Does this look like a phone to you?

[Dreamstalker]

I was doing a pricing run today; our pricing gun is essentially an iPod with a laser scanner attachment, and uploads everything via wifi to the office (in theory; when it came time to print the tags it skipped a whole pile that I know I scanned...connection is flaky in that part of the store, so I suspect they never made it through the network).

Most products scan immediately (just have to reposition slightly to see the barcode), some I have to pick up and hold at a 45-degree angle facing southwest during precise high tide in Australia , some I have to type the SKU in manually. Which is what I was doing when a woman demanded help by prefacing it with "When you're finished playing on your phone..." Just before this, she almost (but not quite) got a faceful of laser while I was trying for the 3564th time to scan something.

Me: "Isn't technology awesome? I know this must look like a cell phone but it's actually a pricing gun. I'll be right with you as soon as I finish up here." (and put this heavy bottle of oil safely back on the shelf)
SC: "Just put your phone away and help me."
(where do I get a phone that shoots frickin' laser beams?)
SC was looking for another cheap olive oil that we don't carry, but $megagrocery at the other end of the mall does. She didn't seem happy about this and stalked off to guest services....I filled J in so he doesn't get a "your team member was on her phone" complaint (he knew exactly what I was doing at the time, so any such complaint would be dismissed)

The irony is, SC had her own phone glued to her face for this entire exchange.

[wolfie]

The irony is, SC had her own phone glued to her face for this entire exchange.

SCs never do anything right. Next time make sure - that's what JBWeld is for.

[eltf177]

The irony is, SC had her own phone glued to her face for this entire exchange.

Do as I say, not as I do!

And down with baseless complaints!

[Rosco the Iroc]

Which is what I was doing when a woman demanded help by prefacing it with "When you're finished playing on your phone..." SC: "Just put your phone away and help me."
(where do I get a phone that shoots frickin' laser beams?) The irony is, SC had her own phone glued to her face for this entire exchange.

Funny you say that, I didn't know I was holding up a mirror.

[Argabarga]

Fortunately, when I last worked retail, cellphones were not quite as pervasive, but I still got a lot of "What do you mean you don't know?! LOOK IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER!" complaints.

Lady, this computer is a 1990 IBM, with monochrome screen and software that was issued to the public under the Bush Administration, the first one. It cannot access wikipedia, the only thing it can do is call your insurance company and give me a thumbs up or thumbs down on your claim, that's it, it doesn't even do pictures.

[Dreamstalker]

I've also had SCs think that the pricing scanner can access Wikipedia/etc...even if it could, doing so would kick me out of pricing and I'd waste a lot of time signing back in.

Cellphones are forbidden on the salesfloor, but us grocery ninjas are allowed to use them to look up stuffs. Yet some SCs will start in with "you shouldn't have your phone while on the job!" One would think that an observer could tell the difference between a phone call and reading something on the screen, but I forget that some people use speakerphone everywhere so don't hold the phone in the typical way (still, the difference in actions should be clear).

OK, fine I do in fact need my phone to get to the interwebs to answer your question, so...

[the lawsmeister]

some I have to pick up and hold at a 45-degree angle facing southwest during precise high tide in Australia

Sounds like my mate's original playstation back in the late 90's... It was so well used it would only work when upsidedown with two video cases propping up one end.
that said it kept working until only a couple of years ago

[Dreamstalker]

SCs never do anything right. Next time make sure - that's what JBWeld is for.

J has been making noises that we need to be issued glue guns...ostensibly for fixing 'damaged' packages, but

[Food Lady]

I'll never forget the time I punched out, threw my purse and coat in a cart, and went shopping after work while talking on my phone. I found out later someone complained I was talking on my phone while working. It's not that she needed help--I never even saw a person who looked like they might ask for something, at least not that day--it's just that she wanted to complain. My supervisor's response was simply, "FL? She clocked out an hour ago." I love when we can shut them down. As for this one, the second time she called it a phone I would've corrected her and not as nicely as the first time.

[notalwaysright]

"It is not a phone. *points* That thing you're talking into, THAT'S a phone."

[Argabarga]

Those coal-fired palm pilots, they rarely worked smoothly (or in my case, at all) but at least no one claimed you were yapping on a phone while stabbing it to death with a stylus because it pissed you off for the last darn time.

[dalesys]

Those coal-fired ...

DisOrganizers, the imps were real clinkers.

[wolfie]

Don't forget the ultimate dis-organizer, the Apple Newton.

How many Apple Newton users does it take to change a lightbulb?

Foux! There to eat lemons, axe gravy soup.

[mhkohne]

Don't forget the ultimate dis-organizer, the Apple Newton.

How many Apple Newton users does it take to change a lightbulb?

Foux! There to eat lemons, axe gravy soup.

I just sat here at 5 am in the kitchen for like 2 minutes trying not to wake up anyone else with my laughter.

Thank you wolfie, that's the best laugh I've had in a while.

[xxscooterxx]

I would have turned around and told her that whenever she got done playing with HER phone, I'd be happy to assist her. That crap right there is one of the main reasons I had to get out of retail. I got really tired of people coming up to my counter whilst yapping on the phone. They wouldn't stop yapping long enough to use their big boy words and actually ask for what they wanted. Instead, they grunted and pointed.