Lessons Learned while Shopping for a New Cell Phone

I dropped my phone on Sunday and the screen broke. I was pulling it from my pocket as I left the sanctuary and fumbled with it. While it was spinning through the air in slow motion, my brain screamed "Nooooooo!" I knew this was not going to turn out well. Sure enough, I was right.




















So I headed to the Verizon store and walked out with this phone - the Samsung Sway. I like it a lot so far. I thought about a touch-screen phone, but didn't like any that were in my price range. Maybe next time I'll get an iPhone, but I don't want a phone with a data plan. If I had one, I'd check my email and surf the internet all the time - and I already text enough as it is.

So there I was in the store, wandering around as I waited for the sales rep was able to help me. Little children were running around, playing with phones. Frustrated parents lectured them from the line at the tech desk. New customers came in and stared at the line with a glazed look on their faces. Phones were ringing. One of the clerks was checking his email on the big TV and kept turning around to see if anyone was paying attention. It kind of surreal. After an hour and a half of wandering, talking to the rep, purchasing and waiting for my info to upload to my new phone, I left.

As I was leaving, it hit me. Cell phone stores are like airports - small public places where large groups of frustrated people wait for long lengths of time.

Kinda like purgatory, only for real.

Can you think of anywhere else that's like this?