This has been a hell of a day. Really. A real ripper. Shall we start? Yes, let's start shall we?
So it's in the morning, 15 minutes after opening the store. My manager went to the ladies, and there I was, little vulnerable me manning the fort against whatever aliens might attempt to crash. There arrives little old nana. Carrying a familiar green plastic bag. Nana comes to me, and I smile and greet her as per norm.
She takes out two Thomas the tank engine books, small ones, one for $2.95, the other for $3.99.
"See them?" she says, "I bought one from your store on Wed, then went to David Jones and got this one... for cheaper!"
I know where this is going, and it isnt good my frens.
"So... I would like to know," Nana continues, "what other books do you also overprice!" At this point, her voice gains the force of anger of somebody who is dully ripped off, who has, against her better judgement, bought something pricier from our store.
How does one answer such a qns? "Oh yes yes, that one... and that one... and that book there... hopelessly too expensive..."
I smile and thank her for her feedback, telling her i will pass this to the pple upstairs. She doesn't like my answer... or my smile, and she lets it rip. I'm to blame for everything apparantly.
I try to fix it. I offer her a pricematch, discount, a refund, She doesn't want one and attacks again. And I see she's itching for a fight, so I pull off my deadliest, most favourite move.
I stay silent, and not say a word. I nod at times, show her I'm listening, but I don't talk. I let her fill in the blanks. She does, and it infuriates her. She screams and screeches (ok... over-exagerrating but she was going to explode) and leaves in a huff, saying she cannot believe how I am not doing anything for her.
Right. That spoilt my day early. That was round 1.
Round 2 comes around noon, where I am alone again. Dodgy guy comes to me, showing me an art book on some artist i cant remember. He is complaining about how the pictures and the text within do not match. Not being familiar with the book, I check it out and yeah, agree that it does not relate. It might be a misprint, I offer, I'll have to check it with the publisher. He nods and says, "Well, nobody is going to buy it. Tell you what, I'll buy it for $5 (bk is 14)."
He is trying to bargain with me. In a bookstore. With a lowly sales assistant.
I apologize, say it isnt within my power, that i will call the publishers and check it out before committing to such a decision. He asks why, aggressively wants me to sell the book. I shrug and say how powerless i am. He relents, says he will be in the centre, and walks off. I check out the rest of the artist series, and lo and behold, the text in ALL the books and the pictures in ALL the books... do not match. This my frens, was done on PURPOSE. It's part of the book scheme and this man almost tricked me.
that did not make my day.
And finally, the whoppers of whoppers, the end of the trinity that makes my fabulous day all that much sweeter....
I destroyed the oven by spilling dinner down starter.
Oh yeah baybee... it's a great day.
