While he was waiting for his paperwork for whatever gear he was buying, he had a conversation with one of the stores' receiving workers who was unloading products on the selling floor.
The guy, who had no clue Knopfler was a rock musician, struck up a conversation with Knopfler about the music video playing on all the screens and basically expressed the sentiment that while blue collar guys like himself had to bust their humps all day delivering microwaves and refrigerators, installing cabinets, etc. the rockers wearing silk pants and makeup in MTV videos were getting paid to do nothing but enjoy themselves.
Knopfler thought the guy was hilarious and wrote a song from his perspective.
So the narrator of the song is basically a blue collar cugine from Brooklyn.
Hot chicks sticking it out and a little faggot millionaire... Sounds like Little Red Corvette or 1999!