Tis the season to be stupid

[Kitsune]

So thankfully, by some miraculous godsend, I got moved to the office for the near entirety of the Christmas break, until a week after New Years. Means I don't get to deal with the customers, but I get to help the girls on the desk with the refunds regardless as they HAVE NOT been trained on proper Christmas procedure. How they don't understand the "no refunds on Christmas stock after the holiday" I don't know. There are exceptions, like if lights don't work, but we're REQUIRED to test them. Thus, if they work, no refund for you.

Anyway, people have been getting progressively stupider.

Call back lady

She has called everyday since last Friday to speak to our store manager. Here's the thing: I've worked EVERY DAY since last Friday, and have told her repeatedly that he's on vacation. He also, when he's at the store, only works from 7-5 Monday-Friday, with a Saturday every third week. When does she call? Typically, between 6-7pm every night. She even called on Sunday! Apparently "he's on vacation" means "he's living in his office for the next two weeks".

oh firewood oh firewood!

We sell full pallets of firewood. These things, when delivered, go out on a boom truck. Meaning extra delivery charge. Guy had no problem with this, paid for the last two we had, seasonal and management put hold stickers on them. Less then an hour later someone else comes in.

SC:I want to buy those two pallets of firewood
Me: I'm sorry, they're already paid for and going out on delivery
SC: But I'm taking them now
Me: I'm sorry, they're PAID for and tagged for another customer. As it would require a forklift to put them IN your pickup (which would probably break under the weight anyway), no one in seasonal would get it for you.
SC: You don't understand. I want to pay for them now and take them now. The other guy wouldn't mind
Me: *Calls over manager who dealt with first customer* This guy wants to take those two pallets that you tagged to go out on delivery
Manager: We're sold out of firewood. You aren't getting it. Try somewhere else.

Seriously.. you saw the very visible and large hold stickers, were told someone else had paid for them (with the hefty delivery charge) but you think you can take it?

I broke someones world with this one

Not really sucky. But really what? Answering the phones on Sunday. Had just done the closing and was cleaning up the office (phone has to stay on til it tics over to exactly closing time). Phone rings.

Customer: Yes I'm wondering when you close. (bouncy voice)
Me: We're in the process of closing now. But we're open tomo-
Customer: *sobs* *hangs up*

I was about to say we're open in the morning. But crying?

So if I buy this now, can I return in after Christmas?

Seriously. Got this call from cash a few days ago. Involved in this are:
Me: duh
C: cashier (who is desk trained)
SC: win!

C: So.. there's a lady here. She wants to know if she buys this *live* centerpiece now, can she bring it back after Christmas?
Me: You just answered your own question.
C: So.. no?
SC: But I don't know if I'll like it
Me: Exactly. And you know what? Tell her if she doesn't like it, she has to bring it back before the 23rd, cause there's no chance in hell I'm bringing it back on the 24th.

Your life trees are from where?

People apparently, don't like Nova Scotia Christmas trees. Why I don't know, they last longer and are fuller then most other ones you can get. But when I tell people our live ones are Nova Scotia, they yell and hang up the phone. Um k? Everywhere else sells Nova Scotias ones too. So unless you want to break a whole bunch of laws to cut down your own...

[Gerrinson]

So unless you want to break a whole bunch of laws to cut down your own...

This happened to a family that lived a few miles away from me. They had some lovely trees (some type of evergreens) between their front yard and the road, giving them complete privacy. The trees were very tall, too, taller than their three story home.

So, about a week before Christmas some enterprising douchebags waited until they weren't home and cut off they top HALF of one of the trees. They then trimmed branches and shortened the piece of trunk and took the top of the tree with them!

I know people that go out into the wild and cut their own for free...meh, fine, whatever. It's not like we're short on trees in our area. But cutting the top off a tree in someone else's front yard??? That's just uber-rude.

Here's the real kicker:

The owners hung a sign off the remainder of tree saying (exact quote, they stenciled in little stars ) Merry Christmas to the f*cking a**holes that ruined our tree!

Christmas Eve, on my way to dinner with the family, I see that someone had used red spray paint to write 'Thanks!' across the sign!

I didn't hear about the cops ever catching the morons that did all this, but what the hell were they thinking?

[SnapAddict218]

So, about a week before Christmas some enterprising douchebags waited until they weren't home and cut off they top HALF of one of the trees. They then trimmed branches and shortened the piece of trunk and took the top of the tree with them!

Not to threadjack, but last year we lost 9-yes NINE trees from our windbreak thanks to similar jackwads. The treeline that they molested was over a hundred years old! Jerks!

[Sliceanddice]

..... ok this is wear you purchase some nice survalience equipment, and maybe lojack them, and mount them about every 15 trees and record everything. The press charges and sue out the nose. for the trees.

[GolfCart34]

So, about a week before Christmas some enterprising douchebags waited until they weren't home and cut off they top HALF of one of the trees. They then trimmed branches and shortened the piece of trunk and took the top of the tree with them!

I know people that go out into the wild and cut their own for free...meh, fine, whatever. It's not like we're short on trees in our area. But cutting the top off a tree in someone else's front yard??? That's just uber-rude.

My dad grows his own trees for Christmas. Jackasses like that are the reason why he grows them in the back yard. Seriously, how cheap can you be to be bold enough to steal somebody else's tree? And these were decorative trees at that! People just amaze me.

As for the Nova Scotia tree thing... We live in an area that is somewhat known for Christmas trees. A couple of days after Thanksgiving, my bf and I decided to venture out to Target to do some shopping. It seemed like everybody driving southbound had a tree on top of their car. And right behind them were the trucks with trailers full of the trees from Canada. I'm sure that many of the people from around here who sell pre-cut trees sell Canadian ones and most of the out of staters who buy them are non-the-wiser. If people want a real Vermont tree they'd be better off going out in the woods and cutting one down.

[bigjimaz]

The gall of some people! Being too cheap or lazy to buy one or go cut one down is no damn excuse to cut a decorative (or functional) tree in half. Personally I hope that all the needles fall off it and they suffer perpetual stinging spines in their feet.

I live near (@ 40 miles) "The Christmas Tree Capital of the World" so I drove up there and got mine. It was a beautiful day and I got a near-perfect tree for roughly 25% less than the local lots wanted for their Canadian trees, even factoring in the cost of gas to get it.

[FenigDurak]

'Round here, a Fire Department in a small town in the Mountains uses the season to thin out a section of the forest that would be a fire risk the following summer. So for $10, we got to go hiking, get lost in the woods, find a tree, cut tree down, schlepp it back down the mountain and get Hot Cocoa and a Chili Dog from cute Firemen in coveralls. Totally worth it.

[Crosshair]

Not to threadjack, but last year we lost 9-yes NINE trees from our windbreak thanks to similar jackwads. The treeline that they molested was over a hundred years old! Jerks!

Hmmm, looks like I have found a use for the ATN-390 Night Vision riflescope I own. Either that or shoot them with a paintball gun while they are up in the tree.

[mattm04]

I never thought that people would be cheap enough to steal parts of another persons pine tree. Maybe steal from a tree lot at night, but to take part of another persons tree, wow.

[RetailActress]

<<People apparently, don't like Nova Scotia Christmas trees. Why I don't know, they last longer and are fuller then most other ones you can get. >>


Too late now, but next year you could really have some fun with this, as SCs are so stupidly gullible. Next December 2008, say, with a great deal of uppity confidence:

1. "Because of its superior environment for evergreens, Nova Scotia produces the highest quality conifers in the world ... and quantities are limited!"

2. "I don't know if we'll be able to supply you with a tree this year because all the INTERNATIONAL CELEBRITIES have already placed their orders for Nova Scotia trees, the highest quality conifers in the world!"

3. "There are no more Nova Scotia Christmas trees currently available. However, if an INTERNATIONAL CELEBRITY should cancel his/her order, we might have a tree or two available at the last minute for a 250% surcharge, and this would be your last chance to obtain one of the highest quality conifers in the world!"

This valuable marketing advice is my holiday gift to you - no charge!

R.A.