PLEASE help me help you use the correct terminology...

[ShadowTiger]

... otherwise we all become impatient and ask for other salesmen / customers. Please.


Okay, so here's the deal. I (still) work at a Hardware store. I absolutely love what I've learned while working there. I never knew there was such an immense variety of, well, everything. Screws, nails, anchors, bolts, nuts, connectors, ... everything. It's simply amazing.

But of course, with all that stuff, you also have room for error. Whenever I hear someone say "Mollies," so many kinds of anchors pop into my mind. I've seen people use the word for up to six different kinds of items. That's kind of scary, isn't it? I'm really glad I keep them all next to each other in the drawers that there isn't generally a problem.

But today, I had one otherwise delightful customer who just plain lost her patience with me who could not for the life of her find the right word for what she wanted, nor I to understand her.


First, I should say that the way she was describing things was confusing. Nothing she said planted the proper image in my head to describe the scenario, (I'm a very visual / imaginative person. I definitely think in pictures.) as she basically said that she wanted to put a wallboard screw (Very important. Her precise words) through wood, and also through sheetrock.

I ask her why. She wants to mount something heavy'ish... maybe ten pounds? ... to the wall. I ask her how she plans to do it. "Wallboard screw." So I picture a screw. I've never heard the term before, so I wonder what in my inventory counts as a Wallboard screw. Is it just a screw? O.o' So I ask for an elaboration. I guess I received the usual response to what something like that would be, because I don't even remember her answer; it didn't seem worth remembering. ._O'

But here's where things get dicey. What the hell is a Wallboard screw? I take her to my Anchors area, and show her around a few of them. I pick up a few, hoping she can identify it. She quickly begins to think that I don't know what I am doing.

Obviously, this is not cool.

Now, take a look When I run "Wallboard Screws" through Google Image Search, look how far you have to scroll down to find the Hollow Wall Anchors. (It even had that name on the drawer of them when we found them!)

One of my favorite regulars happened to walk by and "take over" and showed her what's what while I tended to his woes with his keys. I would move the world for that customer. Not that I haven't tried...

But bloody hell, you need to use the right term! Recognize when you're not using the correct term! I DEFINITELY said multiple times that it might have another word! Instead of providing a description that wasn't horribly vague, she just assumed I was incompetent. Naturally, I somewhat resent that. :-/

[MoonCat]

I've found that people like that are insistent that they are using the correct term, and you're just dumb if you don't recognize it. They just can't believe they might be wrong. To be fair, if someone taught them the wrong term in the first place, it might not be their fault, but still....They don't have to be snippy about it.

[Frantic Freddie]

Having spent a little time working in a hardware store & a whole lotta time & money in them (3 trips to the store today),I think she did OK,after her explanation of what she needed to do,even though she didn't know the terminology,it'd be obvious to me what she needed & I'd tell her what to buy & how to use it.

[ShadowTiger]

Oh she left with the right item, alright. But that's far from the point. Attitude is everything. Patience must be had. I could've said "I have no idea what that is" or "I don't have it" and walked away, but I don't want to leave anyone without what they need. Effort met with impatience is not as worthwhile as it appears to be. O.o

[Aethian]

Now, take a look When I run "Wallboard Screws" through Google Image Search, look how far you have to scroll down to find the Hollow Wall Anchors. (It even had that name on the drawer of them when we found them!)

I have heard the term before and sometimes I think it's a local thing. I noticed that once when I went to Virgina with Mom that the person we were staying with needed to go to the store. He was looking for a random item and wanted me to help. Described it the best he could but I just for the life of me could not figure out what he wanted.

Finally he found it and I knew it instantly...as another name. *shrugs*

At least the customer got what she needed and you have another item that you know what one of it's purposes is. So over all I think it was a bit of a win-win that came with a bit of agrivation on both ends.

[Andara Bledin]

One thing to remember is that when you know what something is, then it seems very obvious when you hear a description of it. It's a very different animal when you're on the wrong track, and it can be very difficult to switch to the right one.

I had a gm that had set up a rather clever scene for the group of us, and none of the six of us could, for the life of us, figure out what the hell he was hinting at. After he explained it, we all felt like idiots. But before he explained it, we were all stumbling around, blind, without a clue in the world.

^-.-^

[Jay 2K Winger]

For some reason, this reminds me of a conversation I had with my ex-GF. She kept talking about "those things you keep your dishes and stuff in in the kitchen." I kept replying with "cupboards," which is a correct term, but she insisted it was a different word she was looking for. It was about ten minutes later after going around in circles with her that she burst out "CABINETS!" and was immensely relieved. It became an inside joke between the two of us for a while.

[earl colby pottinger]

First guess

I figured out what they wanted on my first guess reading your statements. But that does not mean the customer was not sucky in using vague descriptions. I find a lot of people are very poor at describing their problems or what they need. Just a few extra words and I bet you would have gotten it on your first or second try.

[rose_metal_nz]

I find this a minor pet peeve too - if this is not your area of expertise, be prepared that you might not be using the correct terminology!
... That said, an amusing one came across my desk yesterday; wondered why the call centre logged me a "Half Duplex" (that's their description) fault for a customer with voice-only services; turns out the guy is having "One-way speech" issues but INSISTED on using the term "Half duplex" and in fact corrected our guy repeatedly to the point of insisting this was the term used in the ticket!

[Beki710]

I'm terrible for going into hardware shops and forgetting exactly what it was I wanted - normally because I go in after about 20 things (I should learn to write lists) but if I'm explaining to an assistant what I need, I tend to go with what they advise me because lets face it, I don't work there! Also I've found even if I'm after a certain type of screw they can show me a better one. The guy that managed to get out of my head "counter-sinker" when I'd completely forgotten it is a genius, they must groan inwardly when I go into that shop!

[Teskeria]

Lol. I once walked into a home depot type store (over 20 years ago), found a worker and explained as best I could what I needed. However, my wording was along the lines of 'The thingamajig that sits on the back of the washing machine and connects the hose to the whatchamacallit (not exactly, but similiar). He just couldn't figure it out. Along comes an older gentleman who worked there. Listens to us a moment, asks me if I know the basic shape (I did) asks us to come over to the washing machines and has me point about where it goes. He then knew what it was. So did the young guy as soon as I pointed. Young guy learned that sometimes you need to change the question around. I learned what the part was called. (can't remember today for the life of me, but back then I went through a couple more in the next few years.) I love salesfolks who can figure out the right questions!

[lineswine]

turns out the guy is having "One-way speech" issues but INSISTED on using the term "Half duplex" and in fact corrected our guy repeatedly to the point of insisting this was the term used in the ticket!

He's wrong; full duplex mean they can talk/listen at the same time.
Half duplex is one talks, one listens, the talking person says "over" & the other party talks (like a walkie-talkie).
Simplex...one talks, the other listens, on a permanent basis.

(Let's just say I did this as a professional for a few years, m'kay?)