MegaSale

I am in Madison, Wisconsin this week. Four nights ago I learned that my Uncle's Bicycle shop was having their huge spring sale this week. When I lived in Wisconsin during third and fourth grade, we would dust bikes and make popcorn in the rented popcorn machine for his bi-annual sale. Mostly I remember squeezing in "test rides" on tandem bikes and other ridiculous models such as the Electra Hellbilly.
The day I heard of the sale I called my Uncle and invited myself to be his temporary employee.
Yesterday I spent eleven hours assisting "real" employees by organizing bins of bike components and accessories. Did you know there are at least six types of CO2 containers for airing your tires, and more than eleven types of red safety lights that all succeed in making you look like a mutant firerfly?
The store rents several circus tents during the sale to make their products more accessible to customers. I spent today under the white tents, moving bikes and smiling dumbly at customers as they asked me
"do you prefer steel or aluminum frames?"
"how do the gear shifters work?"(why does it matter how their machinery works, just use it)
and my favorite, "I've read that you can attach a component on the post that allows you to do trailing [not sure what all these words mean]. Do you think that would work with this model, or should I get the higher end one?" (from a customer who was an athletic hybrid of a disciple and a Scottish man.)
While not directing customers to "real" salesman, I encouraged fellow employees to watch the snow fall on the bikes parked outside of the tents, while gradually turning into an ice statue.