It’s The Season For Brain Freeze

It is early December, and we are in the thick of the in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas mayhem of shoppers. I’m a cashier at a local small grocery store. At this time, the temperature was hovering around 30°F to 40°F (-1°C to 4°C) outside. A gentleman comes up to me and asks me if we have any fresh watermelons in the back. 

My manager was talking to the cashier in the next lane, which is maybe four feet from this customer and I. She turns to me, blinks, and crooks an eyebrow with a WTF. I blink back and take a deep breath. I had a feeling, so I answer him.

Me: “Sir, watermelons are seasonal in the late Spring to early Fall. They are a Summer melon. We won’t have any more watermelons until at least maybe April.”

He huffs and gives me an angry look.

Customer: “But I want a watermelon now! Is there ANYWHERE I can get a watermelon?”

Me: “Sir. As I said, watermelons are a Summer seasonal melon and most likely won’t be available anywhere until late Spring.”

He huffs again and grumbles about going to the big W store, muttering that they have everything, so they must have watermelons.

My manager, the second cashier, and I slow blink at each other, and as the customer walks out the door, we start giggling.

2nd Cashier: “He does know that Google is free, right, and can find out just about anything about watermelons, right? Like, if they are in season or not? ”

Manager: “I’ve been working at a grocery store since I was sixteen, so it’s been about forty years now. Trust me, all the logic in the world won’t deter a customer into thinking they are, in fact, more right than facts.”