When Requests Have Both A Positive And A Negative Side

(The power has gone out in the cafe.)

Customer: “I’d like a soda, please.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but since the power is out, we can only sell bakery products from the window.”

Customer: “Oh, that’s okay. I only wanted to use the Wi-Fi, anyway.”

(He sits in the corner, but comes back a few minutes later.)

Customer: “The wi-fi seems to be down. Could you reset it?”

Me: “No, sir. The power is out, so the Wi-Fi won’t work until it comes back on.”

Customer: “Don’t you have batteries for it?”