Clawing At An Understanding

There is a mini-arcade in our store that’s mostly a money trap — a few games of chance and some claw machines. Two customers walk in; only one of them does the talking.

Me: “What can I do for you today?”

Customer: “I was wondering if y’all could open up the claw machine in your arcade and grab a duck out of it for me?”

I take a moment to process what I just heard.

Me: “I’m sorry, can you please repeat that? It almost sounded like you wanted me to open up the claw machine and grab an item for you.”

Customer: “Yeah! I’ll even give you $5 to do it!”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, I am unable to provide that service. I think you will need to call the service number on the side of the machine for those kinds of inquiries.”

Customer: “Oh, is that how it works?”

And he left without altercation. I seriously wondered if he had never visited an arcade before.