It's a better gesture if you don't put your foot in it

It’s a wonderful sight to behold when an ostensibly sweet/romantic/thoughtful gesture becomes instead the basis for a fight. Even better, when I am the poor sap who has to wait upon them, bearing silent witness to it all and pretending that absolutely nothing is amiss.

Not too long ago a young couple came into the store. Apparently the concept running through his mind was that his girlfriend had mentioned she’d like an item at our store and so he brought her in so she could pick one out as her birthday present. As plans go, it wasn’t too shabby. Uninspired and borderline lazy, but it wasn’t a bad plan.

Unfortunately, like a lot of guys it seems, he could not keep his bleeding mouth shut and let her pick out what she really wanted. Nope, he had to dominate the conversation. At every turn, he emphasized the qualities he thought were important even to the extent of overriding her opinion.

At one point she stormed out and he followed. They had a heated little heart-to-heart in the parking lot before she came back in. I was assisting her with an item when he came back in. Cue the passive-aggressive, back-handed apologies.

I made a decent sale.

I wonder if she’ll realize her boyfriend’s a prize dick and dump his entitled ass before he does serious damage to her self-image. Nah, I doubt it.