'That guy' turned out to be helping several other customers, giving advice and making suggestions. My husband waited patiently - 20 minutes - for his turn, and indicated that he just needed to purchase something out of the case. The salesperson had no key. So the hubby waited another 15 minutes while the salesperson hunted for the key to the case. Finally, he came back out and said, "Well, I can't find it, or anybody who has it. I can go look some more, if you want to wait."
Hubby said, "I'm done waiting, thanks," and left.
When he related this tale of woe, I said, "Did you ask for the manager?"
Turns out, the guy standing unoccupied in plain sight while customers waited for over half an hour was the manager. Guess we'll be buying that card somewhere else.