I was returning an item at Costco this evening. The gentleman to my right was doing the same thing, but did it with a bit more style.

Hey, Carol*. The greeting gave the lady behind the counter pause; after looking at him quizzically, she asked if she knew him.

The man pauses momentarily, and then breaks out a huge grin: don’t you remember the bar last Saturday? Both of the Costco employees laugh at this**—apparently bars aren’t this gal’s thing—knowing now that he was just quick at reading her nametag.

The guy then mentions that he works in retail as well, and one day an unknown customer came up and pulled a similar stunt on him. hey Bill*! Remember me? Pause. Aw, c’mon! Jail? Pause. We were cellmates!

[*Names changed to protect me from having to admit I don’t remember their names.]

[**I laughed as well at that time, not knowing anything about Carol’s attitudes towards bars; the way I figure it, it was funny if it was true, and it was funny if it was not.]