Total Retail Vol 2
So back in the day when I worked at Crazy Eddies I spent the majority of my time there working at the 57th and third ave store. As befitting its location, quite a few celebrities came in to shop there. I’ve seen Carly Simon, Donna Summer, Abbie Hoffman, Grandmaster Flash, Gene (Match Game) Rayburn (A nice man who used to rent Ginger Lynn Movies! Go Gene!) and others whom I’ll save for a later date. My favorite celebrity sighting/encounter has to be Stevie Wonder.
So one day Stevie comes into the store accompanied by an aide/bodyguard. Now the record dept where I worked was on the second floor so imagine my surprise to see him ambling up the steps with his bodyguard and Manny one of the CE (Consumer Electronics) salesman in tow. I don’t remember what he brought downstairs, but I got him to buy an Ofra Haza CD, which he immediately liked when he heard the 1st track I played for him.
Now at one point his aide had to go back to the car to get his ink pad because Stevie signed his credit card receipts with a thumbprint. Stevie and I were alone on the second floor and I had one of my more shameful sitcom moments. As we spoke, I looked around to make sure no one was watching and I slowly waved my hand in front of his face as if I wanted to make sure he was blind. I don’t know what got into me. I’m sure that’s gonna be on the highlight reel when I get upstairs and St Peter mulls over letting me in.
Anyway throughout his visit, Stevie was pestered by this guy named Manny. Manny was a salesman in the PE (Personal electronics) department. Manny was a nice fellow, but apparently at times he could be a little thick in the head. He had a stiff manner about him like his shorts were starched or something. But he was a nice guy though. Legend has it that because he had a proclivity to walk away from his area and leave the PE counter unmanned, a store manager or his dept manager, had everyone in the store in the habit of saying “Manny what the fuck are you doing?” whenever they’d see him anywhere else in the store.
So upon Stevie’s departure from the store Manny decided to accompany him to his Limo. As he walked out Jonathan Needles the store manager stopped Stevie to thank him for shopping at the store. The two of them muttered something to each other as Manny babbled away in Stevie’s ear. As a bunch of us watched Manny not only followed Stevie back to his car but at one point had his head in the limo. We watched this incredulously for about two minutes until the limo drove off.
So Manny comes strolling back to the store entrance with his chest puffed out and his his head waggling about like a bobblehead doll quite proud of himself. Jonathan says to him “Manny did you notice I had a word with Stevie before he left? Do you know what he said to me?”
“No, what?”
“He said for the first time in my life I wish I was deaf instead of blind.”
I’ve never seen someone’s ego deflated so quickly. Manny’s smile disappeared and his shoulders slumped as he walked back to his counter. Whenever George who worked security at the door (and also witnessed this) and I get together we always bring this up and laugh our asses off.
Rodneyrants 