Call For Me

 You know how I've been mentioning the past couple of days that customers have been needier than normal?

Yah. The trend still continued into today. *exhales*

It's like spring peaked it's head around the corner and suddenly everyone forgot how to think...or well do things for themselves.

This morning, stupidly early -like who comes into the store looking to buy an animal within the first hour of the store being opened? Only crazy people really. They should be in bed.

In any case. A couple came into the store before we'd been open twenty minutes looking to get a snake.

Which. Ha.

I only have a cornsnake available for sell right now.

As yah, we still can't keep animals in stock for longer than a couple of days and I've yet to get any other snakes replenished. 

-Leaving one entire endcap of 11 cages completely empty btw. Yay empty cages (not) 

And the guy of the couple was like "Do you have any snakes?"

I have no idea what kind of snake he was looking for but I'm guessing it was a ball python as that's what most people come into the store looking for. 

And I told him. I just have the one cornsnake.

He wasn't impressed.

"Do you have any snakes back in quarantine?" was his next question.

Which I'm sure he meant "do you have any snakes in the back that are ready to sell but you haven't put on the floor yet?" 

Because with our birds and rodents we do quarantine them for a few days to make sure they're healthy before putting them on the floor.

Our reptiles though? Not so much. They go straight into their floor cages as soon as they come in.

And while I do have a ball python quarantined in the back currently....he's quarantined because he hasn't been eating for us. So aka not for sell because he's not healthy yet. Not because he just came in or anything.

So yah. I told the customer "Nope." 

And instead of being like "Okay" 

The woman of the couple was like "Could you call your **** store for us then and see if they have any?"

Which, I could have easily called our Sister store that shares the valley for us.

But the store they mentioned is in the next valley over where there's like six other sister stores as well.

And well...I never have to call those stores. 

I was like "I don't know their number, sorry." 

Because I don't. I have our Sister Store's number memorized because I've constantly had to call them over the past 8 years. But the rest of the stores in our state? Haven't the foggiest idea what their numbers are.

And I didn't understand why they wanted me to call the store for them. They have their phones. They have access to google. They can look up and call as easily as I can.

Which the lady confirmed by saying "If we give you their number can you call them for us?" 

Like...lady. You already have their number why in the world do I need to do it? I ended up saying something like "You can call them yourself." because literally they can.

But the dude was like "But you'll get further than us!"

Which at the time I was confused by. Like. Further than you? It's literally dialing the number of the store, hitting the proper number to get to the right department, and then saying "Hi, do you have any ball pythons in stock?"

Literally anyone can do that. 

But my roommate brought up a good point that the customers were probably thinking of the stores as more like an 'office' than a store. 

Where people within the building have an easier time accessing other 'departments' within their building. Other offices and such. Than a customer would if they were calling into the office trying to reach a certain person.

But retail stores? No you dial the number and walla! You get the same person no matter if you're a worker or not. 

I do wonder why they were so insistant on that one particular store being their next choice though.

I'm pretty sure there's three other sister stores if not four along the way to the one they mentioned....

But yah the customers ended up leaving in a huff after I told them they could call the store themselves.

Like I have things to do. I'm not gonna stand there on the phone when the customer can easily call the store themselves. *shakes head*

It does make me wonder why they were so desperate to find a snake so early in the morning though.

Like we hadn't been open half an hour yet.

Were they trying to find a gift for a birthday present? Did they accidentally kill a snake they were watching and were looking for a replacement? Like...why did they need it so early?

Who knows.

Until you next find these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi