Union Square is my Staples, so to me this is how Staples is. Do you have to buttonhole a clerk who's talking to somebody if you want help finding what you want, or at least what you want to find? Yes, but don't do it if you mind his/her slight impatience if you're a slower decider than George Bush was back when he ran a small country. Oh, is the U.S. a big one? Great! But Staples (1) is sometimes the only place that has a small item you need, and (2) if you want a bigger item, is often a good bet to have it with an OK-or-better price tag. Then you can run it over to the cashier and haul it home in a sack without one person there getting steamed up about the sale they just made. A shortage of enthusiasm? Maybe, but it's low-key and seems real agreeable to me some days.
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