Yeah there are some people who really really really dont have a clue that the box is as important or more important than the item itself but if not a collector you can maybe understand, i expect if u had purchased it lose then they would have then provided a box.
I once had the dumbest assistant from woolworths, my friend in America wanted a box of batman chewing gum that were only in the UK and they had half a box on the shelf and i asked the lady if she had a sealed box anywhere and to my surprises she came back from the backroom with one, then proceeded to open it up to scan one of the gums lol i was fkn pissed off