Please pronounce my name correctly

[stephenr]

Hi, my name is StephenR and I work for a local comic store. I am a long time lurker. I work the register usually and handle the calls. I sometimes have had to pull out comic and magazine boxes because the fool that worked last night didn't pull any out. That is another rant for another time. Figured I should share some of the horrors that has happened at this store.

Please pronounce my name correctly.

SC= Sucky Customer
StephenR= Myself

The customer approached the counter with his purchases and had a few questions for me. Not too sucky but you would be wrong.

SC: Do you have anymore copies of Batman Battle for the Cowl issue three, Stefan?

StephenR: We have no more in stock but we should be getting some more on a shipment coming in on Tuesday.

SC: I can't wait wait that long.

StephenR: I am sorry but that is only three days away.

SC: That isn't good enough. I want to talk to a manager and get you fired.

StephenR: The manager left a few hours ago. Your best bet to catch him is tomorrow between 10AM and 4PM as he will be here.

SC: Give me his phone number. I want to talk to him right now to complain about how sucky of an employee you are.

StephenR: I am not giving you his phone number. My name is StephenR(Stephen is pronounced Steven.)

SC: I am not going to purchase anything until my demands are met. I have been collecting comic books longer then you.

StephenR: Sorry sir but there really isn't anything else I can do for you.

SC: Your people skills suck. You should be fired.

After another 10 minutes of this, the customer left with his purchases which shows something there. Even us comic book geeks can't resist reading the books. He did complain about me but the manager took my side and told him that the shipment was Tuesday and to come back then.

Can you be anymore vague?
Not really a sucky customer but this confused me.

SC: Stupid Customer
StephenR: Myself

StephenR: Hello, thank you for calling Comic Book Store. My name is StephenR. Anything I can help you with?

SC: Yeah, I was wondering if you had that comic book series in with that guy that wears a mask?

**Thoughts.. Hmm... Daredevil.. Spider-Man... Captain America... Deadpool.. Little help.. **

StephenR: What hero are you looking for?

SC: You know.. The guy with brown hair.. He is part of a squad..

StephenR: Hmm.. Green Lantern?

SC: Thats it.. You stock Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps?

StephenR: Yes..

SC: Great I will be in later.

The customer didn't show up that day.

If you don't want the book..

This is another thing I don't like. People taking the book and reading it and deciding they don't want it. It decreases the books value because the spine gets bent. Another issue is the people that place the books wherever they want to. We have a system. It goes in alphabetical order so I shouldn't see Captain America with Uncanny X-Men. I shouldn't see Young Avengers with Green Lantern. You get the idea. I shouldn't see the graphic novels mixed up either because it takes forever to get the issues set up. It isn't fun.

That is all from me for now.

[Nurian]

Firstly: Welcome!

Secondly: What did the first guy want you to do? Pull the issue out of his ear? I think the yellow streak would depreciate the value.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

What did the first guy want you to do? Pull the issue out of his ass? I think the brown streak would depreciate the value.

Corrected for my scatological amusement.

[Jester]

SC: Yeah, I was wondering if you had that comic book series in with that guy that wears a mask?

That is the comic book version of the running joke my magician friends and I have, which is unfortunately rather close to the truth. To wit: "Hey, do you know that trick with the card and the guy?" Yeah, we actually do get stuff like that. I guess that is par for the course when you blow minds for a living. (Bonus points to anyone who gets that reference.)

[BookstoreEscapee]

That is the comic book version of the running joke my magician friends and I have, which is unfortunately rather close to the truth. To wit: "Hey, do you know that trick with the card and the guy?" Yeah, we actually do get stuff like that. I guess that is par for the course when you blow minds for a living. (Bonus points to anyone who gets that reference.)

Sorta like at the bookstore...I'm looking for a book...it's blue?

[cinema guy]

I guess even comic nerds can be SCs.

Welcome.

[stephenr]

Secondly: What did the first guy want you to do? Pull the issue out of his ear? I think the yellow streak would depreciate the value.

I think that is what he wanted me to do but I am only human. I don't have that ability. It amazes me what these people will do to these poor books. I treat my comic books good. They are read maybe once or twice and then put in a comic box to keep them in good condition. I have seen some terrible treatment.

[RayvenQ]

This is another thing I don't like. People taking the book and reading it and deciding they don't want it.

Well, when I buy a book ,the couple of paragraphs of text on the back aren't a good enough reason for me to buy something usually, so in that case I'll take a quick skim through the first couple of pages to see if I like the writing style.

Though I could certainly understand your annoyance if it was a limited edition of something though.

[Stormraven]

I would think skimming the book is one thing - but if the spines are being bent, they're doing a lot more than skimming.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

First off, welcome to the forum.

As for the first guy, I'm guessing that he wanted you to check through any comics set aside (if your store offers a 'subscription service') and grab that book for him. Which, of course, would piss off any subscriber that you did that to. Tell the guy to pre-order and there wouldn't be any more problems.

The second one: when I worked in a video store, I would get those questions. Sometimes I could even answer them.

[Imogene]

The second one: when I worked in a video store, I would get those questions. Sometimes I could even answer them.

Same here, it didn't help that our company's commercials routinely showed bewildered customers, asking big box store employees for "That movie where the guy, with the hair, does this..." and it's never "finds true love with a blue hermaphrodite." No, it's "finds love."
*head tilt*
So... drama? Who is the guy with the hair? I've called my brother that on occasion where my brain... not... work... no more... You talking 'bout him?
"Nope, I'm just talkin' bout Shaft"
I need more detail. Who else was in the movie?
"That porn star who got caught with the monkeys...?"
Uh. I'm not up on current news. Are you talking about Bruce Willis?
"Yeah!"
Movie where he finds love...? Does he get shot in the first five minutes?
"Yeah."
Sixth Sense.
"Yeah!"
You'd be amazed how often I could do that when I worked there. Clues that never lead, at first blush, to the movie the customer was actually looking for.
Then there were the people who asked for a recommendation "on a good comedy."
Liar Liar.
"I am not!"
You asked for a good comedy.
"Who's in it?"
Jim Carrey, and Swoosie Kurtz.
"I don't like Jim Carrey."
Okay... uh, Young Frankenstein? By Mel Brooks...
"I don't like Mel Brooks."
Well, what do you like?
"Comedy."
*smack* Actor wise?
"Oh... Pauly Shore."
*brain, shutting down* Well... there's Bio-Dome, and In the Army Now, but other than that, I don't follow his work, his humor is too low brow for me.
(Yes, I did actually have a customer do that to me. "Comedy!" Here. "No, comedy!" You see these movies? They're comedy! "F*** you, I'll get Pauly Shore's oldest movie!")

[stephenr]

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone and yes, comic book nerds can be SC's. My store doesn't hold books for people but we do have a subscription service. You get a card and if you purchase over $30 worth of stuff, you start to get discounts on the remaining stuff. Trust me, I have seen people go in the store and buy hundreds of dollars worth of stuff.

[LingualMonkey]

Please pronounce my name correctly.

SC= Sucky Customer
StephenR= Myself

The customer approached the counter with his purchases and had a few questions for me. Not too sucky but you would be wrong.

SC: Do you have anymore copies of Batman Battle for the Cowl issue three, Stefan?

You and I spell our names the same way. I am constantly surprised by the vast number of people who have no idea how to pronounce my not-that-uncommon spelling of my name.

I get Steffana lot. For three weeks, from one addle-brained professor, I got Stephanie.

[NateTheChops]

I love vague questions.

I had a customer approach me when I was in the GNC aisle facing the vitamains. She asked me for a vitamain that didn't ring a bell. So I asked her what it's for so I could look in the right section.

Customer: *staring listlessly* It's for wellbeing.
ME: *in a polite tone* Okay and what part of the being does it well?

[Subspace_Relay]

Thanks for the kind welcome everyone and yes, comic book nerds can be SC's. My store doesn't hold books for people but we do have a subscription service. You get a card and if you purchase over $30 worth of stuff, you start to get discounts on the remaining stuff. Trust me, I have seen people go in the store and buy hundreds of dollars worth of stuff.

Wow, fancy schmancy pull system you've got there.

Your "Battle For The Cowl" (a comic which was not worth giving ANYONE that much hassle over, IMO) reminded me a story related to me by one of the employees of the store I shop at. He said that a woman came in the week that the "Death of Captain America" issue came out and asked for "the one where the guy dies". Which is so barely a descriptor, but they knew what she meant. They were sold out, and had to explain to her that the guy in front of her in line had them pull a copy for him. All they had left was reserved copies. She pleaded with them, stating that she intended to buy multiple copies and put them in a safety deposit box for her kid's college fund. They were unmoved....but sent her to the rival store two miles away (who was unlikely to have any available copies either).

Had she been successful, she would have been very disappointed come this July. They appear to be bringing back Cap (at least that's what the ads are implying).