Appalling Customer Service

I'm standing inside the kiddie store, Lilliput. Waiting for the salesman to give his attention to Peanut, who wants 'Pink Crocs'.

We've been standing there waiting for her turn to try on the pink crocs for about five minutes now. I'm tapping my feet impatiently but have refrained from saying anything so far. The fellow is looking quite harried - he's waiting on a fussy-looking woman who keeps changing her mind about the appropriate shoes for her little girl, loudly asking him his opinion on everything ' Yeh color achha lag raha hai?' - he agrees with her every time on every pair looking wonderful on her little princesss - but the pile of shoes next to the woman and her little girl is growing.

I indicate to him that we are also waiting, but he just glances helplessly back at the woman. After some more of this, I begin to lose patience and say ' Bhaiiya, iss ko bhi try kara na hai'. The guy looks at Peanut and her crocs and to my annoyance, instead of starting to help her try them on, he grabs a similar pair and hands them to the other lady, saying 'Yeh kaise hai?'. These too are rejected by the fussy lady.

After another few minutes, by which time I am positively fuming and muttering comments like ''Appalling customer service'' and ''If you don't want to make a sale, that's a separate matter'' and ''Why can't they just staff appropriately'' while Peanut fidgets. To our collective relief, the woman finally settles on a purple pair of slippers for her little princess. I sigh loudly and then look expectantly at the man, my expression clearly saying ''NOW can you help us out, doofus?''. To my irritation, he's now avoiding eye contact in what seems to me a particularly deliberate fashion. This really is the limit. I'm about to raise hell.

That's when the little girl who's finally got her purple shoes slips her hand into his and says happily ''Chalo, Daddy'', while her fussy mother bustles off to pay for their new acquisition.

I turn red while Peanut impatiently tugs at my jeans. When I finally raise my eyes again, there is a friendly looking man in front of me wearing a Lilliput T-shirt. 'Yes, Ma'am? Can I help you?' I gratefully accept and Peanut is soon happily trying on her Crocs.

Appalling Customer Service.