Friday, July 08, 2005

But sometimes I know nothing

Other customers assume I don't know anything. They'll ask me a question and either not like my answer or not trust that I know what I'm talking about, so before long I hear them asking another employee the same question. That employee gives them the same answer. Sometimes they even ask a THIRD employee! I love it when the customer asks me, I tell them my answer, they ask another employee, and that employee comes to ask ME because the employee doesn't know the answer.

I had a customer on the phone asking if we carried Specialty Product and I explained that the product wasn't available in regular stores, just from Specialty Product Store. A couple of minutes later he called back and asked if we carried Specialty Product. I told him that the answer was still no, that he had called me a couple of minutes ago. "Oh," he asked with surprise, "Is this Big Competitor?" No, it's {my store name}. "Are you and Big Competitor the same store?" No, not at all, we're competitors. You called {my store name} twice. "Oh," and he hung up. How rude! First he second-guessed me, then he disturbed me a second time, then he hung up on me! When he calls Big Competitor they're just going to tell him the same thing I told him! My store or Big Competitor carrying Specialty Product would be a little like McDonald's selling Whoppers—it's NOT POSSIBLE. You have to go to Specialty Product Store to get Specialty Product. No matter how many stores you call, you're going to get the same answer—you MUST go to Specialty Product Store and spend the big bucks to get Specialty Product.

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