Sounds like a typical salesman to me. If it's at a pet store i wonder how long they have to digest before they are handled. If they're young and he's feeding them hoppers they may need more time to digest, if it's older and still not digesting hoppers could be a sign of a larger problem (infection, blockage, stress, temps, etc.)
I've only had one issue with a sick snake and then once with high temps. I'd be very cautious of that store.