counter and the following exchange took place:
Strange Customer: “Hey man… do you sell TVs?”
Me: caught off guard by the question, I slowly turned to the TV wall that sat in full view roughly 30ft away, filled with 30+ different TV models, then slowly turned back to him “Sir, I don’t think I can help you.”
SC: “Oh alright man, no problem.”
And then he just left. It remains, to this day, the most bizarre customer interaction I have ever had, and I would not be surprised if it was a part of a YouTube prank video. I’ve been at the store I work at for over 13 years now, and nothing has topped this one for weirdness.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from retail, it’s that nobody notices anything. They don’t read signs, they don’t understand social cues, and they definitely can’t see the thing right under their nose
This such a truth.
Back when we first got them, and they were even more useless than they are now, we had a big 2ft by 3ft sign by our self-checkouts that would detail the limitations of them (no WIC certificates, coupons, checks, etc), and every day at least two-three people per hour that would try to use coupons, or WIC, or checks, and it was certainly facepalm worthy.