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...
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...
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