“Do you want a bag?” asked a wide-eyed zealous sales girl at DSW shoes. She handed me a large black mesh bag to store multiple shoe boxes in.

It was my day off from work and I was excited to do some shopping in Manhattan. My husband asked, “Why do you want to spend your day in the city?” I responded, “Why not?” DSW is erroneously missing from the shoe-shopping scene in my town.

I took the bag and returned my attention to a pair of brown flats I wanted try own. “Do you need any help? she continued. I was bewildered by her stepford-wife-like demeanor and preferred to be ignored so I could browse. “No,” I responded flatly.

A few minutes later she was in the next row over high-fiving a customer who was thrilled to hear there was a clearance sale in the back. I had never observed such genuine happiness and excitement from a retail salesperson before! Was DSW giving happy pills to their employees?

Then I realized I was a hypocrite. In New Jersey, I expect the best customer service and attentiveness for the pure fact that I’m out of the city, but when I’m in New York, I am disturbed by (and even suspicious of) good behavior–New York has conditioned me not to expect much!