The booksellers suck-o-meter!

[Lulu]

Today was actually really going well till these two came in, the suck counter was at a nice low level, everyone had been happy and pleasant...and then this middle aged couple came in. Now, for a start, they left the door open and it's FREEZING cold here, so that was a minor irritation against them right from the off, especially since we have no heating.

They browse for a while, randomly picking things up and putting them down in the wrong places. Irritation points rise to minor suckiness.

The woman approaches the desk, I'm on the phone, she patiently waits, suck-o-meter drops back down to minor irritation again, she got points for that in her favour. When I'm done leaving the message on the phone, I turn to her, greet her, smile, ask if I can help. The it begins.

Her : I hope so! Those two books there *points to table display of things we currently have on sale* are for sale in Smith's for £7.99, you have them at £12.99 or 2 for £20.
Me, seeing where this is going and inwardly sighing : Right...
Her : I'd like to buy them at £7.99 from you.
Me, kinda resigned : I'm sorry Ma'am, we don't price match.
Her : Oh right...you don't price match...right...well...okay...*wanders off*

The suck-o-meter rises a notch for the fact that she asked despite no other independent bookshops price matching and this being a very commonly known policy, but she didn't give me flack over it, just kinda sulked away from me, so not as bad as it could've been. The the husband appears at the counter...

Him : I want you to order 3 out of print books for me.
Me, thinking 'shoulda known it was too good to be true!' : I'm afraid we can't order books that are out of print.
Him, interupting me : I was told all I needed was some number off the back and you could order them!
Me : As I was saying sir, WE can't order out of print books, you'd need an out of print service for that, the nearest on I know of is in *nearby town*.
Him : So you won't order them then.
Me : It's not that I won't sir, it's that I CAN'T. We are unable to obtain out of print books.
Him : Rubbish, you clearly don't care about your customers, you already refused to help my wife who was perfectly willing to spend money in your shop!
Me : Sir, there is nothing I can do, we don't price match, nor can we order books that have fallen out of print!
Him : well FINE then...we'll go to Smith's!

and the suck-o-meter vanished into the red in one fail swoop...*sigh*

[dragonflygrrl]

I feel you. We get people that want us to price match the internet prices offered by the cell phone carrier we sell all the time. What part of internet exclusive offer don't they get? Then when we tell them we can't, it somehow gets to their ears as "won't." How does that happen exactly, that weird transference? I just don't know.

[AFpheonix]

Me too. Somehow, selling a medication without a valid prescription, even if you have one at another store that is now closed so that I can't transfer it, goes from "against the law" from my lips to "god, she's a heartless, lazy bitch" to their little....well, can't really call it a brain, I suppose ganglion will have to do.

I fail to see where it's my problem that you've been out of your meds for 3 days, and then show up at another store that has never had your prescription, and get pissed when they won't give you any. If they've at least FILLED it with me before, even if it was a year and a half out of date, sure, I'll put a fax into the doctor for a refill and loan a few days' worth. But I'm not gonna do it just because you have your bottle from another pharmacy. I for sure am not gonna do it if it's something expensive.

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

I just don't get where this behavior comes from.
Is there too much medication in the world for borderline psychotics or not enough?

[Spiffy McMoron]

We get people that want us to price match the internet prices offered by the cell phone carrier we sell all the time.

I know where you are coming from-a guy came into my store (Back when I worked at Crappy Tire sports) with an internet flyer for a GPS. We had the same GPS in stock, and the flyer was advertising a price that was significantly cheaper ($75 or so cheaper). Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal-he had the documentation that we needed, but the flyer was from a company in Calgary-275 km away. When I brought it to the dealer for verification, the dealer said that he would not accept the flyer, because the corporation wouldn't give the dealer the difference back. So I, being the middleman, had to tell the customer that he couldn't have the lower price, even though he had done everything right. Boy, was that guy pissed off-and rightly so, I think.

[Jester]

Her : I hope so! Those two books there *points to table display of things we currently have on sale* are for sale in Smith's for £7.99, you have them at £12.99 or 2 for £20.
Me, seeing where this is going and inwardly sighing : Right...
Her : I'd like to buy them at £7.99 from you.

Listen, lady (and all those like you), I’d like to bartend and do magic in a world where I didn’t have to deal with asshats like you and your husband.
I’d like Arizona State Univeristy to win a national championship in football.
I’d like to be handed the keys to a brand spanking new Porsche.
I’d like Kirsten Dunst to call me and beg me for a date.

But what we’d like and what we get are quite often two different things.

[Mark Healey]

Holy Crap!! Threre are still indy new book stores in the UK. In the US pretty much all of them have been killed by Big Boxes. Pretty much the only ones to survive the big boxification of the book business are the speciality stores and the (Yay) used bookstores.

I Hate it when people don't put things back. Mothers are the worst. I used to think it was the kids, but it's not, It's the moms.

We used to do out of print searches for people, but not anymore. They can just go to ABE and get them themselves.

[Imogene]

I Hate it when people don't put things back. Mothers are the worst. I used to think it was the kids, but it's not, It's the moms.

And THAT explains the whole debacle I had years ago with a family who came into my store (Chesterfield).

I notice, out of the corner of my eye, some little kid (maybe 5, maybe a bit older) set a DVD on our rack of manga, which wasn't far from the registers.
I turned to the manager on duty (Red-neck AM) and say, "You know, they really should teach her to put things back where she got them from," wander over to grab the DVD, and look at it, as if to say, "Hmmm, Dora the Explorer does NOT look like Sorceror Hunters. How could she make that mistake?" and go to put the movie away.

Over the course of the next few hours (Note, it was about four in the afternoon when I said that, if I remember correctly, store closed at 9:30) I notice the girl hanging around an older couple, and they all stay near the back of the store. Until just before close, when they come up to me at the register, and literally yell at me, "SHE'S FIVE! DO YOU NEED US TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER?"
At the time, I said "No," just to get them out of my hair. I should've said, "Yes, teach your daughter to put things back where they came from."

They leave, and, as manager and I close the store, he tells me, "You know? I was about to bust out laughing in her face."

[AFpheonix]

Maybe I went to an advanced kindergarten, but we were doing those worksheets where you circled the thing that doesn't look like the others....I think 5 is advanced enough to figure out that like goes with like.

[Brighid45]

It's natural for kids to pick things up, examine them, and put them back down again. That's where parents are supposed to come in. They teach kids to put things back where they found them. What was wrong with those SC breeders? Did they rent their brains on a pay-per-use basis or something?

[DesignFox]

Did they rent their brains on a pay-per-use basis or something?

So, that's the problem with people today! They have to PAY for brain usage, and since we all know customers never PAY for anything...I guess they just let their brains shut down!

[AFpheonix]

Dammit, didn't pay my brain bill again, and those f*****s shut off service! They'd better not charge me a reconnect fee....

[Tufty]

Whenever a customer says anything about price matching, I have to wonder...

If they sell it cheaper at a shop you were just at, why the hell did you bother coming here to buy it? Just bloody well buy it there and save everyone hassle!

[Jester]

Okay, maybe I am being repetitive, as I've posted something along these lines before, but this feels like the right spot to do it again. If I AM being too repetitive, though, feel free to say, "Hey Jester...shut the hell up already!" I may even listen.

Anyway, since I work at a bar, you would think I would not get these price-matching nitwits. They may not use the phrase "price match," but trust me, I do get them. The conversations generally go something like this....

SC: "I'd like a Corona, please."
JESTER: "Sure, here ya go. $4 please."
SC: "Four bucks? They're only THREE down at Rapscallion's Tavern!"
JESTER: "Ma'am, this is not Rapscallion's Tavern. This is Resort Town Luxury Hotel Bar."
SC: "I still think you are charging too much. Why not give me the same price as Rapscallion's?"
JESTER: "Ma'am, if you want to pay Rapscallion's prices, you are going to have to actually go to Rapscallion's. If you are going to drink here at Resort Town Luxury Hotel Bar, you are going to pay Reosrt Town Luxury Hotel Bar prices. I am happy to abide by whatever choice you make in the matter."

And personally, I think the wench should be happy I don't whip out the Patented Jester Anti-Haggling Technique. It's not nearly so accomodating.

[Tito]

Yep, I know the feeling all too well. I used to work for a small IGA, the prices were for the most part higher than at a larger store. I can't tell you how many times I heard 'So and so sells this for such and such price!' I felt like telling them why don't you go there, then!