MLAARE -The Competitor

So. 
There I was.
Working.
When a coworker came up to me with a customer in tow, asking if we carried Dove Food.
Usually Dove food and Finch food is intermingleable and is what we do here in the store.
So that's what I told the customer.
but she was looking for something different.
Because she didn't just have the small doves like the ones we carried in our store.
But the bigger versions as well and they need a bigger food.

Which we don't carry.
Because its not a food we carry.... 
(though now that I'm writing this I'm wondering if we had something in our wild bird seed section.) 
And told her so.

And the customer said "Well, I guess I have to go to your competitor then because I know they have it there as I bought it from them before!" And then she stared at us.
As if expecting us to make a scene from that pronouncement.
Like she was expecting us to suddenly be able to procure the desired food item with the mere mention of our competitor's name.

Because obviously we're rivals.
Obviously the name should bring gasps of horror and the effort to bend over backwards to ensure that we don't give business to our competitor.

Meh.

Not really.
Seriously, if we don't carry it. Its not like we can just go into a warehouse out back and bring out a 'new item' to the shelf because we're not Amazon. 
We're a store.
One with limited supplies.
One that isn't a warehouse in of itself with tons and tons of items in a huge back room to bring out for all the crazy customers who want to buy in bulk.
No. We're a regular store. With limited space in the back for extra products. 
So we don't carry a ton of extra things.
Just what we think we can sell within a few days really. 

Really. 
Using the competitor's name isn't going to strike fear into our hearts.
Isn't going to help your situation at all.
If you know its there.
Go.
We'll even give you the names of a couple other stores that could possibly carry the item they want. 
We're easy going like that.

Because.
If we can't make the customer happy within the store, we'll do our best to ensure that we can help them out as much as we can anyways.
Even if that means telling them the names of other stores in the area that could help.

I mean.
If we can't order in for you fast enough, or you don't want to drive to our sister store for the product up there, then of course we'll tell you the names of other competitors to help you out.

Nobody likes feeling frustrated. Including us. 
We know how it feels.
We'll try to make the transaction as painless as possible.

So no.
Saying our competitor's name isn't going to produce a miracle item suddenly appearing.
Don't expect any dramatic scenes from it.
If they have it we don't mind if you go there to get it.

If the customer is happy.
We're happy.

-Sarnic Dirchi