So sorry we don't carry your obscure item

[kiwiwinelover]

Okay, so am at work today. Wasn't feeling too good this morn, didn't eat anything because of it. So when Douchebag Extraordinare walks in I'm in no mood for his crap.

DB: If you need me to explain, you shouldn't be reading this
ME: The wise and wonderful me!

DB : I need this (item number from prominent item brand)
ME : Ok, I'm not sure we carry that item but lets go have a look
DB : Why am I not surprised

I walk on like WTF? I show him the section where we keep (item Brand).

ME: Ok, it looks like I don't have that number - though it is probably available through my main supplier and I could probably have it for you tomorrow.
DB : Oh for God's sake I heard you were the main (supplier) in town I can't believe this, I came in yesterday and you didn't have the item gosh!(I totally imagne this like Napoleon Dynamite though it wasn't like that in person)
ME: Ok

I walk off as I am in no mood to see a man twice my age throw a tantrum over something so insignificant when I am feeling like crap. I help other customers and as I stand at the front registers....

DB :You guys are so useless two times in two days you haven't had what I wanted (walks out dramatically)
ME : Okay thank you have a nice day!

Yes, because I control what we sell in the store - if I had that Kind of power I'd be working downstairs in the Dungeon(as I call the offices of my store), not having to deal with Douchebags like you. Technically though my bosses do take my suggestions into account. I called my manager(awesome guy) and warned him he might get a complaint or something and he agreed the guy was a Douchebag - I love my manager!

The kicker(as hinted to in the title)? - the item DB wanted was an incredibly obscure item from prominent supplier. An item I have never ordered or had requested in my 7 months at store.

Douchebag

[blas]

And yet he keeps insisting on trying your store.....ever heard of if you're not pleased with somewhere, don't go back?

I'm more than convinced that people like that intentionally keep returning to stores or restaurants where service is "bad" (at least in their own mind) just to have something to bitch about, lest there isn't a million other things to irritate them.

[kiwiwinelover]

Haha thats the thing Blas- we are the only store like us in town and what we don't have in stock right this minute we can get overnight - and he had been told that at least twice(once by me, another time by CW day before.

Normally I get really annoyed or mad but I guess I am getting used to DB customers - I just laughed about it this time !

[Automan Empire]

I get that a lot. Someone will request an obscure cosmetic part in a specific color for a 15 year old car, something we've NEVER sold or been asked for, and they huff and cop an attitude.

In order to have that level of stocking, my mythical back room would have to be an acre in size, with 240" pallet racks, and 7 figures worth of inventory. Usually my independent repair shop doesn't stock such items, nor does the vehicle dealer even... it is only stocked at the regional warehouse level.

As a general rule, if you don't sell at least 6 a year, it is NOT worth tying up money in inventory.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You know what sucks even harder about this kind of thing? When your store has a "product request log" and every time a customer asks for something the store doesn't carry, you're supposed to record it in the product request log so the buyers can then obtain it, get it in all the stores, and watch it not sell.

You may think this something that only exists in a Retail comic strip from way back, but I'm told my company briefly did something like this. It failed because--get ready for the shock of a lifetime here!--nobody bothered to write anything down in the product request log.

[TexasT]

ME: Ok, it looks like I don't have that number - though it is probably available through my main supplier and I could probably have it for you tomorrow.

DB :You guys are so useless two times in two days you haven't had what I wanted (walks out dramatically)

So instead of requesting it, as you said you could've done and knowing it'd be there for sure the next day, he instead comes in just hoping it'd be there? Nice...sounds like a logical guy to me....

[Cut Grass]

I worked for Sears back when they had a huge catalog operation. Customers would shop the store only to buy from the catalog. Most refused to believe that the store (with high mall rent) did not carry stuff like john boats or wheel chairs. They were always whining "your wish book carries it..." Naturally, there was a price difference between catalog and the store plus shipping fees.

Some customers were irate when they discovered Sears no longer sold guns or ammo. Sorry, but they quit selling those items long before my time.

[Rapscallion]

You know what sucks even harder about this kind of thing? When your store has a "product request log" and every time a customer asks for something the store doesn't carry, you're supposed to record it in the product request log so the buyers can then obtain it, get it in all the stores, and watch it not sell.

I actually did something like this way back when. I kept a list of fresh produce of unusual aspect that people had asked for, and they were so common (if you believed the customer).

I was able to tell people just how long it had been since the precious item they sought had been requested last. I have to admit that I occasionally smirked.

"But it's such a common item to buy!"

"Er, I've been keeping this list for two months now, and we've not had anyone ask for it in that time."

Rapscallion

[EricKei]

So instead of requesting it, as you said you could've done and knowing it'd be there for sure the next day, he instead comes in just hoping it'd be there? Nice...sounds like a logical guy to me....

This. If he was there the day before, he should have asked for it...and then *gasp* you would have had it in when he came back!

[Spider Jerusalem]

Reminds me of this bitch I had to deal with a couple years ago. I don't remember if she was pissed because we were out of/didn't carry something she wanted, or because our film processor or printers had broken down (as they did frequently back then, since they were old and worn-out), but either way, she ended up screeching the classic SC line, "This happens every time I come here!" before stomping off.

I said, quite loudly, "Well, if that's the case, then why do you keep coming back? Is your broom broken?"

I don't know if she heard me or not, but the customers all around--who had witnessed her tantrum--got a good laugh out of it.

[BookstoreEscapee]

This. If he was there the day before, he should have asked for it...and then *gasp* you would have had it in when he came back!

Perhaps he's assuming the employee's statement: "It is available from our supplier and we can order it for you if you'd like" translates to "We are going to order it right now even though you didn't actually specify that you want us to, so come back tomorrow"...

[EricKei]

Escapee: I would hate to work at a place that actually does orders on that without an explicit request. There are enough people who DO make such orders and never show up again as it is ^_^

[Jay 2K Winger]

I said, quite loudly, "Well, if that's the case, then why do you keep coming back? Is your broom broken?"

I don't know if she heard me or not, but the customers all around--who had witnessed her tantrum--got a good laugh out of it.

You just reminded me of something that happened once at the wholesale club.

While out doing re-shops, I found one of our brooms and dustpans left abandoned out on the floor. So I bring them up front. Ol' Scarface was working that particular day, and was at the desk with NS. As I walk up, I hold up the broom and say, "Scarface, I found your ride!" All the coworkers who heard me burst out laughing. And to OS's credit, she laughed, too.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Escapee: I would hate to work at a place that actually does orders on that without an explicit request. There are enough people who DO make such orders and never show up again as it is ^_^

We do do that, in a sense. We have a shortlist that store employees can add titles to, so if they notice something that has gotten requests and there isn't much (or any) stock in the store, they can shortlist it and enter a reason why they think it should be ordered for the store. The manager still has to confirm the ordering, though, and if they want to exclude something or change the quantity the employee entered (I would generally put in a default of 2 or 5 when I did it, because I knew they could edit it, anyway), based on the reason entered or if they felt the quantity was too high or low. They submit an e-shop a couple times a day, I think.

So, for example, a customer comes in and asks for XYZ book, we have 2 copies in stock. Then another customer comes and asks for that book, we sell them the last one. Then a 3rd customer has to special order it. After a few requests in a short period I would usually ask why the person was looking for that book (usually it was either for a class or they saw it in a magazine or on TV or something), and I could shortlist the book. If the person said it was for a class, I would follow up by asking if it was a large class so we could anticipate how many more people might be looking for that book. (Ideally, a teacher would place an order for the book and we'd hold them, and the students would come and pick them up individually, but not all teachers thought to do that.)

[Salesmonkey]

There is a reason why people who are strong in thought-fu use the Internet to buy their amazingly obscure items. An air filter for a 20 year old Tecumseh motor? Check the internet. A cat treadmill? Check the internet. The UV light bulb for an HP spectrometer? Check the internet. Your local Wal-Mart will NOT have these items. Don't get off your ass to hit the streets, stay on your ass and just type it into Google!