This is a problem why?

[Dreamstalker]

Last Friday, a customer came in and wanted to know if he had bought a particular title (one of the Dresden Files novels, he didn't say which one). The customer DB that's accessible from the register only stores purchases for one year, so the earliest I could see was 1/20/07. He told me he had bought it in June.

There were none of any of those titles (at all), but a lot of used book purchases from the month in question (used titles are not individually catalogued because often we only have one copy, and get so much random stuff it would be an impossible task). I told the customer that, rung up his purchase, he left, all was well. Or so I thought..

Today, I get a slap-on-the-paw email from the owner saying that said customer was irate over buying the same title twice. According to him, the previous purchase was made this past February (no it was not, at least not as a new book). In his words "X said you freaked out for a bit" (WTF, I was scouring the db list. A pensive look is not "freaking out").

I'm suspecting what happened is that the guy got the books home, realized he already had one of them (which had been bought used), then came back and complained. That, or the record the owner was looking at was the one I rang up on Friday. The customer struck me as being very high-strung.

I fail to see why this was such an issue. You get home and realize you already have a title, you simply return the one you just purchased. Or give it to someone....wait. That would make sense.

Yeah, this niche market has fewer freaks, but when they do show up...

[BookstoreEscapee]

Why the hell is it your job to tell them what they already own in the first place?

[friendofjimmyk]

Like you said, why is it a big deal? Just return the freakin' book and get on with your life. It seems as if he was the one who "freaked out for a bit"

[myswtghst]

Seriously. This should not be that big of a deal, and also, I thought it was my job to know what I already own.

[Dreamstalker]

I can't think of a single logical reason why that would be seen as a "problem", much less one that warranted an email (the backup failing is an emergency. Some schmo not knowing what he's bought before is not). That type of question from a customer was definitely a first for me.

Eh, he was the one who insisted it was the past two months...not my problem if the information I have to work with is bad.

I've bought duplicates of a couple books, in some cases on purpose because it's a collectible (frex, the Myst novels--I have hardcover and paperbacks of each...paper is my reading copy and the hardcovers go in my collection). When it happens by accident I either return the newer copy--always being nice about it--or just gift it to someone. I have more books than I know what to do with (spread across three states) and I still have a general idea of what I already own.