Inventory and why retail probably isn't for me in the long run

Yesterday we were doing inventory at the bookstore where I work. We've had signs on the door since Monday indicating that we would close early on Thursday evening, and not open until 1 pm on Friday afternoon.

Someone on the facilities team at the seminary dropped the ball on their end, and the doors (which automatically lock and unlock, and cannot be controlled from the store itself) unlocked as usual at 8:30 yesterday morning, even though we were closed. I told my manager that we would have to do something to keep people from coming in. He thought that the original signs on both entrances (indicating that we were closed until 1) would be enough to keep people out.

By 9 am, he realized that he was wrong, and people obviously do NOT read signs at all, because we had probably a dozen people in that first half hour come into the store, and we had to explain to them that we were, in fact, closed for inventory. So a co-worker printed up new signs with big bold lettering that said, "PLEASE DO NOT ENTER. THE BOOKSTORE IS CLOSED FOR INVENTORY AND WILL REOPEN AT 1 PM." Surely, if placed at eye-level where the double-doors come together, people will notice this and stay out of the store. Within 10 seconds of the sign being posted (indeed, before my co-worker could even make his way around to the other entrance in order to not disturb the sign), a middle-aged woman came barging through the door.

Finally, we realized that a physical barrier was going to have to be put in place in order to keep people from entering the store. We have some stansions in the store (you know, those things like at the bank or the airport that direct where the line is supposed to go; the canvas strips that run between posts), so we ran a barrier in front of the front door. That was finally the thing that worked... sort of. There were still students that would get all the way to the door, try to open it, realize that in order to open the door they'd have to knock down our barrier, and THEN pause to read the TWO posted signs about why they couldn't get in.

One interesting thing to me was the reactions we got from people. When told we were closed, some students retorted, "Well, I'm just cutting through to get to the student center." "Oh!" I thought about saying, "Well, then in your case, we're not closed. We're open for people who are just cutting through, but if you're interested in buying anything, THEN we're closed." Other students would say, "Oh, well I just wanted to see if you have this certain book," or, "Oh, well I really need to buy this book this morning." In my mind (but not out loud) I thought, "Perhaps someone should explain to you what 'closed' means. When you go to a store that's 'closed,' you're not allowed to just look around. You're also not allowed to buy an item just by claiming that you really need it. 'Closed' means 'closed.' Not open to the public. Do you understand? Do I need to draw you a diagram? YOU'RE A GRADUATE STUDENT."

I think my favorite response was from the woman who barged in right after the really obvious sign was put up (and in case it wasn't properly explained, she basically had to rip the sign in two in order to get the front door open). A co-worker politely explained, "I'm sorry, we're actually closed right now for inventory, as the sign on the door says." The woman laughed and said, "Oh! I wondered what that sign was there for!" "Really?" I thought. "Did you really wonder? Apparently you wondered so much that you completely IGNORED that sign. There are about 15 words on it. It's a bright, clear, sunny day. I can see no visibility problems here. Apparently you DIDN'T wonder what the sign was there for, because it would have taken you about 1.5 seconds to read it. Then you wouldn't have practically ripped it off."

My wife and I talked at length about this phenomenon last night. What is it that keeps us from paying attention? Is it our culture? Are Americans too distracted, antsy, and self-centered to be aware of what's around them? There's a book called The Dumbest Generation. I don't remember who the author is, but I guess its premise is basically that since we are so reliant on technology today, we're dumber because we don't have to retain knowledge at all. We wondered that if the "DO NOT ENTER" sign had been on a large-screen television outside the store, would people have been more likely to notice it? No matter what the reasons behind ignoring the signs in the first place, I think I was most thrown by the huge collection of ridiculous responses we got when we told people we were closed. Baffling. Your thoughts?