Where do these people come from?

I'll make this one quick, as my mind is on my next blog topic; Ms. Sarah Palin. But I did promise a story displaying ordinary peoples lack of processing power, and here is one of the most recent examples.
It was a few days before Halloween, and I was in the search for the jacket that would complete my Wolverine outfit. As displayed in the accompanying photo, I believe this one did the trick quite nicely, though I had various reservations about its dubious origin. You see, this jacket was stumbled upon at a costume rental shop; not just any rental shop, but one of the seediest, skankiest rental shops I have come to witness. In its previous glory as a grocery store, the now makeshift display cases served as the freezers for various pre-made entrees, vegetables and desserts. In its current form, the yardsale-esque arrangement of garments and ornaments spawned an odor far transcending even the dankest of Antique or Second-hand stores; more appropriately it would be likened to a morgue or rendering plant. This was the kind of place where you expect the employees to be social pariahs; which leads me to my encounter with one of them.
Having made the decision to don this possibly louse-infected apparel for the sake of making the costume, I inquired as to the price. The employee at the desk, salivating over the arrival of her delectable lunch cuisine (Jack in The Box tacos I believe; I could see them through the now translucent paper bag,) replied that it would be $10 to rent, $30 to buy. Deciding against the purchase, I agreed to the terms and proceeded to pay for the rental. She informed me it would be a deposit of $40. First questioning, I then figured that would cover rental and purchase if I didn't return the garment punctually. When I was subsequently asked for the $10 rental fee in addition, I of course questioned the homely clerks' logic. This effectively makes a $30 jacket cost $50 if I lost it. She stated a string of numbers to her (and only her,) satisfaction and requested payment. Now understanding why this cretin worked in a seasonal costume rental shop, I handed over payment and exited with my attire...