The Problem Is Escalating

Customer: “Your stairs are broken!”

Me: “What do you mean by broken, sir?”

Customer: “They aren’t going!”

Confused, I follow him over to the stairs where I can’t see any issues.

Customer: “Well?!”

Me: “Well… what, sir?”

Customer: “How am I supposed to get up to the next floor?!”

Me: “You just take these stairs, sir?”

Customer: “But they’re not going!”

Me: “They’re just regular stairs, sir. They aren’t escalators.”

I am met with just a blank stare. I step on the first step while he watches me, confused but focused. I make an over-the-top motion of putting my foot on the second step and gesture for him to follow me. He nervously takes a step onto the first step, like a cat or dog cautiously investigating something new.

He puts his foot forward, hovering slowly over the second step, seemingly unsure if this is the right course of action, before backing away onto the main floor.

Customer: “Oh, I see! They’re broken! Why didn’t you just say so?”

Me: “Let me show you to the elevators, sir.”

I should indicate that he walked very fast and seemed very healthy and spritely, and to enter the ground floor of our very old department store requires ascending a series of ten steps (disabled access was around the back). He just didn’t seem to understand these particular stairs!