Wish fulfilment

THE shop is open, but you cannot get through the door for the crowds flooding in from across the country. After you finally squeeze inside, you have a question. A sales assistant asks you to write it down and tells you that someone might reply—after next Tuesday. You fill your shopping basket anyway. At the till, however, the cashier removes several items from your cart: “Sorry, these are just for display. We are sold out.” At home, you discover your credit card has been charged anyway—twice, in fact. And, mysteriously, your bag contains things you have never seen before. You go back to the store to complain. The sales assistant has no memory of who you are or of what you bought. He suggests you auction your unwanted purchases on eBay.