Samsung delivers the Galaxy (boldly going... where no phone has gone before...?)

And I thought I was just getting a phone that I could finally play Words with Friends on.

...and Mille Bornes, of course.

While I'm here- so I went into my local @ and T store to get a cover for the thing (didn't want to scratch up the back with my keys or my pocket knife or anything). And I get there at lunch. Two people on two sets of customers (2 in the first, then 1 in the second set) and then one woman in the back flipping through a magazine. Okay. So I grab a cover and que to check out. And I start waiting. And Waiting. And waiting some more. And there's one guy - the greeter, I suppose, who is not doing much of anything. After a while, Magazine gets up from the bench at the back of the store and walks out. Finally when the cashier - excuse me - sales representative (or somesuch) finishes with her guy, she leaves me waiting at the counter while she walks the guy to the front of the store in order to open the door for him on his way out. But only after asking him "if he was pleased with his service today and if he was asked would he recommend them to his family and friends" or some damned thing. Now I could understand if the guy was infirm or looked like he would have trouble finding his way to - or some how opening the door - or finding Outside once said door was found and indeed open. But he wasn't. He was mid-thirties business casual guy - in short, he looked like he could hold down a day job with out drooling on himself too much. WTF AT&T? WTF?

And- I get the impression that that's not that unusual. I know someone that used to work for a cell carrier at a call center. They used to say that the people in the retail stores were generally considered to be complete idiots by the call center workers.

To be fair (he said grudgingly) I have find *the* guy to help before at the locations that I've had to take problems to. By my own limited experience, there seems to be only one person employed at any given location that is really helpful and competent - not a super-great average... but then I don't go very often (wonder why?) so my experience is limited and anecdotal. Caveat emptor you.