What Library Just Gives Out Carrots, Anyway?

Our building is getting some much-needed work done on it, and the result is that we have horrible noise every day that starts almost the exact time we open. My manager orders some earplugs for all the desks so that we can give them out. They are those foam types that aren’t in pairs; it’s just a huge bag of earplugs. They are fluorescent orange and look like baby carrots.

I find a bowl, make a sign that says “Free Earplugs,” and place them at the desk. Five minutes after we open, a patron comes up, grabs a handful, shoves them in their mouth, and then spits them right back into their hand. 

Patron: “These aren’t carrots.”

Me: “No, they are earplugs.” 

Patron: “Why do you have earplugs?”

Right then, the construction noise started. I just picked up the trashcan. The patron dumped the earplugs in and walked off.