Can customers read?

[rvdammit]

I've never heard of somewhere holding in stock items until a pre-order is ready unless specifically requested.

I know of a couple of places that default to holding untill all items are in stock, but that's because multiple shipment invoke multiple shipping charges for them.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Ah-wuh?

What does this dry-pool diving team member think a pre-order is?

Last time I checked, a pre-order was an order for something that hasn't been released yet. What were you supposed to do, send the guy his DVD and break the release date agreement with the distributor?

Frankly, I would've lost patience with him, refunded his money, and invited him to support his local search and rescue unit and get lost. He'd most likely be a pain in the ass for the competition as well.

I would also imagine most companies like to ship all parts of a customer's order at one time, to save on shipping costs.

[Imogene]

What were you supposed to do, send the guy his DVD and break the release date agreement with the distributor?

"Why, yes, sir I can ship that to you as soon as you send us the multi-millions it will cost us to send it to you now, as opposed to it's projected release date of April 7, 2010."

[Luna]

People don't read. If they do - they read selectively, and only what they WANT to read in order to use it as an arguement later.

I would always get:

"Your website says it's in stock!"
Luna: "No, the website states the WEBSITE has it in stock. The website does not tell you the inventories of any of our 500 stores."
The best is when I then GO to the website and SHOW them.

That sign says it's $17.49!
Luna: That is correct. That sign ALSO says Member's Price directly under that and it's in RED marker. Would you like to join our Member's Card since you don't have one?
SC: That's false advertising!
Luna: How? The sign states the list price, the sale price and the extra discounted Members price. All are marked and one is in red to point out the difference.
SC: grumble...grumble...lawyer...shut you down...thieves...(depending on which one of many times I had this arguement)
Luna: *thinks to self* yes, I'm sure you'll have an easy time shutting down a Bookseller that's been around sinc ethe 1800's - you go right ahead buddy. Have fun.

One of the biggest proofs to assure you that SCs can't read is:
Every time someone asked me where the information desk at the bookstore was. I would point. They'd always come back to me pissed off b/c they couldn't find it. Now the info desk had an 8 foot GLOWING sign that read: INFORMATION. This sign could be seen no matter where you were in the store. The store was only one level and the desk was right..smack...in...the...middle! Yet, they'd walk right by it and stand in the childrens department, or in music and wait. *sigh*

[Fraggle]

They don't read, at all.

In my old job, all our orders were pretty much high value electronic equipment so they would always be delivered by courier in business hours, which means, someone would have to be at the shipping address to sign for the goods.

At least 25 times a day i would get people calling up and bitching they were never informed they would have to stay at home and sign for the package as they have jobs to go to.

Now when you place an order on the website, underneath where the shipping address is entered is says in bold, red, writing something to the effect of -

Please note: All our deliveries will be made Monday - Friday between the hours of 9 - 5. For security reasons, orders will be delivered via courier and will need to be signed for

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

"Why, yes, sir I can ship that to you as soon as you send us the multi-millions it will cost us to send it to you now, as opposed to it's projected release date of April 7, 2010."

I'd add in the revenues lost when the distributor decides not to business with you anymore, and you have a ginormous hole in your store where the new releases and other fairly popual titles used to be, and you have to fill that space with 50s and 60s B-movies and titles like "The President's Neck is Missing" (Starring John Wayne, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, June Allyson, Allison Krauss, Troy McClure and Splotch the Wonder Pigeon!) on Beta.

[Mastshade]

Customers? able to read? Surely you must be joking......

I work at a pool, and often have to tell people not to dive head first into shallow water. If I had $1 for every I had this exchanged.

SC: Well, if it isn't safe you should have it posted somewhere.
Me:*points at "NO DIVING IN SHALLOW WATER" sign not 2 feet from their face*

[Imogene]

I'd add in the revenues lost when the distributor decides not to business with you anymore

That would be included in the 'Multi-Millions'.
Roughly $1,000 (according to gossip) cost for breaking street date.
Same X # of copies that were already on reserve, because the studio pulls all your stock of the movie.
Millions of dollars from studio pulling all their movies from your store nationwide.
Millions in lost revenue because the store now looks desolate, so people stop coming in to buy from you.
Downward spiral.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Luna, your post made me ...tugged at the old heartstrings...until it popped right out of my chest!

I would always get:

"Your website says it's in stock!"
Luna: "No, the website states the WEBSITE has it in stock. The website does not tell you the inventories of any of our 500 stores."

I can't stand those people! There are at least 10 stores I can think off the top of my head that are within an hour drive of my house. I don't understand where they figure that if the website says it's available that means all of those stores have it.

That sign says it's $17.49!
Luna: How? The sign states the list price, the sale price and the extra discounted Members price. All are marked and one is in red to point out the difference.

Erg, I don't know how many times I've had to leave my register to point out to the customer that whatever the hell it is they think they saw isn't what they saw.

**that word...I do not think it means what you think it means**

One of the biggest proofs to assure you that SCs can't read is:
Every time someone asked me where the information desk at the bookstore was. I would point. They'd always come back to me pissed off b/c they couldn't find it. Now the info desk had an 8 foot GLOWING sign that read: INFORMATION.

This I will NEVER understand...

You could have it ANIMATED, make it reach out and SLAP THEM IN THE FACE and they still wouldn't read it.....

I would SO love to see that!

SC: "Well, then, I'll just browse a bit, since you're incapable of doing your job."

Why izzit when what they want is not available it means we can't do our jobs?

[Kitten in the box]

[COLOR="red"]How about when you are "trying" to get some work done in the backroom and a customer comes in totally ignoring the Employees Only sign and asks you where the bathroom is...I usually say right OUTSIDE these doors next to the floral dept." They leave without saying anything but make sure I am given the death glare as they are leaving. Oh well too bad learn to READ moron!!

[ForestDragon]

I started a thread more or less on this very topic myself - I was having a bad night that time; seemed like as I cleaned each restroom I had at least two people asking to use it. The worst part about this is that I have a limited time to finish each area that I'm cleaning and the more time I spend having to try to convince these idiots that no, you can't come in the restroom I'm cleaning it! the less time I have to actually do said cleaning. Arrrrgh! Go away!

I'm not totally hardnosed about it - I allow the odd fellow employee and handicapped and if someone with a little kid doing the pee-pee dance asks me nicely I can see my way clear to letting them in. I just want to make sure that nobody else sees them; don't want anyone to get the idea that the restroom is open.

[Jazz]

Reading all these stories, I'm feeling so much better about the whole situation. I'm not the only one who feels like customers can't read what's in front of them. Thanks!

Also, in regards to shipping pre-orders, I always ordered on various websites and if I ordered something witha pre-order, it always got shipped with the pre-order because it's only one shipping costs. Now if I chose to get it before, I order it separately and pay two shipping costs.

Oh I hate the whole "website says it's in stock" business!!! Argh! Website stock is so different from store shock but I think unless a customer works in the business, they will NEVER understand that.

[DesignFox]

I work at a pool, and often have to tell people not to dive head first into shallow water. If I had $1 for every I had this exchanged.

SC: Well, if it isn't safe you should have it posted somewhere.
Me:*points at "NO DIVING IN SHALLOW WATER" sign not 2 feet from their face*

If someone needs a sign and another human to tell them that diving head-first into shallow water is dangerous... maybe we should just let them do it and start cleaning up the gene-pool.......

[ForestDragon]

Trouble with that idea is that people rarely kill themselves outright - they usually break their fool necks in varying degrees of severity and spend the next few decades expensively circling the drain.

[DesignFox]

Trouble with that idea is that people rarely kill themselves outright - they usually break their fool necks in varying degrees of severity and spend the next few decades expensively circling the drain.

At least they probably won't be reproducing....

I'm an evil bitch sometimes...