Working in retail is a tricky thing. Working in specialty retail is even more so. You need to sell something to as many people as you can that come in the door, and resist the temptation to tell them to get lost via the door they recently entered by when they ask pointless questions or don’t listen to your answers. I really love it when someone comes into the shop and can carry on a normal, functioning conversation about what their needs are. I look forward to it. The problem is, these people are few and far between. We are currently experiencing a drought in our area in this respect. I’m not sure if it’s the time of year, or just random occurrence, but the questions I’ve been getting asked lately have been nearly unanswerable. Maybe it’s my own shortcomings. I have a sign, given to me by my mother, hanging above my workbench that reads: “There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots”. In tribute, here are some of my recent favorites. No, I am not making any of these up.
Top ten:
“Is this (accessory) hard for me to put on?”
“Do you have a tire/tube for me? I don’t know the size”
“Is it always this quiet in here?”
“Are you always this busy?”
“Are you busy right now?”
“Is this seat comfortable?”
“I just want a bike to ride around- do you have that?”
“Do they have this at Wal-Mart?”
“Why are these bikes so expensive?”
“How much is my bike worth for a trade- in? I don’t have it with me, but it’s blue.”
3 comments:
I had a customer today that was pretty entertaining. The name of our shop is "Out Spokin'." The guy started off by saying, "I'm pretty outspoken, Hey!" I knew this was going to be a good one.
He kept talking (very loudly, I might add, while following me around the work area) about the gas crisis in Atlanta, how people were freaking out at gas stations, how he had an old Schwinn 10-speed, how much it might be worth, he also had an old Columbia 10-speed, what he should do with them, how he may find some kid to give them to, and... all his sentences ended with the question, "Hey?", like he needed my confirmation that his statements were actually legit.
"15 dollars, sir."
I tried really hard to change that tube really fast in order to keep from being "hey-ed" to death.
But, yeah, I know what you mean.
I love "clever" puns and people with annoying repetitive speech patterns, Hey!
I think these customers of yours are the ones who keep posting bicycles on Craigslist. They can all tell you the color and manufacturer, but any information that would be useful for a person buying a bike is not there.
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