Monday, May 01, 2006

This is the kind of stupidity that I have to deal with. I had the following conversation with a customer on Saturday, April 29, 2006.

Scene: Barnes and Noble, Coralridge Mall, Coralville, Iowa City.

The Salesperson (ME) is standing at the computer in the fiction section, trying to clock out for her lunch. She is approached by the a middle aged blonde woman.

Customer: Excuse Miss, do you work here?

Me: Yes, what can I help you with? (Why are you bothering me now? All I want to do is go to lunch?)

Customer: Where is your non-fiction section?

Me: um...What are you looking for because everything except for this section we are standing in now is non-fiction. (I love this question because it is so stupid?)

Customer: Oh, everything on that side?

Me: Everywhere but right here, ok the cafe isn't non-fiction but everything else in the store is. What are you looking for? (ok she's an idiot)

Customer: I don't know. I need to do a book report for a class and I need, like, four non-fiction books?

Me: Ok, what are you interested in? What do you like to read?

Customer: I like mysteries. (She knows that mysteries are fiction right? Please do not tell me I'm going to have to explain to her what non-fiction is.)

Me: Ok, how about true crime.
Customer: that doesn't sound too bad. I don't want anything too heavy.
Me: Ok, well, um...Let's see.
Customer: Non-fiction is real right?
Me: Yes (Oh, good there is something going on upstairs.)
Customer: ok good.
Me: How about the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? Have you seen the movie?
Customer: Yes
Me: Well, you will like the book if you liked the movie. I'll let you look around. Let us know if you need any more help.
End Scene.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain. I work in a B&N in Minnesota. I get this all the time. "There was a book on that big table at the front of your store last week, do you still have it?" hang in there TWAM.

Coltrane said...

I get that too but my favorite is when they saw a book on a table like around Christmas last year but they have no idea what it was called, who it was by or what it was about but I'm somehow supposed to know what they want. Grr...

Anonymous said...

Funny how I was just blogging along,typed in Barnes and Noble and up you come. will be checking in daily. Have inventory tonight. "price check" "sku check" hate inventory. oh well could be digging ditches, well got to go and mow the grass is about a foot high. BFN

Coltrane said...

Well don't check daily because I'm not very good at updating. Maybe try once a week. I have to work inventory tonight too. Oh happy day.