I want a time remote control.

[notalwaysright]

For very many reasons. So I could pause people and take a sec to think. So I could fast forward until they get to the point. So I could rewind and not say something weird. So I could record a situation, because I can't adequately describe the nonsense people say.

Like today a lady asks for Steam a Seam. I say, we haven't carried it for a while but there is a comparable product. She goes to look. While I'm helping someone else she comes back and says "Oh, no it's back there see!" I look up and see the words "steam" and "Pellon" and I say something like "Huh, I wonder what I was thinking of." And she says "I don't know!" And walks off.

Now that I think of it, she had "EZ Steam by Pellon." Which is NOT STEAM A SEAM. That was the comparable product! There was some debacle a while ago and the stores haven't picked it up yet, though you can get it online. It's different than it used to be, (according to Amazon reviews) but it is available again online. A few of you might know what product I'm talking about, but for the sake of everyone else I'll stop now.

Anyway, my point is I know it's small and petty, but I just hate that she went away thinking I was some uninformed idiot who told her the wrong information. If I had just a few more seconds, it would have gone different. I would have read the package and said "oh, EZ Steam! I thought you asked for Steam a Seam!" I know that sounds a little snotty, but... It's not the same thing. Similar names, different product!

Speaking of which a few weeks ago this lady was trying to describe some lace thing she wanted. She kept saying "lace insert for low cut shirts." We directed her to lace fabric, lace trim, and lace hem tape. No, no, none of these were even CLOSE to what she wanted. Finally she gave up, only to return to say "you do carry what I was asking for! There's a whole bunch, and this is exactly what I was describing." She holds up a lace applique. Yeah, an applique like you iron on fabric, like a poodle or a flower patch for pants. I mean, I guess it would work, but appliques are not in any way "inserts" and do not resemble the prepackaged ones that some stores sell.

ETA: Okay, I see there are some things called appliques (aka lace collars) which look like shirt inserts. But that isn't what she had. She came back with something like this. Also, while lace collars are pretty, they are out of fashion, and I haven't had anyone ask for them before.

[Catwoman2965]

I hated this. My issue would be customers would come in, looking for "that black top i saw online" really? we have MANY black tops, could you be a smidge more specific??? or they'd attempt to describe some pattern or design, and when we finally found what it was they were looking for, it in now way resembled what they had described.

The best was an associate from another store in our center. She had called, looking for a dress we had in several color combos. one of which was navy and very pale mint green. But she kept insisting it was light blue and navy. Nope, it was not. I looked, told her there was no light blue, but this green and navy. Nope, she was insistent, and a bit snippy about how I should know what we carry. I was nothing but polite to her, but seething inside. Fine, beyotch, but I know for a fact this item never came in light blue with navy.

So I put it on hold for her, and a bit later, in she waltzes. Oh, and guess what? the navy and mint green was what she had been looking for "i could have sworn it was light blue" And not one word of apology. Came to find out, no one really likes her as she always has attitude.

[notalwaysright]

IFine, beyotch, but I know for a fact this item never came in light blue with navy.

So I put it on hold for her, and a bit later, in she waltzes. Oh, and guess what? the navy and mint green was what she had been looking for "i could have sworn it was light blue" And not one word of apology.

There's never any apology. I used to love when I worked with a lady who had been at my store forever... She was ancient, and when someone would say "I just bought it last week!" she would reply "we haven't carried that in at least five years." And the person would be so surprised that they hardly ever got mad. She was magic.

I think part of why things like this piss me off so much is that it always happens when it's really hectic. So there's many sucky aspects. Interrupting, impatience, condescension, all wrapped up in one ten second blip.

[Racket_Man]

Yeah we get stuff like this all the time at my pizza place.

Customers asking for special cheap crap one off of the month that we have NOT had in years and say "BUT I JUST ORDERED IT LAST MONTH!!!!" <proceeds to furiously smash phone buttons hoping for the 24,000 volts thru the phone line button>