I didn't believe this SC actually existed.

[zymry]

I work at a video rental store, directly across a side street from our major competition. They do video rentals, cell phones, cable, internet and a whole slew of other stuff. Yes you probably know the name of both companies now.

So I'm working all alone on a Sunday morning. Shift started at 9 doors opened at 10 and while I wouldn't call it "busy" I had to stay behind the counter because there was always a line or someone on the phone.

11-ish am this happens

Me = well um me
SC = the SC

SC walks up to cash, a letter in hand saying

SC " I was told I could pay this here"

Me takes and looks at letter briefly as it could have been a collections notice seeing the icon for "competition" I stop looking and return the letter to customer.

Me " I am sorry sir but that is from <competition> their store is across the street.

SC " I called and was told I could pay this here"

Me " I am sorry sir but that is not from our company I can't take payment for it"

SC " But I called this morning and someone said you could"

Me " I apologize sir but I have been the only staff member on today and I took no such call and gave no such advice"

Note he has gotten louder and other customers are looking up from their browsing

SC "What am I supposed to do now, I called and was told I could pay this here."

Me "Well sir, I can't take payment I am sorry you wasted the trip into my store however I am sure the people at <competition> across the street would be happy to take your payment."

SC Swears loudly, then stomps off

Next customers to come through the til = NC

Me "Hey you're renting X and Y today how about some pop or chips to snack on while watching ?"

NC "No thanks but (pause and smirks) I would like to pay my <competition's> bill."

Me " <smiles> Sure thing"

NC " I can't believe how angry he got"

Me ' I can understand being in a hurry and dropping movies off at the wrong place, happens alot we do "prisoner exchanges" every time it does but that , that was just wow" <pause> <gives total> anything else I can get for you ? Thanks for coming in have a good day.

[tropicsgoddess]

This is proof that suckiness gets you nowhere, people! *to SC's and dishes out the *

[Shamus]

Oh, who was it that wrote about the woman who kicked in the doors of a furniture store, swore up a storm and chased customers out, and spit on the clerk, and it turned out she laid siege to the wrong store?

Yes, I'm afraid that kind of moron does in fact exist, and there are more of them than any of us would like to believe.

[Salted Grump]

That would be one of Kusanagi's War-Story Calibre monsters. I think It's floating about in the 'Before the hack' section.

[Ghel]

We get this kind of thing a lot at the bank where I work. Despite the lack of signage for our competitor (who likes to put their name on everything), we have people coming in to ask "Is this a <competitor>?" I've never had anybody get loud or angry when told "no," though. Funny thing is, we're the only bank in town. To get to <competitor>, you have to drive to the next town over, 5 miles away.

[Rine]

Haha, that happens sometimes at my store though. Our competitor is directly across from us at the mall...basically we are on one end and they are at the other.

I've had people come in and want to use <competitor's store card> and get snippy with me when I tell them I can't use it. Or they try to pay the competitor's card's bill, or they want to return competitor's clothing, etc. Sometimes it's difficult to tell with the clothing, as we carry a lot of the same crap they do, but usually I scan all the merchandise if I'm not sure. If it doesn't scan in our system, then it ain't ours. (Usually!)

I've also had people write checks out to competitor's store but most of the time I am quick enough to stop them after they start with the first letter so they can correct themselves.

[evilhomer]

How stupid can you be. I'm going to assume the competition is a red store and you're in a blue one. It does not take a genius to figure out which one he's supposed to be going to, particularly while you're trying to advise him of his error. But this is the way so many people are today - they're the smartest, most well informed, never wrong person on the planet, and everybody else is a moron who doesn't know what they're talking about. As such, it's up to them to angrily educate everyone else of their wisdom.

I put up with this exact complaint dozens of times while I was serving time. I was at "Cliffside Electronics" and directly across the street was "Fairview Electronics" on Fairview Drive. So of course people would come to Fairview Drive and go straight to the first electronics store they saw. I'll give credit to half of them, they listened and went across the street. The other half would holler, scream, argue... generally throw a tantrum to various degrees until they storm out.

The funniest one that comes to mind is one assclown who even after seeing the different letterhead, bills and business cards still wouldn't believe his error so I handed him the phone. After a brief refusal, he realized that this would show how right he is so he smugly made the call. It was hilarious watching him spin around our tiny shop trying to figure out who he was talking to. Not finding that person he demanded to know their name, slammed the phone down and shouted "Where the fuck is Bill Smith". Well he had come a little too close to me slamming the phone down so losing my cool, I shouted back "Across the fucking street at fucking Fairview Electronics. Get the fuck out of my store". This scared him enough to leave, but not without threatening that he's going to complain to the president of Fairview Electronics about my attitude

[SG15Z]

Yes that particular SC subspecies does exist, but they are pretty rare, and few ever spot one, let alone have to deal with it. Much caution should be taken when approaching it.

[zymry]

How stupid can you be. I'm going to assume the competition is a red store and you're in a blue one. It does not take a genius to figure out which one he's supposed to be going to, particularly while you're trying to advise him of his error.

Yup red and blue awnings about 50 feet apart.

I'm horrible, if we don't have something and I KNOW they do (they will get games we don't carry and what not) I'll tell a customer "Sorry I can't get that for you but 50 feet that way there is a csr in a red shirt that will be delighted to"

Any movies we don't stock for sale "There is a store in the mall that either has it or can likely get it" (HMV) or for the truly esoteric we are on good local terms with a business that deals in rarer things.

[LillFilly]

Hee, love that, 'prisoner exchange.' Is it an even trade, or do you demand better than what got dropped-off?

"in exchange for the life of Tigerland, we shall take both 300 and Down Periscope! If not, Mr. DVD will be meeting Mr. Sandpaper!"

Reminds me how my last job people complained about my security company all the time. Only it wasn't my company that had done the things they complained about...It was the private company the client themselves had hired! Gads! Completely different color uniforms, badges, and oh yea, they didn't have women!

[Geek King]

Hee, love that, 'prisoner exchange.' Is it an even trade, or do you demand better than what got dropped-off?

"in exchange for the life of Tigerland, we shall take both 300 and Down Periscope! If not, Mr. DVD will be meeting Mr. Sandpaper!"

Or you could do it like the ancient Chinese. Both armies meet on opposite sides of a large field, just out of arrow range of each other. Prisoners are brought to the front and released at the same time. The prisoners walk towards each other, then start running when they pass one another. You see, once they passed, it was considered perfectly acceptable to start shooting arrows at the prisoner you just released. Run Matrix, run!

[mattm04]

I work at a supermarket and our competitor is across the street. One wears black dress pants, white pressed shirt, tie and vest for floor employees the other wears yellow or purple polos half aprons and jeans. Just guess at how many times I get asked a question about a service the other store offers or where they can return competitors item. The interior signage colors of the two stores is also much different.

They are that dumb.