i'm...sorry i'm not a phonebook?

[Green_Fairy]

i was totally going to post this the day it actually happened (which was last week), but then i didn't.
but anywho.
this is basically what happened:
me:
pl: phone lady

note: i'm not in salt lake city. that's in utah. i'm in boise. that's in idaho. this is important to remember for later (btw, salt lake city is about 350 miles south east of me)
*ring ring* (the phone ringing in the store, fyi)
me: *picks up* thank you for calling the cookie store this is greeny how can i can i help you today?
pl: do you sell those bouquets of cookies on sticks?
me: sorry, no we don't.
pl: do you know of any stores in salt lake or that deliver to salt lake that do?
me: uh. no...no i don't. i'm sure there's one somewhere in the city, though, you could look it up online
pl: i'm an old lady and i don't mess with computers
me: oh well, i'm sor-
pl: tell me the number of the cookie store in salt lake, then
me: i'm sorry, i don't know. we don't talk to the other stores, so we don't keep their nu-
pl: you are no help at all! *hangs up*
me: uh. have a nice day? bitch.

[chainedbarista]

pl: i'm an old lady and i don't mess with computers

translation: i'm too lazy and old/stubborn to learn anything new, therefore, i expect everyone else to do it for me.

can't/won't look it up online? not my problem, adios!

[aurelemsrealm]

I hate people who call looking for numbers to other stores. I generally don't have time to fool with that nonsense, especially if I'm working alone. If I have customers, I just put them "on hold" until they give up since company policy technically prohibits us from being on the phone while waiting on customers. (Nevermind that the bigwigs get pissy if you don't answer when they call.)

If they want a number to another company c-store, I give them the number listed in the company directory if I can easily find it. Otherwise, I just pick a random store number from the company directory to give the caller.

I also have people who call expecting me to look up the number to places like Wal-Mart or Pizza Hut for them. I just tell them it's probably in the phone book, not my problem, I'm busy.

[MoonCat]

Geez, she couldn't dial directory assistance for Salt Lake? Wow, lazy. Oh wait, yeah, that would cost money. It's amazing to me how desperately some people want to save a few cents on a phone call.

[Hyena Dandy]

So... Seriously, the solution to not having a phone number is "Call a number you do have and hope they know it?"

Especially for cookie bouquets...

Unless it was...



THE UNABOOBOO

[infinitemonkies]

Hmm, if only there were some sort of service that could look up a phone number for me.... I think I'll call 411 and ask if anything like that exists.

[tropicsgoddess]

I guess the old biddy forgot about the almighty phone book.

[Treasure]

Ok, in Old Lady's defense - she's probably used to sending flowers, now florists have this thing called Wire-Service, (you've seen ad's for FTD and TeleFlora - those are wire-services) and its real easy - you call local flower shop in Boise and tell them you want to send flowers to family in SLC, they tell you not a problem - now anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together knows that you cannot expect a delivery driver to go from Boise to SLC, however your florist has a network, and she will call another florist in the town of your delivery and they will make and deliver your arrangement, however local florist has to pass on the payment for said flowers, so in order to be paid for her time, she may tack on a "wire-fee" ; Now to get around this some people will find out which florist consistently delivers the flowers to the recipient and start calling them direct. So Granny in the OP may have been hoping that OP's company had a similar network available and/or know what she's looking for;

might i recommend getting the national number for Edible Arrangements and giving that out when people start asking for out of city deliveries? just a suggestion.


***
sorry if any sarcasm comes across as condescending it is not my intent ****

[Falor]

Umm... Wow.

Sure, I get people wanting numbers to other stores. In. The. Area.

Someone wants a number for the one two miles this way or five miles the other way? No problem, I've got it in my cel phone's contact listings. (seriously, I've got about ten store's programmed in my cel from needing the number for one reason or another over the past ten years)

Someone wants to ask me for the number to one of our stores in Dallas or Louisiana? Tough luck.

[TheMike]

Problem I have is the store I'm at shares a name or part thereof with about 5 other businesses in town (one has multiple locations). got so tired of the wrong numbers, and being a generally helpful person, I keep a list of those numbers by the phone so I can re-direct people.

[depechemodefan]

Unfortunately for the library I work in (let's call it "downtown"), if someone had call 411 and asked for the "Green Lake library" or the "Morrow View library," 411 will give our phone number. So we answer, and person asks, "what time you close?" they assume they are calling the library they have in mind, not the downtown library. So we are used to asking "for the downtown library?" which gets asses saying, "yes, duh." But we also get people who then say, "I thought I'm calling the xxxxxxx library!"


But then, a lot of people call us as a free directory assistance, as in "can you give me the number to the 99 cent store at the 7400 block of Westline?" You get placed on hold for being vague. If it's "can you give me the number to Walmart on 43rd?" Not only I'll give you that, I'll give you 3 min. holding on the phone while I go on facebook, then bother to look up the number.

[Ironclad Alibi]

me: *picks up* thank you for calling the cookie store this is greeny how can i can i help you today?

Ok, in Old Lady's defense - she's probably used to sending flowers, now florists have this thing called Wire-Service, (you've seen ad's for FTD and TeleFlora - those are wire-services) ... So Granny in the OP may have been hoping that OP's company had a similar network available and/or know what she's looking for...

Now that's a good idea. An FTD type service for delivering cookies. That would be real handy on this forum.

[venroses]

The biggest thing I get is people asking for copy/faxing services and where do they go if we don't have it?!?! (I work in a chain drug store that does not have post offices in them...)

[EricKei]

So... Seriously, the solution to not having a phone number is "Call a number you do have and hope they know it?"

Happened all the time at DaddyJim's Pizza...If we were lucky, they would double-check to make sure they had the right store BEFORE placing their order...

As for 411...For elderly and disabled folks, it's free here ^_^ You just gotta call the phone company to let them know/offer proof of qualification.