Me: “Hello! How are you today?”

Customer: “I don’t know…”

Me: “Well, is there anything I can help you find?”

Customer: “Yeah.”

(There’s a long pause.)

Me: “…Is there a specific style you’re looking for?”

Customer: “I don’t know…”

Me: “Maybe a color?”

Customer: “I don’t know…”

Me: “What size?”

Customer: “I don’t know…”

Me: “Um, I can’t help you unless you give me something to go on.”

Customer: *dejectedly* “Okay.” *leaves*

Boss: “What just happened?”

Me: “I don’t know…”

Related:
Knowing Is Half The Battle

(A customer slams a bottle of sunblock on the counter.)

Customer: “This is worthless! I can’t believe you sell this!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that, sir.” *examines the empty bottle* “But this is the highest protection factor we have.”

Customer: “Well, it’s crap! I want a refund!”

Me: “Sorry, I can’t refund an empty bottle; it’s store policy.”

Customer: “Well, what do you expect?! I have two large windows!”

(I am showing a guy how to use the copier.)

Me: “Lift the lid from the front.”

Patron: *ignores me and keeps trying the side*

Me: “The front.”

Patron: *ignores*

(I reach over and lift it for him.)

Me: “That’s the front. Do you want me to make your copy for you?”

Patron: *ignores me again* “So, I put it like this?” *flops the thing down diagonal on the glass*

Me: “Which side do you want to copy?”

Patron: *silence*

Me: “Which side–”

Patron: “So, it’s a dime?”

Me: “Which–”

Patron: “A dime?”

Me: “Wait a sec. Which side do you want to copy?”

(A minute or two later.)

Me: “Press copy and press start.”

Patron: *stares at the machine*

Me: “Copy is the first button on the screen.”

Patron: *stares*

Me: “Just press copy.”

Patron: “Now?”

Me: “Yes. Okay, now press start. It’s the giant green button.”

Patron: *stares at the screen*

Me: “On the right, in the keypad.”

Patron: *stares*

Me: “On the right.”

Patron: *stares*

Me: “The right. It’s the only green one.”

Patron: *stares*

(I reach over and point.)

Me: “Press this button.”

Patron: “Now?”

Me: “Thank you for calling sales and support! This is [name]; how can I help you?”

Caller: “Yes, I received this letter telling me to call you.”

Me: “I’d be happy to help. Can you tell me what the letter states?”

Caller: “For 24/7 customer service, call [number].”

Me: “Okay, sir, did you need any assistance with your account?”

Caller: “No, the account is fine. This letter says to call.”

Me: “What you read to me indicates that you should call our number should you need customer service. Did you need any help today sir?”

Caller: “No.”

Me: “Have a nice day, sir.”

(I work at the college IT department. One day, I get a phone call from a professor.)

Me: “Thank you for calling the help desk. How may we help you?”

Professor: “My computer is making a beeping sound. I can’t get it to stop. Can you send someone to fix it?”

Me: “Sure, I’ll be right over.”

(I arrive at the professor’s office.)

Professor: “I don’t understand why it is doing this. It has never done this before.”

(I notice a rather large book on top of his keyboard.)

Me: “Sir, you can’t leave objects on top of your keyboard. That is what causes the beeping.”

(I remove the book.)

Professor: *embarrassed* “Oh.”

(This professor is the department chair of the Computer Science division of the college. He has a Ph.D in Computer Science.)

Related:
Ph.Duh