Well, You Can Just Go Suck On It!

(I’m providing samples for a new local sweet. A customer approaches my stall as she enters the store.)

Customer: “What are these?”

Me: “They’re chocolate covered—“

(The customer doesn’t wait for me to finish my sentence before taking a sample and spending about five minutes sucking on it. During this time she is ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ at the deliciousness of the sweet. She’s really selling product for me and plenty of people come up, curious to find out what’s going on. However, whenever someone tries to take a sample she turns to them and mumbles how rude they are to push ahead of her, so eventually there is a long line of people waiting for her to finish. I try to take a plate around to the other customers but she shouts at me, takes the plate, and drops it back on the stall. The line slowly disperses with disgruntled looks at the woman while I look apologetic at everyone. Eventually she speaks again.)

Customer: “Oh! The centre is different. It’s delicious! What is it?”

Me: “Well, the outside it chocolate and the inside is aniseed balls you may have had as a child.”

Customer: “Oh, I don’t like aniseed.”

(The customer then turns and walks away, with the aniseed ball still in her mouth. I’m a little confused, but just shake it off and get on with my work. About half an hour later I see her again, leaving with her shopping.)

Customer: “They really are delicious, by the way. Shame about the aniseed. I just can’t stand it.”

(She then left the store, still sucking on the aniseed ball.)