I’ve got an Emerson Research synchronized clock radio, and never had a problem with it-it’s always accurate.
My Sony is still right on time.
Is it possible that it’s in “demo” mode for display in a store, running off a time set at the factory and an internal clock driven by the battery? That way there’s no problem receiving the signal if it’s inside a box inside a container inside a room inside a store inside a mall (although the WWV signals should still reach it). Maybe they have it running from the battery just to show that the digits are working. Taking out the battery sounds like a reasonable thing to try.
Blank Reg would agree.