Cost Plus World Market and The Temple of Duh
I saunter into a festive Cost Plus World Market bursting with Christmasy possibilities. No specific item in mind. A jaunty commuter mug. A colorful package of finger traps. A bottle of Merlot from Texas. A... What is this? I loft a plain hip flask my eye. My son coos his approval. This shall be mine. Take that Christmas. Another gift is checked. There is only one problem. It doesn't have a SKU or price or identity. None, on the shelf. One by one they fail and fall from my eye. It's as though these items exist outside of Cost Plus or maybe in an alt Cost Plus. Loki? I go to the Very Helpful Man, "Hello, there is no SKU (pronounced skew) on any of these (holding hip flask in right hand; 15 month old is on my shoulders but secured with my left hand) could you look up the price?" Very Helpful Man is flummoxed. He takes the flask as if it were plutonium. He looks the item over. And once again. Over under. Then sidewards rotations. I point out, "There are no skew...