I totally agree with RLE.
If you're entitled then you can be issued with it. If not entitled, do what the rest of us have to do ...... put your hand in your pocket and go downtown and buy it.
AS for your thread title, I would hope that any other civvy or mil storeperson would have done exactly the same, but maybe with your attitude you would have given a blue-suiter a harder time and thereby helped to fuel any underlying 'resentment issues'.