[ WP ] `` I 'm sorry , but the thing you were looking for is sold out . ''

You know when they first built the Replicators, everyone thought it was great. It was going to change the world, and boy it has. For starters, we live in a socialist utopia now. Everyone has control of the means of production. Sure, the old order tried to keep the Replicators off the street, but all it took was one idealist. He made a replica of his replicator and once that one worked... well, that was that. 
 
 So now everything's amazing. You want a fresh cup of la colombe in the morning? You got it. You want a new Jet-ski or a luxury car? You got it. Everything's amazing, nobody's happy. 
 
 That's where I come in. I have this storefront, it's just a half dozen cash registers. Only two are ever open, and there is always a line. Sure, most of the queue are actors, but the marks do n't know that, or maybe they do n't care. It's not hard to find workers for the job, really. Mostly younger kids, the kind that are still able to feel bored by unlimited potential. I pay them in experiences. That's the one coin worth anything today; even the best replicator ca n't replicate *experience*. 
 
 The marks come in, stand in line for what must seem like forever in the Age of Instant, but is really only about 15 minutes. The customer in front of you never has correct change. The customer in front of them always has an expired coupon. I always get a kick out of that one. 
 
 Then, when you get to the cash register, you tell the perky attendant what you want. And she'll answer the same way every time. `` I'm sorry, but the thing you were looking for is sold out!'' And then they smile, just to really grind it in. 
 
 Man, people just absolutely lose it. They scream, they curse, they yell. They get to vent all that pent up frustration on somebody. See, some people just ca n't handle perfect. They ca n't deal with the fact that everything outside of their own heads is wonderful, and that maybe they're the one that's screwed up in the dome. 
 
 They have their say, they pay the teller, and then the leave. 
 
 I help them. I sell disappointment. I'm sorry, but the thing *you* were looking for is sold out.''
