Reading is hard for parents and children alike.

So a while ago we got traded in a Donkey Konga game + the Bongos for the Gamecube. We decided that just putting the bongos on the ground just wasn't going to cut it, so we got some hooks and raised them so that they were much more visible. One problem with that though; it put the bongos at about shoulder height of the average 6-10 year old kid. What do kids like to do when they see a button? Push it. Kids were beating the crap outa this thing, and beating it so hard it was falling off the hook and hitting the floor pretty hard (while the parents would just look the other way and hope we wouldn't notice).

After about the fifth time it fell we (and by we i mean Steve) decided to put a sign over the bongos saying, "Please do not touch!". A very simple request i would think, and very visible. yet it is still on a regular basis ignored by parent and children who i KNOW know how to read.


So its a fairly average day in terms of traffic. All seems to be going smoothly till this family walks in. The Father had the classic pedophile look to him. The mother had an uncanny resemblance to a certain celebrity that I'm sure just about everyone in the world hates. 2 little girls as well that had to have been in that 6-10 range i mentioned earlier. The kids were jumping all over the place and messing up the racks, and just being plain loud and annoying.

I walk out to greet them and see if i can help them out with anything.

"Hey! Hows it goin guys? Help you out with anything today?"

"..."

pure silence. they look right at me and give me that "mind your own business" look. so after a few seconds i walk back behind the counter to continue working on something. They go for the NDS section and begin reorganizing it. I always hate that but it happens so often I've stopped caring for the most part.

The mom keeps going through the games while the girls get bored and start running around the store. Eventually the Bongos catch their eye. the run as fast as they can and begin pounding on them as hard as they can.

"Hey, can I please get you girls to not play with those bongos?"

they continue to beat them as hard as they can.

"Excuse me girls, can you not hit those bongos, they are for looking only."
i give it a bit more force this time.

Still being ignored and the parents are just sitting there starring into space i take action. I walk over to the bongos that they are still hammering furiously and pick them up off the wall and start heading for behind the counter. I get about half way there and suddenly I hear a big booming voice. I assumed it was the father but to my horror i turn around and find that it was the mother speaking.

"UMM....EXCUSE ME! My daughter were playing with that!"

"Sorry ma'am, we've had problem in the past with kids breaking these so I am going to be putting these behind the counter for now."

This didn't go over well with her at all.

"Well if you didn't want people touching them then maybe you should put up a sign!!"

I stop dead in my tracks, i walk calmly over to the sign that say, "Please do not touch!" it point for a solid 5-6 seconds while starring her dead in the eye. turn, and walk back to the counter. She then walks over to the sign and stares for a bit.

"You just put this sign up didn't you!?!"

"no ma'am, that sign has been there for quite some time now."

"You're lying!"

"Nope."

"Don't lie more! I know you're lying!"

"Sorry, thats signs been there all day."

"You're lying! I want to see the manager now!"

"I am the manager ma'am."

that last sentence shut her up pretty quick. I think she was trying to go for the "angry customer yells at manager till she get free stuff" thing. Good thing I'm immune to such nonsense.

After that little almost shouting match she shut up quick as I mentioned and went to the furthest corner of the store and put herself in it. The father began speaking to me and he wound up buying around $100 worth of stuff. The girls still were being obnoxious though.

why do people act like that? owell, I WIN!!!

-Andi