It does help to know where things are in your store

[fma_fanatic]

Tonight I went grocery shopping and perhaps the dietys that be decided that it was okay to torment me a little, as if they hadn't already since I've been sick.

One of the local stores has their brand of soda on sale. We haven't had soda in the house for the last few days and seeing as I don't think it's a good idea for the husband to drink an entire pot of coffee to get his caffine fix, I had a mission to get some.

Wandering down the soda aisle, I see that the spot where the soda is has just the diet versions of their soda. Logic says ask someone if there's a display somewhere. So I do. I spot a manager in the deli and ask if there's a display somewhere of the soda. Rather than actually look or find someone to ask, he just glances down the soda aisle and says "Oh, that's all we have," and goes back to chatting with the deli clerk.

Nice.

Well, I still need other stuff, so I get that and wander down the main aisle to the registers when what do I see?

A huge frackin' display of soda.

The same soda that the manager said they didn't have. The same soda that was apparently not in the store. As I'm loading my cart up, the manager walks by and comments "Oh you found some." I glance up and smile a little.

Me: Yeah, it's nice to know where things are in your store, isn't it?

He gives me a funny look and I walk off to the registers.

As I told hubby this after I got home, I said I might have been sucky to the manager, but honestly? He contributed to it. He made no effort to look or ask someone if there might be more soda somewhere. He just shrugged me off. I could have just left my cart there and been a real sucky customer, but since I did need the items I was going to purchase, I didn't.

[Mnemjian]

Obviously he doesn't give a if he sells products or not. Sounds like a crap manager. I don't expect that he'll be around there too long with that kind of work ethic.

[FenigDurak]

Science factoid of the day:
An average can of soda has less than 42 mg of caffeine per 12 oz can (Different brands vary a tad).
An average cup of coffee (brewed in the home type) has 80 - 135 mg of caffeine per 7 oz serving.
It's the carbonation that gives most people that immediate feeling of alertness. (Which, coincidentally, is the primary principle behind Airborne. Effervescence offers an immediate response of feeling good/healthy.) Unfortunately carbonated coffee (typically) tastes like ass.

Edit: all that being said, I bleed Diet Coke.

Caffeine content data retrieved here.

[terakhan]

Not quite as bad, but I recently had my own story like it:
I was pretty sure they were new hires so somewhat to be forgiven for it, but as I was walking by, I saw two store employees looking at a bottle of chocolate syrup (ice cream topping style), and heard one of them ask where it went.
The second responded that he didn't know.
Then I responded (darn my natural helpfulness) that it went on the endcap of the ice cream aisle.

The worst part: From where they were standing, that very endcap display, with all its topping goodness, was plainly visible. At least the other store in town would give them an excuse what with its major remodel recently.

[Docmayhem]

Unfortunately carbonated coffee (typically) tastes like ass.

One of the few things I miss after moving off Long Island is Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda. Not your typical carbonated coffee.

[thansal]

One of the few things I miss after moving off Long Island is Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda. Not your typical carbonated coffee.

Ye Gods that stuff is WONDERFUL.

Unfortunately, it's also incredibly uncommon. I live in NYC and I generally only see the stuff in those giant drink stores.

Crappit, now I'm gona have to go hunt down some as I haven't had one in years.


One topic:
That really is one of those things I really hate. If some one asks you a question, answer it to the best of your ability, even if that answer is "I don't know, ask XYZ over there".

[Gizmo]

I had similar the other day. We went back into our local grocery after they reopened from a big refit and extension.

Their raw meat section had gone from two sides of one aisle to spread over about 3 aisles. I couldn't find their prepacked preportioned section which is only about 4ft wide. I asked the member of staff refilling one of the raw meat sections if he knew where it had been put and they said "dunno, its a new layout, its just as new to us as you". Whilst I understood this reaction I was kind of annoyed since it had been a week since reopen and he was working that section. The likelyhood is that he'd had far more chance to notice it that a casual customer.

(Once I found it I actually went back and let them know where)

[PepperElf]

mmmm carbonated coffee.
i have to try that someday. if its sweet enough that is.

[Chromatix]

A major supermarket near me has just about doubled their floor area recently. I think it's a recently built building, so they had simply opened only part of it at first, and taken their time over setting up the rest.

Anyway, they've been moving everything around for the past several weeks, and will probably continue doing so for several more. The aisle signs don't match what's in them any more. They're rearranging everything so that instead of the clothes and housewares being between the food and the checkouts, the food occupies the street end (from checkout to the back) and the rest is further away. (This is good, as I always felt odd about the choice between walking through lingerie or babywear on my way from the frozen food to the checkout.)

In any case, I encountered the pick-n-mix stand. After filling my bag full of sugary teeth-rotting goodness, I looked up and down the aisle, and around the end of the aisle, and didn't see a weighing machine. So I assumed they hadn't moved one into place yet, and went to the checkout regardless, assuming that they had some fallback routine.

Well, they didn't. So I rapidly unloaded the rest of my baskets onto the conveyor and set off in the indicated direction in search of a weighing machine. I spotted one between two checkouts, and then the fun started.

These weighing machines have about 150 buttons on them, all numbered, no other labels - usually there is a number printed on the price label on the shelf for whatever it is you need to weigh. There was a sign (small type) on the side of the pillar though, so I tried looking for the entry on that - no luck. Turns out that *only* the specific machine beside the pick-n-mix rack has the price code for it installed - and that machine was, allegedly, actually in place.

So I rapidly marched back to that aisle, to find that yes, the machine was there - but hidden behind the rack on the far side from the checkouts. This is why I hadn't seen it.

I do hope they make it more visible by the time they finish reorganising everything.

[MoonCat]

An average cup of coffee (brewed in the home type) has 80 - 135 mg of caffeine per 7 oz serving.

Yes, folks, it's the only way to fly!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

mmmm carbonated coffee.
i have to try that someday. if its sweet enough that is.

There used to be something called Coke Blak, but it sounds piss disgusting.

[dalesys]

How come Mountain Dew White Out looks like cum?


Tastes different, thankfully.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

How come Mountain Dew White Out looks like cum?


Tastes different, thankfully.

Then you don't want to see the bottle of hand sanitizer I have on my desk.

It contains moisturizer and has the color and consistency of....well, you know.

Got it for 29 cents at the swamp. Doing pricing pays off 'cuz you find the good deals before anybody else.

[Becks]

I spot a manager in the deli and ask if there's a display somewhere of the soda. Rather than actually look or find someone to ask, he just glances down the soda aisle and says "Oh, that's all we have," and goes back to chatting with the deli clerk.

To be fair, if you actually asked the deli manager, there's a good chance he wouldn't know.

Other than that, sounds like you wandered into my former place of employment.