Unable To Conveyer It To Him

(When the restaurant closes up for the night, our department takes away all the dishes, and cleans up the washing-up room, the coffee bar, and the dinner tables. Tonight I will be closing the coffee bar while my two colleagues will focus on the washing-up room. As we are getting near closing time, one of them starts picking up as many dishes as possible. Dishes are brought to the conveyor belt which brings them into the washing-up. After closing time, we usually block the conveyor belt in order to clean up the machines without being interrupted. Remaining dishes are then put on the nearby table. Tonight, however, I notice something odd. While my colleague, a temporary worker, is picking up all the trays and dishes, I see that the conveyor belt has already been closed by him, even while we’re still open.)

Me: “Sorry, did you close the conveyor belt already?”

Colleague: “Yeah, I’m emptying the dining hall right now.”

Me: *confused for not seeing the connection* “Yes, but why did you close the conveyor belt then?”

Colleague: “So that I could tidy up all the dishes from the dining hall quietly.”

Me: “But wouldn’t that go faster if you didn’t close up the conveyor belt already? I mean, that way, you wouldn’t have to pick up the trays of people who want to deliver their dishes themselves.”

Colleague: *really not getting it* “No, I thought this would be better.”

Me: “I really don’t see why you should close up the conveyor belt already.”

Colleague: “Oh, just so that I could tidy up all the dishes.”

(At that point, I decided to stop trying to explain the error in his totally illogical reasoning. Clearly, everything I said was not coming through.)