I worked at a hardware store and a woman came up to me in the middle of me helping a man pick out an inner tube for his bike so that he and his kid could make it back home, and she interrupted us as if the man and the kid didn't even exist. She wanted a light bulb for her sewing machine. I told her I'd help her as soon as I finished with the man I was helping. She went off on me, and the man mouthed that it was OK and that I should help her so that she'd leave. She proceeded to treat me as if I were a complete fool who had approached her and was incapable of helping her. After about 5 minutes of insults and statements from her that indicated I wasn't smart enough to be working there, I asked her, "I don't recognize you. Where do you usually go to give grief to the sales staff? She shut up and went to the counter to buy the bulb I'd given her. I followed her, and very politely told the cashier, "Caroline, this is an extremely important person, and I want you to give her all of the attention she deserves." Never saw the woman again.

All shoe stores used to put the shoes on your feet for you. They measured your feet, too. They didn't do it to be servants -- they did it to keep the backs of leather shoes from being mashed down and creased by people who didn't know how to treat shoes. They also did it in order to keep certain customers from trying on a dozen pair of shoes and then leaving them all lying in the aisle.

^ #18