The OMG!Magic Back Room

[Mr Hero]

I bet there's a room in the back that's specifically for people asked by SC's to check on items. I'm sure the conversations go something like this:

Jim: Sipping coffee So what are you checking back here?
Steve: I'm supposed to be looking for a Wii. You?
Jim: Oh just the hottest new toy of the season.

10 minutes later

Jim: Hey I gotta get going. See you in a half hour.

[malmalthekiller]

My store is always in a state of chaos, and I have no idea where anything is kept.

We usually keep nothing in the back, except for clothing and such, that is hung up on the ceiling (no lie).

So, unless you're a department manager that knows what you have on stock, we're always told to tell customers that everything is on the floor.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yesterday...

SC: Do you have any of the cheaper deicer?
Me: No, sorry. We've sold out. We've got some of the stuff in the plastic bottles tho.
SC: I don't want that stuff! I want the can!

Note: The stuff in the can is exactly the same as the stuff in the plastic bottle. The only difference is that the can is an aerosol spray, and the plastic bottle has a pump action spray. The can is about 20p cheaper, but the bottle is bulkier and doesn't stick to your hand when it's freezing cold outside.

Me: We don't have any of that.
SC: Look around the back!
Me: There is none round the back, just the plastic bottle.
SC: Go and look!

At that point, I went out back and told my manager about the dipstick. We had a good laugh, then I came back to tell the SC that we had no cans. He finally accepted it and bought a plastic bottle and scraper.

[tamezin]

You know, the one that all stores, no matter how small, have that are filled with everything that a customer could possibly want. XD SCs never seem to understand that firstly, anything that can be is already on the shelves and second, stores do actually run out of stock occasionally.

Black Friday, I went shopping looking for the very much prized Rip Stick that my children couldn't live without this year.

I went to one store they had 1 in stock I grabbed it and ran . But I needed two, I honestly thought everything to be had would have been out on the shelves, so I went to store two on the other side of town. To my dismay and despair, there were none on the shelves. Dejectedly I was going to leave to go to store 3 (more expensive), but low and behold a kind stranger (who was also in search of the holy grail of life threatenting devices), asked a kind sweet sales person if there were any more, she found not one but two more from the magic back room, that everyone says doesn't exist. Christmas wishes do come true now I get to bask in the joy of watching my kids try to kill themselves on blades of doom and destruction.

[Lace Neil Singer]

she found not one but two more from the magic back room, that everyone says doesn't exist.

I'm not saying that no store ever has a back room with leftover stock, just that if a customer asks and is told no, there is no point in insisting that the staff go and look, like De-icer Man. I and everyone else instore knew that we'd run out of the cans. We were waiting on an order, and there was plenty of plastic bottles. Had he just accepted my negative answer, he wouldn't have been an SC. No-one is sucky for asking once, it's the people who keep on and on and on when they've been told no who are the SCs.

[Oberonsshadow]

I generally won't ask if there is any of what I'm looking for in the back. I know I wouldn't want to go looking for something.

However, I was at the Bulls Eye store, just before Christmas and one of the floor people asked if I had found everything I was looking for. I mentioned off hand that I had hoped they would have the season of stargate I was looking for, but there wasn't a sku on the shelf next to the other seasons, so I wasn't worried about it. The very nice guy, pulls out his hand scanner thing, and type-y type-y, viola! They had it in the back. It was pretty nifty.

But as fas at the OP goes, or any person ever, for that matter, No, I don't have it, means it doesn't exist... Pissing and moaning about it will not cause them to spawn in the back, just for your convenience.

[Imogene]

Working at The Chesterfield, our back room was just barely big enough to hold... four fully grown adults, maybe... we only had stuff back there that wasn't due out on the floor yet, due to street dating, unless it was the Holidays, in which case the only other things we had back there were excessive amounts of holiday movies. Yes, really. No, we don't have Scarface in the back. No, I can't go get one for your thugged-up, gangsta-wannabe self. No, same for Eraserhead. No, I won't sell you a copy of the latest Disney movie that comes out tomorrow. No, we don't have Halo anything! No, I won't sell you that nearly life-size plush Jack Skellington, nor Sally. Not even the pictures on the walls. No, not for charity, either!

[Alpha Strike]

I'm not saying that no store ever has a back room with leftover stock, just that if a customer asks and is told no, there is no point in insisting that the staff go and look, like De-icer Man.*snip* No-one is sucky for asking once, it's the people who keep on and on and on when they've been told no who are the SCs.

I generally won't ask if there is any of what I'm looking for in the back. I know I wouldn't want to go looking for something.

However, I was at the Bulls Eye store, just before Christmas and one of the floor people asked if I had found everything I was looking for. I mentioned off hand that I had hoped they would have the season of stargate I was looking for, but there wasn't a sku on the shelf next to the other seasons, so I wasn't worried about it. The very nice guy, pulls out his hand scanner thing, and type-y type-y, viola! They had it in the back. It was pretty nifty.

But as fas at the OP goes, or any person ever, for that matter, No, I don't have it, means it doesn't exist... Pissing and moaning about it will not cause them to spawn in the back, just for your convenience.

There have been a few instances for me where politely asking a worker about an item that wasn't on the floor yielded results, especially when a worker can quickly check a hand-held scanner for stock (like they can at Target).

I think Lace is on the mark here: asking once is perfectly acceptable. But pushing the issue, insisting that someone "check the back" or not taking "No" for answer: THAT is when a person becomes an SC.

[I_Hate_SCs]

Ugh. Anyone but the "BACKROOM SHOPPERS!" They are the ones that go down every aisle of fully-stocked items to find the one empty space (regardless if it is a douche or a marital aid) and they will ask if you have more in the back.

The 2nd-to-worst backroom shoppers are the kind who want a big piece of armoire furniture, then leave as I am getting it out of the back. I put a stop to this 'ask and dash' practice right away after I would call another employee over to stand with the SC while they waited for their item so they would stay put.

The worst ones are the ones who ask for the huge, heavy pieces of furniture that take 20 minutes to get because I have to ask for help operating machinery (as the item is on the top shelf 15 feet up and weights 50000 pounds) then say "Oh okay thanks, I just wanted to see what the box looks like." Grrr! If you wanted the box's size to see if it would fit in your car, let me know: I could have quickly measured it while it was still on the top shelf and have been back in 1 minute!

We had some regular customers that were 'backroom shoppers' and would ask if everything is in the back off their shopping list, regardless if the item was fully stocked on the floor. There were a few that I'd hide the moment I saw them enter the store because they'd give us their shopping list and DEMAND we get each item from a crisp, new shipping box in the back!

I'm all for having things in the backroom be on regular shelves like the rest of the store, and call it "The Backroom Shop" where customers can shop when the regular store is out of something so they can get it their damn selves. But then, where would 'the back' be when the Backroom Shop is out?

See, when you work shoes, you actually have to check the stockroom.

I like checking the stockroom though. It gives me a few moments to relax, mutter ridiculous things, and dance to the bad music playing.

Ugh yes; the bane of my existance when I was dept. manager of shoes at 'The Bullseye'. It was especially horrible when the size the customer says she wants is the wrong size, and she forces you to go back into the stockroom each time to get a different size until one fits her. I got fed up with one SC's shenanigans and simply brought the whole shipping box and told her all sizes were in there and she could leave the box there when she finds a size that fits. She was all pleased and happy, but of course didn't take any of the pairs and left the box in utter ruins (shoes in wrong size boxes, mismatched shoes all on the floor after she left etc.) so you can't win either way!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The worst ones are the ones who ask for the huge, heavy pieces of furniture that take 20 minutes to get because I have to ask for help operating machinery (as the item is on the top shelf 15 feet up and weights 50000 pounds) then say "Oh okay thanks, I just wanted to see what the box looks like." Grrr! If you wanted the box's size to see if it would fit in your car, let me know: I could have quickly measured it while it was still on the top shelf and have been back in 1 minute!

I hate those people too!

You want to know what the box looks like? Okay, fine. It looks like a box. Happy?

Oh, you wanted to know how big it was? You could've just told me that and I could've grabbed a tape measure and measured it for you, instead of wrestling a heavy box around for no good reason.

Or you could even tell me what kind of vehicle you drive. I've been schlepping furniture for ten years now--I know what kinds of items can fit in a particular vehicle.

[mattm04]

If i know a item is out of stock, will tell them "sorry out of stock." If i'm not sure I will check, as long as they are nice. If we may have it buried on a pallet in the back corner with a pallet stacked on each pallet then don't have it.

I did have one SC DEMAND that I check the back freezer for a product. Now this was in the summer and about 100 out with high humidity. Did I forget to mention our store has 4 main A/C zones for the sales floor. This day 3 of four were broken. It was about 85 in the store. I gladly looked in the freezer, checking every box and pallet. By the time I got back about 10 min later the SC was gone.

[AirHostess]

The other day I had a woman complaining that she didn't like her (free) cheese sandwich and could I make her another one.

We were out of red wine, I was asked if I could find some more. We are at 30,000 feet dumbass what do you expect me to do? Oh yeah I'll go to the back room which features a Tesco and just get some more food.

People really are thick.

[Chromatix]

Y'know, they probably should use some space in the tailcone or tailfin for spare coffee, wine, sandwiches, whatever... I mean, look at how much fuel they can fit into the wings.

...okay, okay, I'll stop, stop hitting me! Ow!