Excuse me sir, can I get a pen?

I love office supplies. So it's not surprising to find me wandering around office supply stores on a Saturday afternoon just gathering ideas. Two weeks ago, however, I was there on business. I needed to place an order with customer service. (I use the term loosely here). Here's how it went:

First, I went to Office Depot since it's right around the corner from me. The store was not particularly busy and there were four staff members milling around behind the one open register. After waiting in line for assistance I was deferred to a mysterious other "in the back" who would be out to help me momentarily. I waited some more. The new clerk came out and looked at me. No greeting, just a look. I repeated that I need to place an order. The phone rang. She answered it and began an extensive personal conversation...ok, not meant to be. I walked out.

I got in my car and drove to Staples. Here there was one sales person who was not sure how to fill out the order form. He was, however, very polite. This went a long way in extending my patience. We muddled through it together and even though I was surprised he didn't want to make a copy of my certifying document, I left feeling moderately confident that my order would be placed. It was the follow-up this past week, though, that was so bizarre I'm shot straight passed irritated and landed in the "am-I-on-candid-camera?" zone.

I was expecting a call from the store telling me my order had arrived. What I got, was a barely audible mumbling indicating there was some problem and I should call to provide more information. No name; no call-back number. I went in the next day and was greeted by a different salesperson, "I'll be with you in a moment, sir." she said. (Ok, close enough. At least she acknowledge my presence, if not my gender).
"I'm here about an embosser."
"What's name?"
I gave her my name. She opens a box with no name and impresses the embosser seal on piece of paper.
"Is it this one?"
"No"
"No, that's something else."
"The message said there was some kind of problem."
"Oh, yes, they need [information from the certifying document]." She hands me the scrap paper with the wrong-embosser-seal impressed on it and says, "here write the information on this."
"umm...ok" I paused, and looked up, "you know, this does not inspire confidence. And I didn't have a lot of confidence in the person who took my order either, I mean...oh, it's not your fault."I trailed off...
She promised me she would put in on top of her "stack" and that she would follow-up personally.
"Ok." I said and picked up the scrap paper, "I need a pen." She looked around.
"We don't have pen; here use this." She hands me a highlighter.
Whatever.
I write my information on the blue scrap paper using the blue highlighter and walk out OF THE OFFICE SUPPLIES STORE!
Yeah, I'm never going to see that embosser.