Animal, Mineral, Debatable
(The store I worked at sells rock and mineral specimens, so it’s quite common that customers don’t know much about what they are buying. Luckily, I have a geology background, so I can explain in detail what things are.)
Customer: *points up at a piece* “What is that?”
Me: “It’s a chrysanthemum stone.”
Customer: “Well, what is that?”
Me: “It’s strontium sulfate that forms on top of a black limestone.”
Customer: “But what IS that?”
Me: “Strontium sulfate is Celestite. This is just a different form of it, but deposited on a limestone; it looks like a flower.”
Customer: “But what is THAT though? It’s not a fossil of a flower, is it?”
Me: “No, it’s a mineral on top of a limestone. Limestones are a fine-grained sedimentary rock. The crystallization just makes it looks like a flower.”
Customer: “So it’s a rock on top of another rock?”
Me: “Not technically, but sort of…I don’t know how to explain it simpler than that.”
Customer: “So, it’s two rocks in one! I’ll take it.”
Me: “Okay, great. I’ll assume you want an info card on it?”
Customer: “Nah, it’s just a rock on a rock. That’s all I need to know!”
Question of the Week
What is the absolute most stupid thing you’ve heard a customer say?
