Are YOU being served….?

This weekend I came face to face with an extra terrestial.

A  being that appeared to be in human form but bore no sign of cognitive, emotional or verbal function.

I did try to make contact by uttering some simple phrases but clearly the E.T. did not comprehend and stared blankly at the wall directly behind me – through me. I followed this up with some subtle and non threatening facial expressions, hoping the E.T. would at least try to mirror me in an attempt to make contact. Nothing.

My last resort, some direct eye contact to see whether my presence had actually been registered. This was my killer move, my secret weapon – coupled with an open stance and a glimmer of a smile – surely no being could resist. I am sure that I sensed some kind of reaction, some kind of awareness of my presence. Was that a slight tremor at the edge of the E.T.’s mouth? A quickened blink of the eye? I held my breath waiting to hear the E.T utter a solitary word or sound in response to my invitation to greet.

Alas,  it was gone in a flash and the E.T. placed my change and receipt on the counter. The E.T. was gone.

I believe that this E.T. is also referred to as a shop assistant.

Strangely enough I have met ‘shop assistants’ before and had always managed to have my ‘Close Encounters’ moment – but this particular sub species had me flummoxed. To the extent that I ended up mirroring their behaviour and closed down all communication. Could it be that I was almost the victim of a body snatching incident and was ripped from the clutches of death by the welcoming gait of a slightly more responsive E.T? A more responsive E.T who made me feel so welcome that I voluntarily parted with a disturbingly large proportion of my well earned cash?

Was I was actually paying a premium to be in the presence of a nicer E.T. or had I just been fleeced?

Would I pay again to be in the presence of these friendly beings? These friendly beings that make me feel welcome, direct me to the very best ‘quality’ items,  share some real human behaviours and make me feel like they know exactly what I need? Its a no-brainer.

What a difference a smile makes…