Ice Cream to Eskimos

I worked retail for a long time. Weirdly, I totally enjoyed it, even on bad days when customers would complain about store policies, or when someone tried to shoplift, or even when a complaint was filed against me for being “too friendly”. No, I’m not kidding. Apparently, the customer felt “threatened” and complained that I was shadowing her as if she were a thief. Things like that seldom happened, though. After years of being out of the workforce, I found I still have the gift.

I was shopping at Target™ last week, looking to see if I could find a gift for Son. I am woefully illiterate on videogames, but I can figure out which ones he owns by the cover graphics. I was perusing the whole Assassin’s Creed to the Brotherhood of Infinity Times Chuck Norris, when I noticed a gentleman looking at the e-readers. Now, I’m not an expert, but I have been wanting one for a while, and have been reading up on them so I can FINALLY, ONE DAY come to a decision.

Anyway, he was muttering to himself, indecisive over which to get for his wife’s Christmas present. And being the nosy busybody that I am, I asked him what she uses her computer for. He went on to say what she liked facebook, and watching movies, and TV shows, and reading, etc. So I explained that either the Nook Tablet or the Kindle Fire were his best options, and the pros and cons of each. He thanked me and asked the employee, who had been hovering over us that he would like to take the Nook Tablet, and I skilfully told him to add a cover for it, and an SD card. After the sale, when I walked up to the register with my purchases, the young man thanked me for my help, explaining that the gentleman had been coming in every day for a week, trying to decide, and that he had never seen someone sell like that before. I joked with him hoping he learned something, and walked away smiling.

Until I recalled that I still didn’t have a Nook Tablet or a Kindle Fire.

Apparently, I can sell ice cream to Eskimos, but not to myself 😉