Where are you going o.O?

[toolbert]

So, my favorite daily question is "Where are the bathrooms?" Now, normally when I'm in a good mood I can stomach this. Heck, even sometimes I even tell them exactly where to go. Mind you, I get this question at least 40-50 times a day so it gets on my nerves and the mall won't give me a proper sign. Well, this morning has been no different but it's funny where people go after you tell them. (and by the way, the bathrooms are downstairs next to the elevators) Over the last couple of shifts I've had:

- One customer (after telling him where to go), go upstairs and then come back and b**ch at me for him going the wrong way.

- Another customer, after I've pointed at the elevator that goes down, goes to the express elevator to Nordstroms.

- One family asked me five seperate times where it was. After the 5th time I just told them to ask the mall's concierge.

- One woman didn't believe me that they were down stairs saying that the arrow next to the sign pointed up (it's pointing the way you should go ya doofus). The sign is right, and I mean, right next to the bathrooms.

- I've had at least 3 people swear that there used to be bathrooms on my floor. They haven't been there for over 3 years at least, possibly more. I wanted to respond with: "Really, they're gone?? Holy crap! Someone alert the mall security! THEY STOLE THE BATHROOMS!!!!!!"

I could go on and on...but really, is this such a hard concept to grasp? When I tell you the bathrooms are somewhere...that's where they are....*sigh*

[Ryu]

happens at my job all the time too, and theres 5, count em 5, bathrooms within about 20 feet of each other!!!
people will ask after walking past the bathroom or while standing next to the bathroom
ugh...

[Broomjockey]

People all the time want to come in from the mall and use our bathrooms. Our bathrooms are supposed to be for customers only. My first question is always, do you have a ticket? No ticket? Washrooms are down in the basement, just take that elevator.
People complain about it, and if it's slow enough, I'll let someone through, or if they've got someone in line getting them a ticket, but 99% of the time, I tell them no, because we have WAY too many people sneaking into movies, and additionally we've had a lot of purses stolen lately. We've figured out basically whose doing it. A group of kids, but we haven't actually caught them red-handed, so no charges, just banning. But they always "just wanted to use the bathroom" and who's to say they didn't recruit some friends now that they can't get into the theatre anymore?

[Kogarashi]

So, where is...?

I've gotten stuff like this before, asking directions for all sorts of things.

There were plenty of people who came in the front doors of Wal-Mart while I was covering for the door greeter and looked around a bit before turning to me and asking, "Um, where are your bathrooms?" I'd politely smile and point to the gigantic sign hanging prominently at the front of the store, right next to the equally gigantic Customer Service sign. And yes, I'd get the same question for the location of Customer Service. I once even had a customer ask for the restrooms while standing near them, when I had a register near the bathrooms.

Another time, there was a slightly less-than-observant lady who came up to me while I was waiting at the CSM podium to get my till back after a break.
Customer: Um...where is the candy aisle?
Me: (stifling a laugh) Right behind you, Ma'am. (pointing to the candy she was standing two feet away from)
Luckily, she was very good-natured about it and we both got a chuckle. I've done this several times.

And then there was a tale related in the breakroom by one of the cart-pushers. Apparently these two elderly ladies came to the store and stood outside for a while, staring up at the wall, until this cart-pusher came up to ask if they needed help. One of the ladies pointed to the McDonald's symbol on the outside wall of the store (we advertise what restaurant is present in our store that way), and asked, "So, where is the McDonald's?" The cart-pusher told us he was sorely tempted to tell them that we keep it on a shopping cart so we can move it all around the store to hide it from customers. Instead, he explained that it was inside (in the back, oddly enough), and if they followed the Ronald McDonald footprints on the floor they'd find it quickly enough. The ladies actually thought the store would be outside underneath its logo.

[trunks2k]

Luckily, she was very good-natured about it and we both got a chuckle. I've done this several times.

My favorite was from years ago, I was standing in the isle with cereal, the entire length of one side of the isle nothing but cereal. So I'm standing with my back to it and a customer asked me (and therefore he's facing the giant wall of cereal) where the cereal was. It took me a minute to answer him because I wasn't sure if he was serious or not.

[Broomjockey]

I had completely forgotten about this one. At my old theatre, we had a set of washrooms on each end of the theatre. Men's and a small handicapped on one side, women's DIRECTLY across from the men's. I'm pushing a garbage can to go to the next auditorium I need to clean, and this lady stops me in the middle of the hall. Facing the men's washroom, she says in this snotty tone of voice "I see the men's washroom, and I see the handicapped washroom, but where's the women's washroom?" I was stunned at this attitude, and her blindness. And I didn't trust my voice, I was either gonna laugh or yell at her. So, all I do is point over her shoulder at the women's washroom.
"Oh" was all the reply I got.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I feel your pain.

I go through it almost daily at the Kitty, and our bathroom is located in the back stockroom at the end of the Dariy aisle.

How people can miss it is beyond me, as there is a large blue sign over the double doors indicating the restrooms, complete w/handicapped symbol.

They can be standing IN FRONT of it and still miss it.

[Phone Jockey]

Y'know, my hubby does that. If he can't find something, he'll IMMEDIATELY ask an employee where something is before looking for it. I prefer to at LEAST try to find it before asking someone. I'm TRYING to teach him, I swear.

[batmoody]

My favorite was from years ago, I was standing in the isle with cereal, the entire length of one side of the isle nothing but cereal. So I'm standing with my back to it and a customer asked me (and therefore he's facing the giant wall of cereal) where the cereal was. It took me a minute to answer him because I wasn't sure if he was serious or not.

The funny thing is at our store, when someone asks where something is, we are required to offer to take them. So this scenario would play out like this.....

Customer: (facing the wall of cereal) Wheres the cereal?
Employee: Its right here, would you like me to show you?

This happens ALOT because people are blind. And instead of giving us employees discretion on when we should actually offer to take to item, it is simply flat out required everytime. I have received many dirty looks and comments from the customer, assuming I am just being a smart ass.
<sigh>

[AFpheonix]

We used to go have to open the bathroom door for people, or if we were swamped, call a floor guy to do it, who would then apparently complain that pharmacy personell were supposed to do it, and we'd get the occasional proclamations from the store manager that we weren't allowed to call for someone to open the bathroom on such and such a day. (suprise, I'd "conveniently" forget, and call for it if I had customers.)

Now, we get to just tell the people the code, which is supposed to change everyday, but it only gets changed if the SM is feeling motivated. I do like this system better, but trying to figure out if the code changed as it was supposed to or if it remained the same gets tiring.

[Mixed Bag]

"I see the men's washroom, and I see the handicapped washroom, but where's the women's washroom?" I was stunned at this attitude, and her blindness. And I didn't trust my voice, I was either gonna laugh or yell at her. So, all I do is point over her shoulder at the women's washroom.

A pizza place I occasionally visit had the two standard washrooms, but since it became such a blue-collar lunch spot the women's room was changed to a locking one and there's still a regular men's room. (I'd think that, like the rest of the chain, it still gets mixed crowds for dinner and weekends, as I'd seen here long ago.)

BTW if there are two locking restrooms what's the point of marking them men and women separately and expecting people to wait when there's an empty one?