Name That Product!

[Kyree]

Oh, customers and the names they call products.

I work at a specialty pet food supply store, and we sell a lot of top of the line pet foods. We get a lot of people who come in and switch to something we sell, only to forget what they switched to. It is even better when customers can't remember the food they have been feeding their pet for over a year, and start making up names for it.

"Do you have that Fromey food?"
Me: "Oh, you mean Fromm? Yes we do!"
"Yes, that Fromey food!"

"Do you have that Nature's Balance?" Usually said for Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, or Nutrisouce.

"Do you have Little Missy's cat litter?" Said for Dr. Elsey's brand cat litter.

My personal favorite is "That bag of food.... I think it was blue. Maybe green. It had a dog on it? You know, the one that's all natural!"

I'm sure we all have had awesomely named made up products, what are some you have come across?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Nintendo tapes.

As in "Where y'alls Nintendo tapes?"

Seriously.

[prjkt]

That just makes me think of this

[Eevie]

Nintendo tapes.

As in "Where y'alls Nintendo tapes?"

Seriously.

How long ago did you hear that gem? Because the two systems I can think with cartridges that fit that description are SNES cartridges or Game Boy cartridges. What I'm going on is the fact that they're bulky and have to be inserted into the system, similar to a VHS tape.

But Nintendo tapes....

EDIT: Actually on second thought, the Gameboy Advance did have a few cartridges that could play TV shows. I know for a fact Pokemon did this, don't know about any other shows though. You just put cartridge in the system like any other game and just watch. They were kinda cool actually. Still probably was not what your customer was talking about.

[EricKei]

How long ago did you hear that gem?

Whaddya mean "How long ago?" -- Everybody knows that all game systems are Nintendos, all copiers are Xeroxes, all tissues are Kleenex, all bleach is Clorox...

[Ironclad Alibi]

Mrs. IA introduced me to her pet names for some products when I met her.

There was "stuff" for putting on owies, and "foamy tabs" for upset stomachs.

I don't recall her ever asking for them in stores by those names.

[wolfie]

Everybody knows that all game systems are Nintendos

Nintendo? What's that? Everyone knows that all game systems are Ataris. Now get off my lawn, you young whippersnapper!

[Seshat]

Pre smart phones, we used to physically take the empty bottle/package to the store with us (not for everything, just for things we might not recognise).

Now we just take a photograph of the package. Easy.

[Dreamstalker]

I've had people bring in packaging somehow always missing the relevant info, one guy brought me only the size info from a pack of diapers--past them not being something we carried, I had no idea what brand they were.

[rapana1]

Whaddya mean "How long ago?" -- Everybody knows that all game systems are Nintendos, all copiers are Xeroxes, all tissues are Kleenex, all bleach is Clorox...

I had this discussion on one of the other forums I read, earlier this year- "What do you call X?"
Sticking plasters in my house were always Elastoplasts, sticky tape is Sellotape. Bleach is Janola. My ex from the Cook Islands called any jar a BestFoods (as in the mayonnaise).
Tissues are just tissues, tho. XD

[Brojekk]

Nintendo? What's that? Everyone knows that all game systems are Ataris. Now get off my lawn, you young whippersnapper!

I would but it's uphill....oh great...now it's snowing. ::

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Tissues are just tissues, tho. XD

That's one of those one word descriptions that will have me asking you (the customer) the following:

Are you looking for Kleenex or toilet tissue?

Here's another one:

Oil

Okay, do you want cooking oil, baby oil, motor oil?

These questions I ask so I can direct the customer to the correct aisle. We don't have an aisle labeled "oil" for example, so some info would be great(too bad I can't say that last part at work.)

[notalwaysright]

Guy:I'm looking for the fabric with the flowers on it.
Me:Okay, what is it for?
Guyo I look like I sew? My wife sent me.

To be fair, I once forgot the name Velveeta, because I normally don't buy it (icky!) and of course, it wasn't for me. Anyway I finally pulled myself together and said fake cheese, and then it was okay.

[carryonnow]

"Do you carry canning supplies?"
"Yes, aisle two half way down on the left side just after the flour but before the gelatin."

Off the supportive husband toddles down the aisle...a few minutes later he reappears looking very confused...

"My wife told me to get the stuff in the pink box...there are too many pink boxes in that aisle."
"Did your wife tell you the name of what she wanted you to buy?"
"No, just 'in the pink box'"
"Did she send you here for a sweetener? Like Sweet and Low?"
"No, she is making jam today and needs the stuff 'in the pink box'"
"OH....yes, she sent you for Pectin. The box used to be pink...now it is mostly white with some pink highlights...c'mon I know just where it is." I put two boxes in his nervous hand.
"Are you sure this is the right stuff?"
"Most certainly...if you are nervous we can call the house and ask."
"NO...we cant do that! She will know I wasn't paying attention."

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Off the supportive husband toddles down the aisle...a few minutes later he reappears looking very confused...

"My wife told me to get the stuff in the pink box...there are too many pink boxes in that aisle."
"Did your wife tell you the name of what she wanted you to buy?"
"No, just 'in the pink box'"
"Did she send you here for a sweetener? Like Sweet and Low?"
"No, she is making jam today and needs the stuff 'in the pink box'"
"OH....yes, she sent you for Pectin. The box used to be pink...now it is mostly white with some pink highlights...c'mon I know just where it is." I put two boxes in his nervous hand.
"Are you sure this is the right stuff?"
"Most certainly...if you are nervous we can call the house and ask."
"NO...we cant do that! She will know I wasn't paying attention."

Go through this scene a number of times every summer during canning season.

Of course what we carry is Sure Jell in a yellow box (I think there's a pink box too) and if they're not looking for that, it's the canning jars and lids.

Normally we can figure out what they're looking for if they can at least tell us what the product does.