We are not your wife's messaging service.

[Aislin]

We are slammed, it is the holidays and folks figure they should develop last years photo's before they take new pictures for this year. Others want new cameras and memory cards and all the rest. This EW decided to add to my work load.
Me: Thank you for calling Nifty One hour photo on (insert cross street) How can I help you?
SC: Hi can I speak to (name of person I have never heard of)?
Me: I'm sorry you have the wrong #.
SC: This is Nifty One hour photo on (insert cross street) ? Then I DON"T have the wrong number, I need to talk to [person who doesn't work here).
Me: I'm sorry but no one by that name works here.
SC: I know that, she's my wife, she said she would be there at a quarter to five to drop off film.
(Looks at the clock, it is a quarter to five yes, there are 6 customers at the counter, one only speaks spanish and another is male, the third is 17 at most. The other 3 look like family members of the first customer and are helping her pick out a camera. )
Me: She doesn't appear to be here sir, if you call the main line for the shopping center they can page her and give her a message or have her pick up your call but you would have to call the main line of the shopping cen...
SC: no no no. She is dropping off film just give her a message for me.
At this point I am a bit stunned as I have never had anyone refuse to call the other line because it is the best way to get help.
Me: I am sorry sir but we have no way to leave messages for customers the best way is to have her paged. Most of our film customer do not come to the counter they just drop their film and go...
SC: Can't you just stop any customer dropping off film and ask them if their name is (His poor wife).
Me: I am sorry sir I just can't do that (because harassing customers while I am busy is such a good idea).
SC: Why can't you just get her the message? I'm not asking a lot.
Me: I'm sorry sir there is nothing I can do. Your best option is to call the main line.
SC: Fine I'll just call back.

One, we have 6 people working here so I would have to track them all down and make them all keep the message with them, 2 we have 4 development options and only one requires you to deal with our service personnel. I only have a few hundred rolls to prep for send out and a few dozen to process for the one hour service. I have time to ask each customer if they are your wife and give her your message.

Oh by the way his wife never came in my last 2 hour of work, her name wasn't on a single send out or 1 hour order.

[Auto]

Don't bother arguing with people like that.

Just hang up on him.

[Summerfly413]

Does she not have a cell phone?
It's very rare for someone to NOT have one these days

[mattm04]

We had someone do that at my supermarket once. They called customer service, who called me in the bakery to tell me what happened. Their husband was coming in to buy a loaf of Italian bread. They wanted me to stop doing my prep work and stand next to the Italian bread and ask everyone "are you Mr. Asshole" until i fould them. They sad we could not page them.

The MOD laughed and said ignore it. Yet when we didn't they called the GM to complain. He was trying had not to laugh at them for thinking we would ask every custoemr if they are whoever.

[crashhelmet]

When I was bartending I had people that used to call in and do that. They'd play it all off innocently, like they needed to get a message to them or something was important, when in reality they were checking to see if they were at the bar or not. Sometimes it was spouses or significant others. Sometimes it was people looking to track down someone that owed them money or they thought they could hustle money from. Sometimes it was worse.

No matter who they were looking for, the person was never there.

CH: Bar. This is CH. How can I help ya?
Caller: Is John there?
CH: Sorry, there's no one named John here.
Caller: Are you sure? He's about 50, brown hair with glasses?
CH: Sorry ma'am. No one matches that discription.
Caller: OK. Thank you.
CH: You're welcome. *CLICK*
CH: Hey John! Your wife's looking for ya!

CH

[Canarr]

That shows clearly how little some people understand about the requirements of retail work. The ignorance is staggering.

they were checking to see if they were at the bar or not. Sometimes it was spouses or significant others. Sometimes it was people looking to track down someone that owed them money or they thought they could hustle money from. Sometimes it was worse.

That sounds like you've got some interesting stories to tell...

[Bramblerose]

Does she not have a cell phone?
It's very rare for someone to NOT have one these days

Now see, if the sig-o was the sort to try to catch me at a photo drop, I believe I would refuse to carry a cell so I could have a life.

[Aislin]

Don't bother arguing with people like that.

Just hang up on him.

Oh I wish I could, but I was told to be more "tolerant of people you think are stupid"

[calulu]

Oh how I wish my husband would do something like that just so I could point and laugh at him! LOL

[Emrld]

When we just had 7 digit local numbers (prior to having to use the area code -due to all numbers in use) A fast food place had the same first three digits but not in numerical order . . .our number was numerical so its was like 132 and we were 123
So we would constantly get calls for employees - and people would get mad when we told them they weren't there . . at least until they caught on they dialed wrong.
they would threaten to call corporate when they called back after being hung up on
they would get ticked when we wouldn't hollar out looking for their family member

8 times out of 10 they would argue about having dialed the right number.

[trinnyg]

When you number is close to something else.

In the case of the fast food place. If the person seems sucky then use the following.

"Oh Wait they may be here after all"
"Then put the caller on hold for an extended amount of time"

The best ones I have gotten from people is the following.

"I know I got the right number and I know she is there you just do not want to let me talk to her."

this happened when we had the phone # for 10 + years. Sometimes if it is your own personal phone number have fun with sucky people. We are only human after all.

[Pagan]

Sounds like the yahoos that think we have time to call them at home or on their cell when their damn prescription is ready. Yeah, like we have time to do that.

They also, for some reason, think that we page each and every person when their script is done. Really? Think about it, when have you ever been in a certain large supercenter and heard pages for "So-and-so to Pharmacy, your script is ready"?

[Mark Healey]

Sounds like the yahoos that think we have time to call them at home or on their cell when their damn prescription is ready. Yeah, like we have time to do that.

Actually that would be a nice service that shouldn't be to hard to implement, since most pharmacies are already computerized. You could just have the computer call, or even better, text them automatically when prescription is filled.

[Aislin]

Actually that would be a nice service that shouldn't be to hard to implement, since most pharmacies are already computerized. You could just have the computer call, or even better, text them automatically when prescription is filled.

ooo ooo and I can do the same at the photo lab where we don't have the tech for that or the money to buy the tech. If you would like higher film or drug prices we can get right on that for you. great idea but hard to do in reality.

[Pagan]

Actually that would be a nice service that shouldn't be to hard to implement, since most pharmacies are already computerized. You could just have the computer call, or even better, text them automatically when prescription is filled.

Yeah, but that would require the Evil Empire to actually expend some money to get that kind of system. Which isn't very likely....gotta keep that profit margin up!

Not to mention that they ones that want us to call them on their cell are not actually going anywhere. They're going to be in the store shopping and are just too damn lazy to keep an eye on the time.

And how about on the weekends when it's just two techs and a pharmacist and we can barely keep up with the fills then?