How many times do I have to say, "We don't carry it"?

[XCashier]

SC: "Well, you're a magician. Can't you make one just magically appear?"

"No, but I can turn you into an asshole. PRESTO! ...Hmm, nothing happened."

Easiest magic trick in the world!

[Tigress]

I got that a lot when working at Cingular. Since the store was roughly the size of my living room (maybe a tad bigger), took over checking inventory in and out from my boss, and was the main person responsible for stocking shelves (I worked pretty damn hard for being "only" a greeter), I knew everything that was on the floor and in the back. Nothing came in or left without my knowledge. So when I said we didn't have something, we really didn't have it.

Yet, customers were positive that I was lying to them when I said we didn't have the item they wanted.

"Do you have any V60s?"
"No, ma'am, we don't."
"Are you sure? Can't you check?"
"Ma'am, I saw the last one we had get sold ten minutes ago. I know we don't have any left."
"Can you check anyway?"
*does a fake check*
"No, ma'am. We don't have any. Like I said, the last one was sold ten minutes ago. If you check back in a few days, we should have some more in stock."
*exaggerated sigh* "Ooooooooooookay. I guess I'll check back later."

A few days later. We do indeed get more in, but only 10-15. Half of them are grabbed up by the sales reps before I can check them in and I have to retrieve them and write their serial numbers down because they can't wait 5 damn seconds. The other half are sold within a few hours.
"Hi. I called a few days ago. Do you have more V60s in yet?"
"We did. But they sold out by noon. It's a very popular phone, so they tend to sell out quickly. I can have a sales rep reserve one for you. "
"Well, you people aren't helpful at all! I'm just going to take my business to Verizon!"
"Sorry, to lose you as a customer. If I could wave a magic wand and make these phones appear, I would. Here's the number to customer service."

So glad I don't work retail anymore.

[MadMike]

SC: "Well, you're a magician. Can't you make one just magically appear?"

"No, but I can turn you into an asshole. PRESTO! ...Hmm, nothing happened."

[Jester]

You sure that you just didn't see it, and the 100th time he asks it'll magically appear? *Hides Behind Tito*

Since I am a magician (no, really) in addition to my food service roles, and many people down here often know that, I often get this:

SC: "Can I have a Corona Lite?"
ME: "Sorry, we don't carry Corona Lite. Can I get you something else?"
SC: "Well, you're a magician. Can't you make one just magically appear?"

...OR...

SC: "I'd like my steak well done, and I'm in a hurry."
ME: "Sir, your well done steak WILL take longer to cook."
SC: "Well, you're a magician. Can't you make it just magically appear?"

I love doing magic, I really really do....but there are times when I truly want to throttle people for being so damn "clever!"

[I_Hate_SCs]

How good are your guys' counts, though? At my store, our counts are frequently off by a LOT, so it does us no good to check our on-hand quantity. Interestingly enough, though, my counts have been a lot more accurate ever since I started security-tagging *EVERYTHING*....

Grr!

Our counts aren't perfect. Every now and then I'll come across something not located in the backroom but is back there. When I try to add it to its location, the handheld computer prompts me that it is either on clearance (should've been long gone of course) or its so old it says not on file. Usually the counts are in our favor when a customer asks for a backroom location, since it would say its not in the back, but its sitting back there on a flat or similar structure waiting to be put out on the floor. At least it saves a trip back there sometimes.

[XCashier]

Are you really sure that you don't have it in the back somewhere!?

http://www.dailyink.com/en-us/conten...feature=Retail
Check out the January 10 strip.

[pbmods]

At least at Target we have handheld computers that can check the back without having to go there, but it would be truly nice to simply say "If its not on the shelf, we don't have it" without fear of getting in trouble .

How good are your guys' counts, though? At my store, our counts are frequently off by a LOT, so it does us no good to check our on-hand quantity. Interestingly enough, though, my counts have been a lot more accurate ever since I started security-tagging *EVERYTHING*....

Grr!

[purplecat41877]

I've had customers ask me if I can look up their requested item in our computer system. I inform them that our system doesn't work like that (which is true).

[Zombi]

"Do you have any more out the back?"
"No, sorry, if we have it, it's out on the floor"
"Well, can you go and check?"

Cue deer-in-the-headlights look as I contemplate having to fight my way through the scrum to get to the back, only to be told "No, we don't have it, and we may never have it again". *whine*

Only two people have ever thanked me for checking for them. Ever.

[DistantStar]

If it's in the back room, that means it's going to be out on the floor soon. It's not just extra stuff kept back there.

So I can say, "What you see is what we have," without getting in trouble. Honestly, it's enough work trying to keep one WalMart going, a huge backroom would mean we'd pretty much have TWO OF THEM...AAAAAA!!!!!

[garth1]

I heard Wal-Mart has no backroom,at least the local store ... a few of my co-workers used to work there. They said all that was back there were the store offices and the receiving area where some on-sale items were kept, etc. It must be nice not having to run back there every time somebody wants something not on the floor. At least at Target we have handheld computers that can check the back without having to go there, but it would be truly nice to simply say "If its not on the shelf, we don't have it" without fear of getting in trouble .

I don't know about the super centres, but at the Neighborhood Markets, you have very little backroom at all. And you're right, it's just sale items, and a few other things.
The premiss is, "you can't sell it from the back room".

[I_Hate_SCs]

Nope, not Target. The Competition. Wally World. Though not for too much longer if I have anything to say about it!

And no, it's not in the back. If it's not out, it's not available. Sorry, but that's the way it is!

I heard Wal-Mart has no backroom,at least the local store ... a few of my co-workers used to work there. They said all that was back there were the store offices and the receiving area where some on-sale items were kept, etc. It must be nice not having to run back there every time somebody wants something not on the floor. At least at Target we have handheld computers that can check the back without having to go there, but it would be truly nice to simply say "If its not on the shelf, we don't have it" without fear of getting in trouble .

[DistantStar]

Nope, not Target. The Competition. Wally World. Though not for too much longer if I have anything to say about it!

And no, it's not in the back. If it's not out, it's not available. Sorry, but that's the way it is!

[pbmods]

My First Time!

I finally got my first "Are you sure you don't have it?" the other day!

So this woman comes up to my counter with about (8) 2-packs of Energizer rechargeable batteries. She drops them all on my counter and says, "Hi. I'm looking for these batteries, but you only have 8 on the wall. Could you go to the back and check if you have more? I'll wait."

Now before we go any further, here's some quick background. I was recently transferred to this store, and one of the first things I did was go to the stockroom and organize ALL of my departments. I did a full count, I pulled EVERYTHING, and by that point, if it wasn't on the shelf, it wasn't in the store.

So I told her this, and she gives me "The Look™", the "Oh yes you do; you're just too lazy to go back there and get them for me; in fact, I'll bet you've got hundreds of them back there, and you're just being a little bitch" look.

I reminded her that I personally stocked that entire department just a couple of days ago, and if it ain't on the shelf, we don't have it. "I'd love to sell them to you, ma'am."

And she shoots back, "Well if I see them on the shelf tomorrow, I'm going to be mad."

Yuh-huh.

What's kind of funny about this, though, is that the next day, our district and regional managers were scheduled to come visit, so one of the assistant managers pulled all of our outs from other stores, and so as it turned out, there WERE more of that item on the shelf the next day

[KaeZoo]

Are you really sure that you don't have it in the back somewhere!?

"I want one of the ones that you have set aside for employees to buy." Got this once, back when new release Disney movies would sell out 500 copies before lunch.