Yes, I am sure. I work here.

[shinyainlace]

So yesterday my first customer of the day is a lady wanting a hook for a jacket.

First she stops off at the register and asks the girl there, who replies that if we had anything like what she's looking for, it'd be in the back right hand corner. Lady asks if it's where the thread is, girl replies "yes". And then she heads in that direction. Fantastic.

One thing I've learned is often times, things are not this quick and easy.

At some point, she tracks me down. The following conversation begins:

"Excuse me, you work here?"
"Yes."
"I'm looking for a hook... to sew onto a jacket? Do you know where I can find that?"
"Sure!" I gesture her to follow me in the direction where all of our sewing notions are. Let me interject here to say that we are a general craft store, meaning we have a lot of product that covers a lot of different crafts, but very little for each particular one. We aren't necessarily the first place one should go for sewing supplies, but whatever.

As I am walking, she's following me, and she doesn't... stop... talking...

"I already looked back here. Are you sure it'd be back here?"
"Yes. I can help you look, though."
"I'm looking for a hook to sew onto a jacket."
"Yes, I know. If we had it, it'd be back here."
"And thread. Do you sell black thread?"
"Yes."
"And a hook to sew on a jacket."
"Uh-huh."
"And I'm looking for shoulder pads."
"I don't think we have those, but they'd be back here if we did."
"What I really need is a hook to sew onto a jacket. You know where I can find that, right? I couldn't find one, so I needed someone that works here to help me... because I'm heading to church."
"Right... okay... well... here's the thread..."
"Oh! I can't bend down like that. Thank you!"
"And the hooks..."
"I already looked here, are you sure they'd be here?"
"Everything we have that's like that is in this section."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I pick up a package of hook and eyes and show it to her. "This is all we have."
"Oh. I need something bigger. Do you have something bigger?"
"No ma'am. We don't. This is all we have."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"But I need something bigger. Are you sure you don't have anything bigger? Maybe somewhere else in the store?"
"Yes, I'm sure. This is the only area we carry that kind of thing."
"And I'm looking for pads... to put into the jacket."
"The only thing close we have are these..." Cue me picking up a box of clear shoulder padding.
"Oh no! I mean, like these!" She shows me the shoulder pads in the shirt she's wearing and I just nod.
"Right. We don't carry anything like that."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh... well... such and so large fabric store has a lot more stuff!"
"Yeah. I know. Such and so large fabric store specializes in that kind of thing, so they carry a larger variety. We just have the basics."
"Are you sure there isn't another place?" She starts to walk down the t-shirt aisle. I stay standing where I am.
"Yes... yes I'm sure."
"No where else in the store? This is it?"
"Yes, this is it."
"Not here?"
"No. Just in that section on the wall...."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."

The real kicker of this entire exchange? Such and so large fabric store? Right across the street from us. Why people choose to hit us up <i>first</i>, is something I will never understand...

[Department stores *sigh*]

Last time someone asked me the same question 4 times it went something like this.....

Where are the blueberries?
Sold out ma'am.
You cant be! where would they be?
Right here.
So you dont have any?
Nope we dont.
What about in back?
They dont sell well back there, so if we had any it would be stocked out.
So no blueberries?
........no
No blueberries at all?
There is a whole pallet around the corner on the far side.
Oh! Thanks!

Came back later and told me there was none, i told them if i say one thing 8 times, why would u believe what I only tell you once?

[Mr Hero]

"Oh. I need something bigger. Do you have something bigger?"

I wonder how often she asks that. Do you think she asks that at home?

[Becks]

*shudder* shoulder pads

[MoonCat]

if i say one thing 8 times, why would u believe what I only tell you once?

Because that one time was the answer they wanted to hear, and obviously only the answer they want to hear is the correct answer. Ah, the crazy world of customers...

As far as not going to the bigger store first...People have this odd idea that small stores = low prices, large store = high prices. They have no clue that it's usually the other way around.

[Stormraven]

They're dead, Dave. They're all dead, Dave. Everyone is dead, Dave.

[pitmonkey]

Goldfish nibbling at my toes.

[XCashier]

"Oh. I need something bigger. Do you have something bigger?"
"No ma'am. We don't. This is all we have."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"But I need something bigger. Are you sure you don't have anything bigger? Maybe somewhere else in the store?"
"Yes, I'm sure. This is the only area we carry that kind of thing."
"And I'm looking for pads... to put into the jacket."
"The only thing close we have are these..." Cue me picking up a box of clear shoulder padding.
"Oh no! I mean, like these!" She shows me the shoulder pads in the shirt she's wearing and I just nod.
"Right. We don't carry anything like that."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Really?"
"Yes."

What is it about fabric and craft stores that draws the "are you sure?" bunch to them? Do they honestly think that we are so forgetful that they need to ask a question over and over and add several "are you sure?"s to that to jar our brains into gear?! This kind of "logic" is just baffling. What makes them think the answer is going to change if they ask the question frequently enough?

Yes, I've dealt with these idiots before, posted about it on another forum I frequent. Sometimes you just want to reach out and slap them, and if they complain, say, "Sorry, but I do that to my record player when the needle gets stuck."

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I wonder how often she asks that. Do you think she asks that at home?

If she did, don't be surprised if she'd divorced. But she can always give online shopping a try.

[SuperRTL]

Trust me, she's just as obnoxious at the fabric store. Of course, at the fabric store, where we carry 20 different sizes, none of them are just right either.

[LillFilly]

They're dead, Dave. They're all dead, Dave. Everyone is dead, Dave.

Even Peterson???

Yes Dave.

And wots this all over the ship; it's filthy!



Oh, I could soooo go on!

[EricKei]

Came back later and told me there was none, i told them if i say one thing 8 times, why would u believe what I only tell you once?

Where is Dr Evil?

---- I'll never talk!

Where is Dr Evil?

---- I'll die first!

Where is Dr Evil?

---- Damn! That's three times! Okay...<gives directions to lair>

[D_Marx]

My second job is cashier to the call center. That's why we force-utilize rainchecks for non-available items.

[shinyainlace]

Because that one time was the answer they wanted to hear, and obviously only the answer they want to hear is the correct answer. Ah, the crazy world of customers...

As far as not going to the bigger store first...People have this odd idea that small stores = low prices, large store = high prices. They have no clue that it's usually the other way around.

The funny thing is, we're the same kind of large store with higher prices, but for some weird reasons, people still come to us to look for stuff like fabric and sewing notions.

The fabric is something I always ponder, because if you go anywhere where fabric is sold, it takes up a LOT of space. Yet, I still get people scouring the entire store and then look at me and ask "Where's your fabric!?" like I'm hiding it from them.

It made more sense in my old town, since a lot of times, people didn't even know where said fabric store even was, since it's kind of hidden in the back of a shopping mall that people constantly forget is there. But here, it's right across the street.

Regardless of that, I will still get people who ask me where they can find more variety of sewing supplies, I tell them, and they ask where it is. When I tell them that it's right across this particular street, they look at me like I have two heads if I expect them to know where it is without more direction.

YOU CAN SEE IT FROM OUR PARKING LOT!

[BeeMused]

They're dead, Dave. They're all dead, Dave. Everyone is dead, Dave.

Now I have to dig out the DVDs again!

It was never aired in Germany!