Tweet
(First post here: HI!)
As a quick intro, I've worked as "register girl" at a small hardware store (part of a nationwide franchise) for six years now... so I have some excellent tales from there.
I also work a few hours a week at a Big Box Fabric Store near where I went to college. I have a couple of good stories from there. I even have one that requires both to work. So, to start out:
It was a little round thing
I have had this happen more than once, believe it or not.
Whenever possible, I greet customers at the door and ask if they need help so that I can direct them to the correct aisle and if needed call one of the boys to help them out.
Me: "Hello, do you need any help finding what you're looking for today?"
SC (almost always female): "oh, yes, please. My husband needs a little round thing to finish the project he's working on."
Me: "Well, we sell a lot of little round things here." (in fact over half of our stuff is round in one way or another) "Can you describe the item you need a little bit more specifically?"
SC: "He said you would know what I was talking about."
Me: "Well, can you tell me what he was working on?"
SC: "I'm not sure. He was in the garage." or in the basement, or some other area which is obviously out of the poor woman's comfort zone.
Me: "Well, why don't you call him, and we'll let him talk to one of the boys, and see if he can describe it."
SC: takes out cell phone or borrows our store phone to call husband.
Me: *into radio* "Hey Sam" (Sam being whichever guy is on the floor at the time) "Could you please come up to the register to help a customer, please?"
Unfortunately anybody who has half a brain and has worked there for more than a year knows that when I use my "sweet" voice, they should probably pass the job off onto the new kid for as long as possible, so the poor woman gets passed from person to person until finally they give up and convince the husband to come in.
I don't blame the wife. I blame the man who sends his wife to a hardware store to buy "a little round thing."
(This also works reciprically: We also have a very well respected craft section, and I have had poor husbands come in looking for "some green thread" and beg me to tell them which color their wife needs to match the stuff she has at home.)
Ummm, I work here
Recently the other small-franchise hardware store in town closed, but for a few years I dealt with this one regularly, also.
SC: "I have a coupon for this item."
Me: inspects coupon. "Well, this is a coupon from XXX Hardware, and this is TV Hardware. We do match some of their coupons, but it has to be for an identical item. This is their store brand item, so we can't accept this coupon."
SC: "No, this is your coupon."
Me: "This is TV Hardware. The coupon is from XXX Hardware. They're located on Main St."
SC: "No, this is XXX Hardware."
Me: "XXX Hardware is on MAIN St. This is TV Hardware!"
SC: "Yes. This is XXX TV Hardware."
Me: "XXX Hardware and TV Hardware are seperate companies, we cannot accept this coupon."
SC: "You're sure they aren't the same place?"
Me: "Yes. XXX Hardware is on Main Street. You go down the road this way, and turn right at the stop light.... and it will be on your left."
SC: "Oh. OK."
10 points to me for not yelling, "I WORK HERE AND I KNOW WHO GIVES ME A PAYCHECK, AND IT ISN'T XXX!"
Yes, I know it's a hardware store
This is the one that happened at the fabric store. A woman came in wanting black or navy blue cross stitch fabric. I took her back to our cross stitching section and searched for anything darker than baby blue. We don't have anything. I checked with the supervisor to see if we could get any.
Supervisor: "No, I'm sorry, we've been trying to get dark cross stitch fabric for a long time now and they just don't carry it."
SC: "Darn. I've been to all four of the other fabric and craft stores in town, and nobody has any, and I couldn't find any online that wasn't really, really expensive."
Me: "Oh! You should call TV Hardware in Smithville, and ask to talk to Jane. I know it's a hardware store, but Jane runs a craft section and I'm almost certain that they carry both black AND Navy!" (Smithville standing in for the name of my hometown, about half an hour away from the town the fabric store is in... and Jane standing in for the name of the manager of the craft department)
SC: "TV is a hardware store! They don't sell craft stuff."
Me: "Well, most of the store is hardware stuff, but they have a good craft section run by Jane. I work there when I'm at home, and I know I've sold black cross stitch fabric before. Jane is usually there until 5 or so, and if they don't have any on hand she might be able to order some for you."
SC: "Hmph. I'll just have to use cream colored fabric or find some online instead."
*leaves the store*
For the record, I checked the next time I was in TV Hardware, and we do in fact carry both black and navy.
I'd been helping her nicely for about fifteen minutes, you would think she'd have at least considered CALLING before writing my suggestion off as me screwing with her.
As a quick intro, I've worked as "register girl" at a small hardware store (part of a nationwide franchise) for six years now... so I have some excellent tales from there.
I also work a few hours a week at a Big Box Fabric Store near where I went to college. I have a couple of good stories from there. I even have one that requires both to work. So, to start out:
It was a little round thing
I have had this happen more than once, believe it or not.
Whenever possible, I greet customers at the door and ask if they need help so that I can direct them to the correct aisle and if needed call one of the boys to help them out.
Me: "Hello, do you need any help finding what you're looking for today?"
SC (almost always female): "oh, yes, please. My husband needs a little round thing to finish the project he's working on."
Me: "Well, we sell a lot of little round things here." (in fact over half of our stuff is round in one way or another) "Can you describe the item you need a little bit more specifically?"
SC: "He said you would know what I was talking about."
Me: "Well, can you tell me what he was working on?"
SC: "I'm not sure. He was in the garage." or in the basement, or some other area which is obviously out of the poor woman's comfort zone.
Me: "Well, why don't you call him, and we'll let him talk to one of the boys, and see if he can describe it."
SC: takes out cell phone or borrows our store phone to call husband.
Me: *into radio* "Hey Sam" (Sam being whichever guy is on the floor at the time) "Could you please come up to the register to help a customer, please?"
Unfortunately anybody who has half a brain and has worked there for more than a year knows that when I use my "sweet" voice, they should probably pass the job off onto the new kid for as long as possible, so the poor woman gets passed from person to person until finally they give up and convince the husband to come in.
I don't blame the wife. I blame the man who sends his wife to a hardware store to buy "a little round thing."
(This also works reciprically: We also have a very well respected craft section, and I have had poor husbands come in looking for "some green thread" and beg me to tell them which color their wife needs to match the stuff she has at home.)
Ummm, I work here
Recently the other small-franchise hardware store in town closed, but for a few years I dealt with this one regularly, also.
SC: "I have a coupon for this item."
Me: inspects coupon. "Well, this is a coupon from XXX Hardware, and this is TV Hardware. We do match some of their coupons, but it has to be for an identical item. This is their store brand item, so we can't accept this coupon."
SC: "No, this is your coupon."
Me: "This is TV Hardware. The coupon is from XXX Hardware. They're located on Main St."
SC: "No, this is XXX Hardware."
Me: "XXX Hardware is on MAIN St. This is TV Hardware!"
SC: "Yes. This is XXX TV Hardware."
Me: "XXX Hardware and TV Hardware are seperate companies, we cannot accept this coupon."
SC: "You're sure they aren't the same place?"
Me: "Yes. XXX Hardware is on Main Street. You go down the road this way, and turn right at the stop light.... and it will be on your left."
SC: "Oh. OK."
10 points to me for not yelling, "I WORK HERE AND I KNOW WHO GIVES ME A PAYCHECK, AND IT ISN'T XXX!"
Yes, I know it's a hardware store
This is the one that happened at the fabric store. A woman came in wanting black or navy blue cross stitch fabric. I took her back to our cross stitching section and searched for anything darker than baby blue. We don't have anything. I checked with the supervisor to see if we could get any.
Supervisor: "No, I'm sorry, we've been trying to get dark cross stitch fabric for a long time now and they just don't carry it."
SC: "Darn. I've been to all four of the other fabric and craft stores in town, and nobody has any, and I couldn't find any online that wasn't really, really expensive."
Me: "Oh! You should call TV Hardware in Smithville, and ask to talk to Jane. I know it's a hardware store, but Jane runs a craft section and I'm almost certain that they carry both black AND Navy!" (Smithville standing in for the name of my hometown, about half an hour away from the town the fabric store is in... and Jane standing in for the name of the manager of the craft department)
SC: "TV is a hardware store! They don't sell craft stuff."
Me: "Well, most of the store is hardware stuff, but they have a good craft section run by Jane. I work there when I'm at home, and I know I've sold black cross stitch fabric before. Jane is usually there until 5 or so, and if they don't have any on hand she might be able to order some for you."
SC: "Hmph. I'll just have to use cream colored fabric or find some online instead."
*leaves the store*
For the record, I checked the next time I was in TV Hardware, and we do in fact carry both black and navy.
I'd been helping her nicely for about fifteen minutes, you would think she'd have at least considered CALLING before writing my suggestion off as me screwing with her.
. But I would have if I was still working on that drink. 
Comment