I was at a merchant’s store to make a complaint about an item I had recently purchased. Truthfully, every part of my being wanted to scream. “That would be both ruthless and uncivil”, I thought. Honestly, it is sometimes a lot easier to be angry than to maintain calm. As I spoke to the sales person in hushed tones (ensuring my phonëë was on point), a man barges into the store, ignores us all and makes his way straight to one of the other members of staff. He brings out a polyethylene bag and shoves it in the employee’s face. “I was very clear that I wanted a blue dress the other day and you buffoons gave me this purple one instead”, he shouted. I swear you would almost hear a pin drop. Heck even our very breaths sounded like snorts!

As I watched on amidst the shock, the staff in question apologized generously and promised to immediately change the cloth. As he drew it out from the bag, I was so sure it was a blue cloth. The staff must have been thinking the same thing because he stepped outside with the dress and came back in, explaining that the irate customer was indeed given a blue cloth and not a purple one as he had claimed. Within seconds, we all stepped out for a moment to confirm what we’d just heard. I could not hold back the giggles as I saw the blue cloth. The earlier ‘harassed’ member of staff was gracious enough to apologise again and explain that perhaps the lighting in the store accounted for his misjudgement. The man barely let out a smirk as he snatched the cloth and said that the yellow light bulb in his room at home must have misled him into thinking it was purple instead of blue and out the store he went. Whaaaaat?! I confess that it took me a while to get over what had just played out in front of me. Guess the ‘customer is king and always right’ allowed him to get away with such behaviour without any remorse. I continued with my complaint, got my item exchanged and left the store.

As I commuted home, I had many of my own ‘I thought it was purple’ moments flash before me.

Sigh!