Obeying The Rules To The Letter

(I go to the post office to mail an envelope. One side is quite long — 90 centimeters — but every other side is within the limits, so it can still go through a Dutch mailbox opening, making it a letter. I used to be a mail deliverer myself, so I’m quite aware of all the rules.)

Clerk: “I’m sorry, but the envelope is larger than a mailbox.”

Me: “Eh… It fits through a normal mailbox.”

Clerk: “No, it does not! Look!” *shows the letter next to a mailbox sample display they use to prevent discussions* “It doesn’t fit.”

Me: “Ah, I see… and if you put it in this way?”

(I turned the envelope 90 degrees and “posted” the letter through the sample. The clerk fell silent and turned red, finishing the transaction in silence.)