I don't want to grow up!

[HappyFun Ball]

A couple of years ago, I worked at a chain toy store during Christmas for some extra money. This day I was working my favorite position, sitting on my butt answering the phone, it rang almost non stop, most of them were asking if we had a WII in stock.

Me: Thanks for calling toy store, how can I help you?

C: Yes, do ya'll have any WII's in stock?

Me: No ma'am we sure don't right now.

C: Do you know when you'll get some?

Me: Yes, we have a truck coming in late Saturday night, they'll be on the floor when we open on Sunday.

C: What time do you open?

Me: 6 AM

C: Oh, that's really early.. Can you put one on hold for me?

I should mention that we weren't allowed to put toys on hold during the Christmas season.. The managers were really adamant about us not putting any toys on hold during Christmas.

Me: I'm sorry, we aren't allowed to put anything on hold during Christmas.

Customer quickly drops her nice voice and starts ranting

C: I've called everywhere! And no one has any, what am I supposed to get my kids for Christmas!

Me:....

C: You know part of your job is to make the customer happy!

Me: Yes, and well the other part of my job.... Is to well keep my job.

[EvilEmpryss]

C: I've called everywhere! And no one has any, what am I supposed to get my kids for Christmas!

You're supposed to either
A) Get your ass up out of bed early enough to be one of the first in line to be able to buy one on Sunday morning
or
B) Teach them that they can't always get everything they want, no matter how good they've been, 'cuz the Real World just don't work that way.

Regardless of the fit some parents throw when they don't get what they want, no child has ever died from a little dose of option B.

[Mr Hero]

SC hopefully learned a valuble lesson. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

[JustaCashier]

C: You know part of your job is to make the customer happy!

And if holds were allowed, for every customer that was made happy by doing such there'd be at least ten, that took the time and effort to actually get to the store early enough, unhappy that the store was "out" because of the holds in back.

Mike

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And if holds were allowed, for every customer that was made happy by doing such there'd be at least ten, that took the time and effort to actually get to the store early enough, unhappy that the store was "out" because of the holds in back.

Mike

This would also be one of the big reasons why many companies have done away with layaway.

Why remove something from stock for somebody who may or may not wind up buying it, when you may have many other people willing to buy it now?

[Draco]

Exactly. She's not a customer until she's paying for something.

Until then, she's a random person who WANTS something and would ask you to hide it from paying customers until she gets her lazy rear to the store.

[chainedbarista]

C: I've called everywhere! And no one has any, what am I supposed to get my kids for Christmas!

not our problem; order ahead of time or get your ass out of bed. those are your choices, if you don't like them, then deal with it. ahh, another christmas ruined for a sc; makes the cockles of my shriveled heart all warm and fuzzy.

[PepperElf]

C: You know part of your job is to make the customer happy!

My evil idea of replies...

"And all the customers who come in to buy them up before you... will be very happy."

or...

"Oh. I was just informed that they won't be available. Other customers put them all on hold already.
and if she complains... "They told us it was our job to keep them happy, so we let them put them all on hold. There won't be any on the floor at all."

cos SCs never really consider what will happen if other customers get to do the same things they're demanding...

[Marmalady]

Our store will hold something for a customer, but only for a maximum of 24 hours. After that it goes back in stock. We haven't the room for one thing, and as IPF pointed out, it's keeping stock away from customers who are actually able to make their minds up.

[Kristev]

Actually, that sounds reasonable to me. 24 hour holds, but 24 hours only.

[PepperElf]

though to me that also depends on the item.
cos if it's a popular item where the demand is much bigger than the supply... i know the customers in the store would be pretty pissed to find out the last one is being held for a maybe-customer. etc

[ApolloSZ]

We're all missing the point here.

C: You know part of your job is to make the customer happy!

Me: Yes, and well the other part of my job.... Is to well keep my job.

This is brilliant!! Please tell me you did say that to the *finger quote"* "Lady" *finger quote*

[Barefootgirl]

I was just about to say that perhaps the lady should have bought the Wii during the summer when there were bazillions of them in the shops, and put it on top of the wardrobe for Christmas, but then I noticed that this story happened a while back, when presumably the Wii had only just come out.

I think its perfectly reasonable to refuse to put very desirable items on hold. I was watching a programme about the 100 best toys last night, and ther was endles footage of silly hysterical women camping outside shops for "the" toy of whichever Christmas it was; Tellytubbies, My Little Ponies, Cabbage Patch Kids, etc.

[Kereminde]

I was lucky. I worked in a mall with TWO GameStops in it. I was on good terms with the folks at both, and I managed to get someone to cover my station for 5 minutes to go rush to the store . . . and snag one because I timed out their shipments over three weeks of working.

My roommate accepted the Wii in lieu of rent that month, because he needed it and had a job wherein he could absolutely NOT make it out before the units would be sold out.

[HappyFun Ball]

Yes, I did say that to her..

A customer called one time to ask if we had any WII's and I said no and she asked me when a good time was to buy one, I said "June"