I am the customer in this story. I am a very short, unobtrusive high school girl, eating lunch in a sandwich shop with several friends at a shopping mall. We are all on a school trip and have time to eat and do a little bit of souvenir shopping before we need to get back on the bus.
One of my friends finishes her sandwich faster than the rest of us and goes to a nearby creamery. She comes back with some delicious-looking ice cream cone and I immediately decide that if I’ll get my own when I’m done with my food.
I finish my sandwich and head over to the creamery. The mall is almost empty, so there’s no line. There is only one employee behind the counter, and he is doing something on his phone. I take the opportunity to quickly read the labels on the ice cream flavors, since I try to be sure of what I want to order when I come to the counter, for the employee’s sake and mine.
I look up after reading the flavors and the employee is still occupied with his phone. He seems to have no idea that I’m there.
Oh well, I figure, and start looking at the toppings. I take my time to read every label. The employee still doesn’t notice me.
I read the labels on all the syrups. Nothing. I read all the ice cream labels again in case I missed something when I hastily read them before. Still nothing. He doesn’t look up.
Me: *timidly* “Um—excuse me? Sir?”
Employee: *jumps and looks up* “Oh, I’m so sorry, miss; I didn’t see you there!”
He apologized several more times while mixing my ice cream. I’d been so quiet coming up to the counter that he hadn’t heard me at all. I told him that it was all right. I got my ice cream and returned to the sandwich shop, where I told my friends what had happened. They laughed and told me that if I’d really been that quiet without even trying, I could probably be a burglar!
