I'm not a tourist information center

[crewboy]

I posted a topic similar to this a long time ago on one of the previous incarnations of this board. I'm starting it up again because the problem just seems to be getting worse and worse as time goes on...

I live in a pretty large city that has large suburban towns on all sides. Each suburb is self-sufficient, meaning it has it's own malls, shopping centers, restaurants, banks, etc...you get the idea--and it's basically the same businesses in each one of the towns. Because of this, I rarely venture outside of the suburban town that I live in because everything I need to do is basically within a few miles of my home.

This is where the problem starts--the supermarket I work at is located in another one of the suburbs on the other side of my city. It's about a 30 minute drive to get there, and I had never been there until I got my job. For this reason, I don't know the area at all. All I know is that I get off the interstate on a certain exit and my store is a few blocks up the road from there.

Customers at my store, as well as people just driving by, frequently stop me and ask me where to find things in that town. When I apologize and tell them I don't know, they often times get angry and huffy with me and sometimes even tell me that I should know these things since I work there. I've been asked where to find such things as the post office, city hall, the mall, Target, shuttle parking for a sports event, colleges, insurance agencies, banks, etc.

I don't know where any of this stuff is because I never came to this town before I was hired at this job, and I still have no reason to go out there for anything else. I don't think it's right for people to get mad at me for not knowing where stuff is. I am not going to spend hours of my own time driving around and scouting the area to find out what businesses are in the area and where they are located.

Sometimes people will ask me how to get to other towns in the surrounding area or where a particular street is located. This is a huge metropolitan area that covers most of three different counties. I wish people would use phone books or Mapquest for once instead of expecting the guy who is pushing carts in the lot to have a superhuman memory that can catalog a detailed map of the entire metropolitan area. It amazes me that people think I know everything since I'm working at a store.

[Broomjockey]

I've got the same kind of problem. I work in a downtown mall, and there are a bunch of buildings connected to it by a ped-way system as well. People not only expect me to know every store in the mall, the parkade rates, and hours, but how to get to offices connected to the mall. I'm sorry, I didn't enter the mall before I applied for this job, and I only go to 3 or 4 stores in the mall, usually on my break. If I don't know it, don't give me a hissy fit, go to customer service. I know where that is. Its hours? Sorry, no clue, don't care.

[Crow The Robot]

I've had the same thing happen to me. We are located in a small town, so i have the problem of people saying, " But, you live in this town!!! What are you stupid???"
Okay, firstly, no I don't live in this town i live a couple towns over, Secondly why ask me? Even if I did live in this town i have noclue where everything is, i work minimum wage i don't have time to lollygag all over the map, on the off-chance that someone might ask me a question.

Crewboy: Try saying, Idon't live in this area ma'am/sir, i just wok here, i am sorry I cannot help you, and maybe direct them to somone who could give directions, such as a cop.

[Kiwi]

working at a mall stand I might as well had "information desk" on my forehead. God forbid I actually point them to the real one 20 paces away!

I didnt mind if they said please or thank you but most of them just started to wander off until I said a loud " YOUR WELCOME!" in a cheery tone

very low SC rate that Ive seen in my town so far but they are still around.

[Imogene]

I remember, suddenly, about a customer who came into the Chesterfield store, shopped a bit, then came up to me, nothing in his hands, and asked, "How do I get to Chichi's?"
M: *blink blink* "I'm sorry, where?"
H: "Chichi's?"
M: *thinking* "Find Goku Lane, travel it past the third DragonBall... second house on the left?" *said* "I've never heard of Chichi's..."
H: "Ferf*ck'ssake, You've never heard of Chili's?"
M: "You didn't say Chili's, now did you? You said Chichi's."
H: "You've never heard Chili's called Chichi's?"
M: "Not once in my life. Not to mention, no, I don't know how to get there from here... you see, I live up near St Louis. And this... is Chesterfield... right? I don't know the lay of the land here."

[MystyGlyttyr]

What's really fun are the ones who call me on the PHONE and expect me to be able to tell them how to get to our newspaper from some insane direction. Now, I COULD, however, it seems that I'm one of a very, VERY small percentage that finds things by landmark instead of street. If you tell me "go past the church with three towers, take a right at the McDonalds, and it's across the street from an abandoned hotel", then I can find it. If you say "Go down Main Street onto West Street until Cookie Street and then it's on the left"...well, you lost me at Main Street.

I DO go all over the town, but I don't know streets. I think it's clear when I say "Come down Main to the post office, make a left, and we're across from *hotel*" but people always whimper "What streets? I don't know where the post office is? I'm on 465th West..." ...uh, dunno where that is.

So usually it goes like this.

Person: "Can you tell me how to find *thing*?"
Me: "Nope."
Person: "You're not very helpful, are you??"
Me: "I can tell you how many people died today. Does that help?"

[Discourtesy Clerk]

Oh my GOD, do I hate that.

First of all, keep in mind, I do not drive. I have never driven, I don't WANT to drive, and I even failed Driver's Ed on purpose. Therefore, I cannot give you driving directions.

I've had this happen at work twice so far. The first time was during this major festival my town has every year. (Makes our store CRAZY.) Now, this festival is the one event in this town that I WILL NOT go to. The whole world is there. I do not like the whole world being in one very smelly, hot place while I am there. So, naturally, being a non-driving, non-festival-going person here, I have no f*cking clue where the hell the thing is.

So, I'm pushing carts in the 110+ degree heat, and this dude drives up to me with a car full of people and coolers.

Dude: Hey you!
Me: (Goddamnit, what?) Yeah?
Dude: Which way's the Festival?
Me: ...I have no clue, man.
Dude: *laughs* Don't you live here?
Me: Uh, yeah...
Dude: You live here. And you don't know where the Festival is. (in a tone like I've just told him I don't remember my own name)
Me: Um, yeah. I don't go there.
Dude: Alright, whatever. *laughs at me, then drives off*

...Wanker.


And then, episode two. Chinese visitors. Last day of annoying festival. Me, gathering carts yet again. (Why can't these idiots just go IN the store?)

There's a group of Chinese tourists hanging out at the side of the store. Two of them are yakking on their cellphones in Chinese. Businessmen, I guess. Guy comes up to me, greets me really formally. I am fooled by this into thinking he speaks English. I am wrong.

Guy: Where direction town center *points* there.
Me: ...Um?
Guy: What way drive town center.
Me: 'Scuse me?
Guy: Drive, town center, direction, go where.
Me: I'm sorry sir, I can't understand you.

This goes on for another minute or two, then finally, he decides to get the attention of the chick he's standing next to. (Who is just standing there watching all this.) Explains something to her in Chinese. She pipes up, in perfect English:

Chick: Which street do we drive on to get to Old Downtown?
Me: Oh! Okay! (Gee, thanks for stepping in so quickly.) Um, you can take 6th all the way down, you'll see a sign. Can't miss it.

She nods, thanks me profusely, then drives off. Why, in the name of all that is holy, did she not just say this in the first place?

Long post, yes, but only proportionate to my frustration. ^^

[tensaineko]

"How do I get to Chichi's?"
M: *blink blink* "I'm sorry, where?"
H: "Chichi's?"
M: *thinking* "Find Goku Lane, travel it past the third DragonBall... second house on the left?" *said* "I've never heard of Chichi's..."
H: "Ferf*ck'ssake, You've never heard of Chili's?"
M: "You didn't say Chili's, now did you? You said Chichi's."
H: "You've never heard Chili's called Chichi's?"

there used to be a restauraunt around here called Chichis, but it wasnt affiliated with chilis and isnt a chilis now, they would sing you a very uninthusiastic version of "aye aye aye aye we wish you happy birthday" (imagine eeyore from winne the pooh singing it) and then plop a fried icecream on your table and dissippear

[Mixed Bag]

MG, I always thought most people were like you and preferred landmarks, as I don't.

I thought it was Chiji's too for a long time--wish we had the vastly superior Ruby Tuesday's out here.

Hellacious tip regarding directions: Sometimes the side of the street with odd numbers changes as you cross city limits (as in Las Vegas v. developed unincorporated areas).

[Becks]

Now, I COULD, however, it seems that I'm one of a very, VERY small percentage that finds things by landmark instead of street. If you tell me "go past the church with three towers, take a right at the McDonalds, and it's across the street from an abandoned hotel", then I can find it. If you say "Go down Main Street onto West Street until Cookie Street and then it's on the left"...well, you lost me at Main Street.

I have problems giving directions by street names. I give landmarks, unless I'm in the car, too. "Turn left here." "Make a right two blocks up." That sort of thing. Besides, lots of cities/towns, etc., make the street signs too small to read until you're going past them.

[Pagan]

This is where the problem starts--the supermarket I work at is located in another one of the suburbs on the other side of my city. It's about a 30 minute drive to get there, and I had never been there until I got my job. For this reason, I don't know the area at all. All I know is that I get off the interstate on a certain exit and my store is a few blocks up the road from there.

I've gotten the same thing. I live on the westside of Albuquerque and, except for work, rarely ever go over to the eastside, maybe once every couple of months. And for some reason, I get people that think I should know the phone numbers of said places! Sorry I don't keep QwestDex in my brain!

[MadMike]

I had kind of the same problem the one summer I worked at a DQ. I don't really talk about it much, because I usually just worked the fryer, and had almost no interaction with customers. It was in Lancaster, PA, and if you've ever seen the move "Witness", you might have caught a glimpse of it. I can't believe it was 20 years ago. Damn, where did my life go?

Anyway, I'm not from that area, and I don't know the area very well. The only reason I was even there was because I spent the summer at my grandparents' who live there. My parents live out in the sticks, and there wasn't much out there in the line of summer jobs. But people were always asking me how to get somewhere in the area, and I had no idea. I guess people have become a lot ruder since then, because I don't recall anyone getting all bent out of shape about it.

[JustaCashier]

I'm fortunate, I guess, that due to a combination of my living in the same area for most of my life, driving around the City and surrounding neighborhoods with a buddy just for the fun of it during High School and a few years after, and having a couple different jobs many years ago that involved driving in the area, that I can be given almost any address within our City Limits (a fairly large area) and give someone at least basic directions on how to get there. Back when I was still driving the area alot, and for a few years after, I could often give directions to someone right down to telling them which lane to be in/not be in at a certain point, so as to not get forced off going the wrong way due to lane restrictions.

I was in our Downtown Core, most every workday, for over 20 years working various jobs, until I left my last Downtown job 8 years ago. I could identify or give directions to every prominent, and many not so prominent Buildings in the Dowtown Core. Now, I rarely get Downtown, so may struggle a bit if someone were to ask me where a more recently built Building is located, unless they gave me the street address.

Mike

[Imogene]

I also used to love the people who would call me on the phone to ask "How do I get there from 'here'?"
M: "No clue."
"Don't you know how to get there?"
M: "Yes, if you're coming from Highway 94, I can direct you here, coming from anywhere else I'm lost, as will you be if I even try to give you directions."
I would usually hand these phone calls off to old SM, who enjoyed making my life hell, and I would get a chance to see him squirm as well. He didn't know how to get here from 'there' either, usually.

[KuzcoLlama]

Yeah, I've lived in the same county my whole life, and spent six months as a gopher for a police department. That is the only reason I know this place like the back of my hand. The thing that irritates me is when people complain to me about how my co-workers don't know the area. Gee, I'm sorry that they're 14 and can't drive yet. /sarcasm