Uncomfortable Shopping Experience

I’ve learned that if you go to Radio Shack for an A/V cable of any kind, you need to take a visual aid with you. It’s otherwise impossible to communicate to Radio Shack employees what you’re looking for.

When I walked in to the store today, the scene was typical: two employees, no customers. I pulled out my visual aid and said, “I need to replace this cable with a superior one.”

One employee headed toward the back of the store; the other said, “By superior, you mean better?”

I thought maybe he was screwing with me. On the brink of saying, “That’s what superior means,” I held my tongue and said, “Yes.”

He showed me a couple of options. One was $20 and the other $30. “What’s the difference?” I asked.

He pointed to the $30 one and said, “This one has Time Correct Windings.”

When I asked him what that meant, he said, “It means the cable is wound so that it’s timed with the frequency of the audio.”

Whatever.

I made my choice, and at the cash register, he asked if I needed any batteries.

I chuckled. “Does that ever work? The battery offer?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep.”

Awkward silence. I signed for the purchase.