Look Before Asking

[Chromatix]

Every once in a while, I have an off-day where I might fail to find something I'm looking for. But I'll still make an effort to look first.

Not too long ago, I walked into the local computer shop - not the friendly local computer supermegahypermarket that I usually talk about - and looked around for the power supply that I needed. I started with the wall of shelves directly opposite the door, looked left into the main body of the shop... and then the shopkeeper asked if he could help. The power supplies turned out to be on the shelves to the right of the door.

[Strathclyde]

I had something similar to this earlier this week. A guy called me over, asking if four items were on sale. All four were clearly marked, two being on sale and two not. When I told him (and pointed!) that those two were on sale, he then asked if these three things were on sale... all three of which were from the original four.

[Latekin]

I literally do not have the patience for that sort of thing. I usually have to walk away and get a coworker to help them because I will, and do, go from 0 to Sarcasti-bitch in under seven seconds.

Retail has done some serious damage to my personality controls.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

*man walks past the wall of lights bulbs*

*man walks up to me, stocking stuff several aisles away*

"Hey, where are the light bulbs at?"

[drjonah]

IMO, Elderly people LOVE to do this kind of thing because 'in their day' *shakes fist* all they had to do was give their list to the subservient peon and they would get the items for them.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

IMO, Elderly people LOVE to do this kind of thing because 'in their day' *shakes fist* all they had to do was give their list to the subservient peon and they would get the items for them.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those days are over with and have been since at least the Nixon administration.

We have aisle signage over the aisles and folks will STILL ask where stuff is. Bad enough when they ask for something that they walked 3 aisles past before they asked someone, but when you walk into a grocery store, ignore the HUGE kiosk in front of you with a register and Western Union terminal sitting in plain view with a LARGE sign overhead that says Customer Service and you have to ask someone on an aisle where Customer Service is???

Really folks, it's not hard to look around and see what's around you. It's called Situational Awareness and it won't bite you. The world will NOT END if you look up from your phone just long enough to turn your head and look around and see what's near you.

It drives me to drinking. Ugh . . .

[Latekin]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those days are over with and have been since at least the Nixon administration.

Ha! That's a giggle considering our worst offender with this sort of behavior is a retired and previously prominent local politician who will get VERY pissy if you don't recognize his name.

I was unfortunate enough to get him one shift. Asked for I.D. for an exchange and went "Huh. Your name's very familiar, I think I've heard that before."
Cue all the butthurt rage.

[Seshat]

I do tend to have tunnel vision of a sort when I'm in stores: not literal, but because of my combination of problems, I have a lot of trouble coping with the overload of stimulus.

So to save my ability to function, I shut out awareness of anything that's not critical: sadly, that can mean that I miss screamingly obvious things. Probably because they ARE screaming at me.....

[WishfulSpirit]

Some people are just so lazy and think they're entitled to ask the workers anything they want, regardless as to whether they are already busy or helping another customer.

Well it IS my job to stop whatever else I'm doing and help a customer. That said, I find the "can't see I'm already with someone" people annoying.

[April]

I knew it was time for me to leave retail when a customer asked me where the toy section was. I walked her into the main aisle and said "You see that sign hanging from the ceiling that says "toys"? they are all directly under that sign"

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Special shout-out to the woman who came through the doors yesterday, stepped right in front of the difficult-to-maneuver cart I was pushing with 2 folding sofas on it, and asked me where the sewing supplies were.

Yeah, Vague description and finger point. She should consider herself lucky I saw her and was able to stop.

[Water]

I literally had a guy - when I worked at a kiosk in the first mall - walk up to me and ask me "Where's the tea shop?" Dude, it's right behind you if you turn around. The tea pots in the window is a big clue.