A Story That Will Make You Ask “Why?”

We have a coworker who is neurodivergent. They will always do their job and answer any questions to the best of their abilities, but they’re not the best at picking up cues such as body language and emotion.

They are currently using a pricing gun to lower the cost of some items with today as the use-by date. A customer and her boy, maybe four or five years old, are shopping nearby. The boy runs over and watches my coworker repricing some items. My manager and I witness the following conversation.

Boy: “What are you doing?”

Coworker: “I am reducing the price of these items.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because they need to be sold by today.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because these are perishable items with a use-by date of today, so they need to be sold.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because if we don’t sell these items, we will have to throw them out.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because Regulation 1169/2011 on the Provisions Of Food Information To Consumers, Article 24, sub-paragraph 1 states, ‘After the “use by” date, a food shall be deemed to be unsafe in accordance with Article 14(2) to (5) of Regulation 178/2002.'”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because the Food Safety Act 1990 was written to protect consumers from the unsafe practise of selling food that has passed the stage where it is fit for human consumption.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because the Food Act of 1984 was not fit for this purpose and an amendment was required.”

Boy: “Why?”

Coworker: “Because—”

At that point, the mother has realised what is happening and drags the boy away.

Mother: “That’s enough of that; stop bothering the nice man.”

Boy: “Why?”

My manager turns to me.

Manager: “I was honestly waiting to see how long that would go on for.”

Me: “Me, too!”

Manager: “I couldn’t look away! It was like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object…”