A moment at Staples

So. Much. Choice.
London, ON
October 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: It’s 7:02 on a Thursday night, and I’ve come to this nearly empty Staples office supply store in search of a proper felt tip pen (it’s a writer thing.)

The balding gentleman we see here walks straight up to me and starts asking about keyboards. He’s right up in my face, and I’m not sure why he thinks I work here.

What I AM sure about is despite the fact that I’m wearing a mask, I really don’t like strangers getting into my personal space. So I quickly shrug my shoulders and back away.

As I reach the end of the aisle, curiosity strangely gets the better of me, so I tuck myself behind the giant pile of laser printers to see what he does next.

(Confession: I find it great fun to watch folks shop for tech products. They tend to say the darnedest things when doing so.)

I surreptitiously snap this photo, then hang around until an actual staff member approaches him - and soon regrets his decision.

“My cat pissed on my keyboard and now it’s dead. I don’t know why. He just walked right up to it and let go. He never does this. Well, only a couple of times since we got him.”

Awkward silence ensues as the staffer stares at his shoes. He obviously doesn’t have a cat, but he does know a thing or two about keyboards, and soon recovers sufficiently to explain the merits of Logitech’s latest.

These are, unfortunately, a bit more expensive than the no-name house brand keyboards sitting at the back of the dusty bottom shelf.

“I don’t want to overspend. He’ll probably piss on it again, so why spend the extra money?”

The man has a point. He grabs a battered box and makes his way to the front. I never do manage to find that felt tip pen.

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