Wondering if this is really about anime at all or if parents just want a free activity where they can keep an eye on their kids in a safe space. Powell's is basically a babysitter with books, so of course they show up when something free and nerdy lands on a Saturday. The real fans probably bailed years ago once the hobby went mainstream and every big box store started selling the same t-shirts.

...and honestly that reminds me of this time I locked my keys in the car at a gas station and this random dude spent like twenty minutes helping me jimmy the door open with a coat hanger. He didn't even know me, just saw me looking stupid and went for it. We never exchanged names or anything. I still think about that guy sometimes, more than I remember any official customer service thing ever. It's weird how the unplanned, no audience moments just hit different.

Grandpa's beater" got me, I still have my mom's 1984 blender that could probably out-mix a construction site. I'd say rage-return the new one, my $89 "upgrade" ended up being a glorified paperweight within a month.