You are being illogical. Now if today you went outside and saw a zombie what would you do? How would you determine it was a zombie? Say a really bad off junkie approached you some look just like zombies, you scream zombie and stab in the brain? That's murder.
More over since when has books and movies actually prepared anyone for anything "real"?
With all due respect, if you went outside right now and saw a zombie, depending on the distance, you'd prob have no more than 20 seconds to decide if you're gonna run or fight. I'd think after you saw something running full speed toward you, arms flailing, you'd realize danger was approaching.
Zombies just don't "approach" people on some, "do you have change," shyt. In all zombie movies I can think of, the virus spreads fast because the host move and feed much faster than humans. Hence why, if there was a zombie outbreak, the people that would be fukked the most would be those asleep in their homes.
You can't prepare for something you don't know exists. Zombies are fictitious so whether they watched tv or read books or not, the first time they come across one would be scary and shocking as hell. Now lets say you come across a "zombie" and for the sake of this argument you aren't scared shytless and you recognize immediately it's a zombie. Now lets say you do what movies and books say to do and that shyt doesn't work. Then what.
I think you're vastly underrating the human psyche. I was around for 9/11. I was around for the Boston marathon bombings. You'd be fukkn surprised how aware the average person can be in a dangerous environment.
Last but not least, its 2013. Everyone should know by now that you avoid all Walmarts and metropolitan areas during a zombie outbreak. You don't really need much more preparation than that. Everything after is pure luck and skill.