I always imagined "social engineering" as using some sleazy tactics that rely on exploiting emotions of the people with access, e.g. calling the lonely clerk at the phone a "sweetie" and commenting on her beauty/softness of her voice, or giving some gambling tips/bonus to the gambling junkie clerk, or so.

This, on the other hand, was simply following procedure. No social "engineering" here.

"Oh, shoot, I have so many credit cards... is it this one? This one? This one?"

Seeming clueless when doing malicious things is unquestionably a form of social engineering.