You must be joking! Oh, you werent? Oops.

[XCashier]

This afternoon I was stocking the paint aisle and a man came up to me and asked, "What're the odds that you have something you don't have?"

I honestly thought he was making a joke, so I laughed and said, "About zero," joking right back.

He scowled and stomped off, leaving me baffled.

I admit I have difficulties reading people sometimes, but that question was so goofy I thought he was joking. What was he trying to accomplish? Why did he ask some weird, roundabout, redundant question instead of getting directly to the point? It makes no sense. If he was looking for something, why didn't he just say, "Do you have X item, and where is it?"

I told the MOD what happened, in case he complains. I hope there aren't any repercussions from my blunder.

[EricKei]

I can only guess -- Maybe he did his homework *gasp*, discovered that your store does not even carry the item he wanted at all (ever), and came in to find out if you just happened to have it anyway...Sooooo...not exactly likely he was gonna be satisfied, no matter what.

[MoonCat]

Whaaa...???

There really is no correct answer to that question, except for the one you gave, because it doesn't make any sense. He could have stuck around and explained what he wanted, but he chose to get huffy. Not your fault.

[notalwaysright]

And this is why a lot of people think retail and other service industry employees act like drones or that we don't get their jokes. We are too afraid to show any emotion because it will somehow be taken wrong. I can go the whole shift being fairly social and amiable, when suddenly boom! Something I said is misunderstood, and it throws me off.

[XCashier]

And this is why a lot of people think retail and other service industry employees act like drones or that we don't get their jokes. We are too afraid to show any emotion because it will somehow be taken wrong. I can go the whole shift being fairly social and amiable, when suddenly boom! Something I said is misunderstood, and it throws me off.

That has happened to me far too often. And it's scary to see a customer go from Jekyll to Hyde like that, for no discernable reason. If you apologize or try to smooth things over, they get crazier. You cannot win.