Education has become a desert. Too few teachers, and the best and very good teachers are run off by the hyper political climate if not by downright threats. Home schooling depends on the parents, who may not be competent in all or any subjects. It has become a presumption that if cities and counties pay enough to keep the schools grinding along, the process will take care of itself. Then add the pandemic.
The raw intelligence is there in many children, but they may be held back by others in the class. Teachers are not often admired, and good students are ignored or persecuted. The result is dazed young people who can'd listen, have stunted vocabularies, and struggle with community and family situations.
Meantime, the wealthy send their kids to schools that are private or selective by zip code and do pretty well. So their kids are "deserving" and "advanced placement."
Education is a national resource, and it is a scarce commodity. We all pay for its absence. When I find a young person who shows some comprehension and competence, I'm thrilled. They're like thoroughbreds that run away from the pack. Too many who could do well are left behind.
I might have tried to talk the uncomprehending clerk through the process of finding the Marlboro Golds, just to assess her mental processes. Maybe she could be directed by visual cues. Sometimes people have handicaps they can surmount. Just to find out what the hell was going on with her, if I had the time.