Scan You Hear Me Now?

I was working a job as a conference host, partly at the front door directing people to the check-in terminals or the registration desk if they had not pre-registered.

What’s supposed to happen is that they scan the QR code that was emailed to them, and it locates their booking, but we were having an issue getting the camera/scanner to scan the codes. Therefore, just before the doors opened, I went out to the foyer to announce:

Me: “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the [Name of conference]! We’ll be opening our doors in just a moment. We are having an issue with the QR code scanners. If you’re preregistered, may we please ask you to enter your name in the search box, and we can get you checked in much faster. Thank you!” 

The doors open, the first people approach the terminal, and I can already see they have gone into the QR scan option, and are waving their phone in front of the camera.

Woman At Terminal: “Excuse me, this scanner isn’t working!”

Me: *Internally.* “They never listen!”

I reach past her.

Me: *Externally.* “No problem, if you just go back here, and enter your name, we should be able to find it.”

Guy In Line Behind Her: “He did tell us outside.”

Most of my morning was spent welcoming new arrivals, asking them to use their names to check in on the terminal, and then watching them determinedly try to scan.

They never listen.