A Storm In A Teapot

We are doing a special promotion on a certain brand of china. Customers can bring in old pieces of china, and for every piece, they will get 50p off a new item. All the old china brought in will go to charity. There have been fliers handed out for a week and large notices all over the shop explaining all this.

A couple comes in with a large box of china items, and we set about counting them, all the while praising the customers for their generosity. There are seventy-two items.

Me: “Wow, you’re certainly going to have a lovely new dinner set! What would you like?”

Customer: “The teapot, please.”

Me: “Good start! What else?”

Customer: “Just the teapot.”

Me: “Oh, how generous! You’ve given all this china to charity, and you’re just getting the teapot, with 50p off! Brilliant!”

I’m suspecting now where this is going.

Customer: “No, we brought in seventy-two items. Seventy-two times 50p is £36, the price of the teapot.”

Me: “I’m afraid it’s only one item against one item.”

Customer: *Swaggering, sneering, hands on hips* “And where, may I ask, does it say that?”

Me: *Pointing at the large print on the bottom of the flyer* “There…”

Customer: *Crumples* “Oh…”

In the end, they bought their teapot with 50p off and a couple of mugs and plates, sorted out what they didn’t want to give to charity after all, and left.

At least they didn’t flounce off.