Not As Cheap As Their Service

(It’s the holiday season and I’m shopping for gifts at one of the huge national upscale mall department stores. My parents are comfortably well-off and don’t have many hobbies or interests, so are extremely difficult to shop for; since we all have money, gift cards seem silly and impersonal. After a lot of searching, I stumble onto a gadget that I think Dad will find useful. It is low-priced, but it suits the two genuine hobbies/interests Dad has and I think he would really appreciate the gift, so I’m quite pleased with my find. I go to the counter to pay for it.)

Employee: *while ringing up my purchase and taking my money* “Wow, quite a cheap gift. Don’t you think you should get them something better?”

Me: *speechless*

(Nothing further was said by either of us. The guy ruined my shopping experience and nearly made me cry. And his idea of holiday spirit seemed quite ironic: money is everything… I wish in retrospect I’d let a manager know the kinds of things their employees say to customers in a very misguided attempt to encourage more spending. I never set foot in that store again.  My dad did like the gift and used it often.)