They Put You In A Bit Of A Bind

I work for a large multinational supermarket chain. It has been about two weeks since school started, and most of the stock has been picked clean. The few school supplies that remain have already been put on clearance.

A father and daughter — she’s about twelve — come in looking for some last-minute supplies. I don’t work in that department, but since my coworker is out to lunch, I offer to help them look for their supplies.

I manage to scrounge about half the items on the list; everything else is sold out.

Dad: “Okay, the last item on the list is a one-inch, three-ring binder. What is that?”

Me: “Oh, the binders are all the way over here. Let me show you.”

Dad: “Yeah, but what are they?”

Me: *Hesitant* “Uh, they are like notebooks, but you can refill and exchange the pages inside.”

We get to the area where the binders are kept and start showing them the different styles we still have in stock.

Girl: “I really like this style, but this one has graph paper. I need lined.”

Me: “Uh, sure, but since it’s a binder, you can easily substitute the graph paper sheets for lined ones with no problem.”

Girl: “But I need lined and this one has graph paper!”

Me: “Yes, yes, but see? You push on these tabs, the rings open, and you can just pull out these graph pages and add the lined ones.”

Girl: “But that’s graph paper!”

Me: *Giving up hope* “Here; these other styles come preloaded with lined sheets.”

The girl picks one of these last binders and a pack of refill sheets and saunters off with her dad. My coworker comes back from her break just as I am finishing helping them and asks how things are going.

Me: “I can’t believe I just had to explain to them what a three-ring binder was and how to use it!”

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