No Longer Here

The problem with the retail business....

Is that in order to keep customers coming into the store.
We're always getting in new products for customers to try.
Companies are always trying new recipes for their foods,
And redesigning products, and creating new products.

But it's not like we have unlimited space.
So when we get in new things...old things have to go.

More often it's products that aren't as popular in our store.
Things that don't sell quickly.

But that doesn't mean that people don't buy those products.
They do sell, so someone is buying them.

Which makes my least favorite phrase I hear from customers the phrase of: "I've bought it here before."

True.
You may have bought it here before....
But that doesn't mean we still carry it.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Through the Hole

I can understand when customers want to save money.
Who doesn't like to save money?

But when it comes to pets....
Sometimes cheaper isn't always better.

I had some customers come into the store.

Who wanted a hamster.

And at some point I asked them what they were going to put the hamster in.
They were like "a box."

O.o
"Huh?"
"A cardboard box."

At first I assumed that they were referring to the box we put them in to transport them home.

But they were like "No, a cardboard box."

O.o

As it's living place.

Ummm

They obviously haven't had hamsters before.
Or any other rodent.

Because that hamster probably isn't going to stay in the box for long.

Hamsters love to chew on things.
Including cardboard.

So it wouldn't be long before he chewed a hole through the box.
And escaped into their house.

So I did my best to convince them that they needed an actual cage.

But the parents weren't willing to spend more money on the cage.

They wanted to try cardboard first.

.....There are times and places to save money....
They said they'd get a cage later...

We'll see if that actually ended up happening....

-Sarnic Dirchi

Confirmation Number

A Customer called on phone today, and they were like "Hey! We're just calling to see if the order we placed online is ready to be picked up yet."
Which....since we hadn't been open an hour yet....we probably hadn't. So I asked them. "Did you get an email confirmation saying that your order was ready to be picked up?"
"No..." They responded.
That's what I'd thought. So I told them. "Then your order isn't ready yet, you'll get an email sent to you when your order is ready. But I can go look and see. What is the name that's going to be on the order?"
Customer: *gives name*
"Alright, I'll go see if I can find that and have that email sent to you as soon as possible okay?"
"Alright." the customer responds, but then proceeds to add. "You'll find her order is under the confirmation number of 30030----"
O.o For a moment I thought he was listing off the UPC on a product....which really in reality doesn't help me at all unless I know what the product is.
Turns out he was listing off the 20 digit confirmation code number that was her order.
....Which is even less helpful as it's all online. It's not like we have them listed by number. It's listed by name, which I'd already gotten from him. *shakes head.*
But I said "Okay, Thanks." like I'd written it down, which I hadn't. And ended the call by repeating that I would get that email sent out to them as soon as possible.
Which I did. I went and grabbed our little ipad thingy and found the name, and grabbed everything on their list and got the email sent to them lickety split. :)  

-Sarnic Dirchi

Before We're Open

>.<
I really don't like customers that call the store before we open.
Especially if they call waaaay before we open!!
Like two hours before we open.

Honestly.
Our grooming department may be open two hours before the main store opens.
But that doesn't mean that the main store is open for taking calls of customers.

Honestly.
I have to wonder why those customers are even awake at that hour.

Or why they're calling about Guinea Pigs, or Fish or whatever at that early hour.

In either case.
It's annoying.
And I really wish I could tell them to 'call back' later.

I probably will if they ask for the 'expert' of this section. And tell them to call back when we're open.

In any case.
Customers should really look at the hours of the store before they call.
Because I don't know of many stores that are open at 7 or 8 in the morning. If any at all.

*shakes head*
Just because they're awake doesn't mean the store is open....

-Sarnic Dirchi

Get It Right The First Time

A coworker of mine had to deal with a customer today.
Who couldn't remember the name of the product she'd come into the store to buy.

She insisted that the brand of it was "Colgate"
Like the toothpaste.

Which....as far as I'm aware....Colgate only makes toothpaste and teeth related products....for humans....it doesn't do other products for dogs.

But the lady insisted that we did.
That we carried it because she bought it here before.

>.< I hate that phrase. "I got it here before."
If we'd carried Colgate before....then it was long before I started working there....

In any case.
The woman continued to insist to my coworker that we did carry the thing she'd bought before.

And asked "If I go home and get it, and bring it back with the receipt proving that you do carry it, will you give me a discount?"

O.o Uh. No?
We don't give discounts just because you had to drive back and forth between your house and the store.
Nor for proving that we carry something that we said we didn't carry.

In any case.
She did go home, and come back with the product she should have brought with her the first time she came to the store.
*shakes head*
Because guess what?
It wasn't called 'Colgate' the thing she brought in.

It was called "Barricade Max."
Which is completely different.

To make matters even 'more fun' with her....
We do carry it....but we were out of stock on the product.
So she drove to our store twice....for nothing....

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Changed Mind

I was working the closing shift.
Rare for me.
But it happens every now and then.

In any case.
Right before we closed the store.
Like 20 or 30 minutes before we shut the doors.

A young couple came into the store.

And they wanted a Guinea Pig.

So I had them fill out the paperwork.
Asked them if I could help them with anything else.

They said that they were just going to gather up everything they needed.
-Cage, food, bedding, etc.
And the guy was like "You can just keep him in the cage until we're done."
But I didn't want the guinea pig to accidentally get sold (as I wasn't aware how close we were to closing)
So I just told them that I'd put the guinea pig in it's traveling box and have it up at the register for them.

And I left them to do their shopping.
While I did other tasks.

Closing came.
And as I was circling the store to make sure all the customers were out.
I noticed....
The container with the guinea pig in it.....
Was still up at the register.

O.o? Huh?
So I circled the store again.
Specifically looking for the couple.
And they weren't there.

I noticed then, that there was a cart of guinea pig supplies left in one of the aisles.

>.<
Apparently.
The customers changed their minds.
Either it was costing too much, or they hadn't wanted to get it in the first place....
But in any case they had just walked out of the store.
Without saying anything.

Leaving the guinea pig, there, waiting.

Oooo
I was not happy about that.

Thankfully, I noticed, so I was able to put the guinea pig bag into it's cage.

But still. Why couldn't they have at least told someone that they had changed their mind??
It would have been so helpful.
We have customers do that on occasion so it's nothing noteworthy. They change their mind when the money starts adding up.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Waaaay Too Maaaany!

()_()
What are our breeders thinking?!

So, I was checking our shipping invoice.
To see what animals we would be getting in this week.

When I saw a number....that made me go. O.o Wha?!?

Usually, when it comes to getting in shipments of our small animals. -Hamsters, Mice, Guinea Pigs etc.
They usually come in quantities of 3.
3, 6, 9, 12.
Though recently it's been more even numbers. like 2s and 4s.

But today.
When I looked to see how many Guinea Pigs we were going to get in....
It said: 18.

EIGHTEEN.
That's a TON Of guinea pigs for us to get in. O.o

And then to make matters worse.
I saw with the Skinny Pigs (hairless guinea pigs) that we were getting in 6 of them. SIX.

So I would be getting in TWENTY-FOUR Guinea Pigs in this week!!
()_()
WHAT?!!?

I mean, we don't get more than 12!!!
And here I am having to find places for 24 guinea pigs!!

As usually before we sell the guinea pigs, we watch them for a few days before we sell them after we get them in.
Which meant....I would need to find room for 24 guinea pigs in the back. :S

Comfortably our largest containers can only hold 6 guinea pigs. Which is crowded, but not overcrowded.

Problem was....I only had two of them.
Which meant only room for 12 guinea pigs.

I needed room for 12 more....

Which meant, I had to go into the back, and break out our freestanding cages.
The ones that we have on hand for situations like this.
I had to bring out two of those from their dust covered slumber (as honestly I don't think I've used them in like a year...)
And find spots for them in our back area.

So, thankfully. I did find spots for those 24 guinea pigs. :)
Hopefully....
We sell through them quickly enough that I can bring them out onto the floor quickly. (as we can only have a certain amount on the floor at a time.)

This is going to be interesting....

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Special Surprise

Ah. ^^
It was a good day today.

As, we've had a turtle in our sick room for a while now....
Like two months.
Why has he been in our sick room for so long?
Because his eyes have been closed.
And haven't opened that entire time.

-Personally I feel like he just went into hibernation mode or something.

But for the past two months we've been treating him, putting medicine on the eyes and medicine in his food.

And finally.
finally!
As I was checking in on him.
I saw it.
His eyes were: OPEN!!

After two months. They'd open!!
Hopefully that means they'll stay open and we'll soon be able to put him back on the floor to sell. ^^

-Sarnic Dirchi

A 'Long' Drive

As part of the job, I often ask people how long their drive home is.

Because we have people come from over 3 hours away to get fish from us.

Why? Because they don't have any Starsmets closer to them, and often the local pet stores have little if no fish available.

So they come to see us to get their fish.

Which we can do for them, we just put the fish in larger bags.

But what's funny.

Is that we have customers who live much closer than 3 hours away from us.

And they act like they have a long distance to go.

"How long is your drive home."

"Oh it's long. 20 minutes."

And here I'm thinking....That's not long at all.

*shakes head*

Today's customer was one of those sorts. "I drove ten miles to come here!" was her complaint.

O.o Lady....that's not a long drive at all....

But talking it over with my coworkers.

We've decided that 'far' for those 20 minute customers.

Is because they had to drive to a different city to get their fish.

As they live in the next town over from Collegetown.

Which....I hadn't ever really considered.

Because where I grew up....

The cities had basically all merged into one large city.

So it didn't seem like a big deal to have to drive to the 'next' town.

It was close enough to not really matter, nor would you notice you were in a different city unless you were paying attention.

So 20 minutes....I could drive through like 7 different cities in twenty minutes because that's how close together they have grown....

So 20 minutes....isn't that far to get fish.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Not a Ladder

I was walking around the store.
Mostly heading to the back to get a drink of water from our water fountain before heading back over to my dept.
But as I was on my way back, crossing through the dog food section.
I saw a middle aged couple.
Attempting to get a bag of dog food off the top shelf.

But what caught my attention is what they were going to try to stand on to get that bag of dog food from the back of the top shelf.

They were trying to stand on one of those dog food/water stands. The taller ones meant for larger dogs so they don't have to bend down so low to get food/water from their bowls.

Luckily, I think I caught them before they actually stood on it.
As that probably would have broke it. And might have hurt them.

So I went and grabbed a step stool and got the bag down for them.

They were grateful for like....two seconds.
Then started asking why we didn't have the larger bags of the small breed dog food they were getting.
And I said that usually they don't always come in larger bags.

Which they returned with the dreaded response of "We bought it here before."
To which I said. "We could have stopped carrying it, due to lack of demand."

Because it's true. We stop carrying some items in our stores for various reasons. Lack of demand is one of them.
They didn't seem to believe me.
*rolls eyes*
"So you don't know." They said.
"No," I retorted. "I'm usually over by the fish."
"O.o The fish?" They questioned me like they'd never even heard of such a thing.
"Yah, I work with the fish, the hamsters, the reptiles, I know more about that, here in dog food, kinda hazy on it."

>.< I hate having to defend myself at work.
Geez people. Just say thanks and move on.

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Sudden Parade

O.o
I don't know where they came from, or why they decided to visit my store right as we were opening.

But I just watched a group -it felt like a parade- of mothers came walking into the store. All pushing strollers with toddlers or babies in them.
It was only like five of them. But for so early in the morning, with no one else in the store. It felt like a crowd.

Like most parents with young kids, they were apparently just there to look at the animals.

But I really wonder if some young mothers just started an early morning walking group....I'll have to see if they come in again.... :)

-Sarnic Dirchi

Back Again

So, remember that hamster that was returned, exchanged for another hamster, that hamster was returned, and then they bought the first hamster again?

Well.

There's an end to that saga.

The customer brought the Hamster in today.

To return it for the final time.

She'd decided that their family weren't "Hamster People"

Which from the past experiences I've had with this customer.

Is totally understandable.

Not all pets are a good fit for every person.

I'm glad she could recognize that, and so returned the hamster.

Now. It's time to see if we can find him a new home. :)

-Sarnic Dirchi

Particular Fish

I had a customer and her children come into the store today.
And they wanted fish.
But not just any type of fish.
They wanted specific fish.

It didn't matter what kind they were....
So long as they were pregnant.

The children were obsessed with the idea of having a fish that would have babies.
Which would narrow the list down to the livebearers -the platys, mollies, and guppies.
As the egg layers...its harder to get those to breed.

They ended up with a platy and a couple mollies that were pregnant. And also decided to grab one of our mystery snails before calling it good.

Only, they weren't too quiet about their desire for pregnant fish.
And other customers overheard them.

lol.
So I ended up catching pregnant mollies twice more in a row -funnily enough they also wanted snails-
For two other sets of customers who wanted to have fish that would have babies for them to see.

But boy by the end of that run of catching mollies, was I tired.
My eyes ached from the strain of trying to find the pregnant mollies among the 50 or so other mollies in the tank.
Because those fish don't just sit still.

Thankfully I only had to do that three times in a row.
But I ended up spending two hours at that fish wall, catching tons of other fish as well. *shakes head*
Not sure what brought all the fish wanters in today but in they came.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Wait Your Turn

As it usually happens.
We had a rush hit,
Just when I was the only person available in the department.
As my backups were....backing up elsewhere in the store, doing cat adoptions, covering the registers, etc.

Basically. No help at all.
And I had a rush of customers.

All wanting fish and crickets and more fish.

I called for backup, but none was coming.

In any case,
I was in the middle of helping the rush.
When this woman comes up to me,
One of our fish catcher cans in hand, a large bag already placed inside of it.

And she asked me with a smile. "So I can catch my own fish right?"

Umm.
No.

I have no idea what gave her that idea in the first place. o.O
I mean, none of the other customers were catching their fish.
None of the other customers had catch cans in their hands, or empty bags.

No, I think she just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible.
Which wasn't going to happen.
We can't have customers catching their own fish.

So I told her to wait.
And when I was done helping the current customers, I helped them get their goldfish.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Dead?

So I noticed this customer staring at our Betta fish,
So I asked him if I could help him with everything.

Not surprisingly he said that he was looking to get a betta fish.
But then proceeded to add. "But it would be nice if you guys wouldn't leave dead bettas on the shelf."

O.o
Uh....We don't do it on purpose dude.
Seriously, if we notice the fish is dead we take it right off the shelf and take care of it.
We don't leave it there for everyone to see.

Totally got my ire up. >:(
I don't like it when people don't think I'm doing my job when I am.

So I told him. "We don't." And he pointed out some 'dead' betta fish.
To which I proceeded to wiggle the cup, and walla! The 'dead' fish MOVED.

*shakes head*
He was like O.O Oh...... I tried that and they didn't move.

Apparently I have the magic touch or something.

In any case.
The bettas have a tendency to 'look dead' because the aren't always actively moving. They just sit there, sometimes at the top of the cup.
So if customers aren't familiar with the 'dead betta' look. Then they can mistake sleeping fish for dead fish.

It's not a problem that's going to end anytime I'm sure.
But.
At least be assured that we try our best to remove any dead fish we see immediately.

-Sarnic Dirchi

No Shoes? Why?

Alright, I'm a big fan of bare feet.
I'd literally go everywhere barefoot if I could.

But I don't.
For many obvious reasons.

Even in areas where I could go barefoot....I'm not sure I'd want to....

One of those being work.
I mean, It's a pet store.
Where we allow people to bring their pets in with them to the store.

So walking around there barefoot....
Doesn't seem like the best of ideas.
Because...we do our best to keep our floors clean,
Like literally we have a guy who comes in every morning to clean those floors.
But dogs come in after that point....
So walking around barefoot.
Just seems rather hazardous when you don't know what your foot will encounter....

Yet,
Today, I had a crew of young kids all come in.
In their swimming suits, obviously just from the pool.
And they were totally barefoot!
Running all over the store!

*shakes head*

With not a parent in sight. *exhales*
I hope they didn't encounter anything besides fish water on the floor....

That would be a smelly surprise otherwise.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Tossed on the Ground

I was pulling out of work, ready to head home.
And I looked towards the front of the store.
Where I could see a customer putting stuff in his car.
His wife sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for him to finish up.

I wasn't going to think much of it.
Except this white-haired gentleman.

Took an empty cardboard box.
Which he'd been using to carry whatever he'd bought.
And he just tossed it on the ground.
On the wide sidewalk path leading up to the front doors of the store.
Just threw the box there.
Didn't even make an effort to walk the six feet to the garbage can on the other side of the store to place it there.
He just tossed it on the ground by his car.
And then left.

Oooooo
It irritated me.
I mean....
Seriously?!
The old man should know well enough to Not. Litter.
To not expect his mother to come up behind him and clean up his mess.
Why in the world would he just do that?
-He's probably using the excuse he's 'old and can't get around as easily.'
But really?
Really?

Take responsibility and throw away your trash!!

-Sarnic Dirchi

OverStressed

Some people....some people just don't know how to listen.
So I got a call this morning.
From a customer.

The customer from yesterday. The one who'd returned a hamster, bought the hamster, and returned that hamster to rebuy the first hamster she'd returned.

Yah.
She called this morning.

Concerned.
Because when I sell hamsters to customers.
Particularly the Syrian Hamsters.
I do tell them to look out for certain illnesses.
For the Syrians it's Wet-Tail. A bad form of Diarrhea that can be fatal to them if not caught early enough. So I told them of certain symptoms and such to look out for.
So if the hamster does get sick, they can bring it back as soon as they notice within the guaranteed time frame and we can treat it and get it better.

So the woman called.
Saying that she was concerned her Long-Haired Syrian Hamster -The one who had been fine when I returned him, and fine when I sold him.- had this 'Wet Tail' I'd told her about.

Why?
Because when they placed the hamster in the ball last night.
And It had Diarrheaed all over the ball, making a mess.

.....ugh.
Wet-Tail doesn't show up like that.
It starts with the hamster not drinking water. Getting lethargic. It's ears laying back against it's head. Hunched over walking. And wet stool.
It's not runny like water. '

From what she said it sounded like the hamster had just peed.
As that could look like Diarrhea. It's creamy-yellow and slightly thicker than what you expect pee to look like.

So I told her.
To put it in the cage and leave it alone for a couple of days and see if it got worse.
As the hamster looked fine when I sold him.

*sighs*
Honestly, it won't surprise me if that hamster does end up dying.
>.<
Because apparently they can't follow the simple directions.
I told them, no less than three times.
To put the hamster in the cage for a couple of days and leave it alone.
As the stress of travel could get them sick.

Yet what did they do? They put it in a ball! Which means handling it. Which means Not. In. The. Cage!

Ugh. Just listen people. Just listen for once.

-Sarnic Dirchi

This One or That One

A woman and her daughter came into the store.
Carrying a hamster cage.
With a hamster inside of it.

O.o
Which usually doesn't bode well.
If a live pet comes into the store....usually that means that they want to return the animal.

This case....
It was muddled at first.

As the woman came in... I think to just exchange the cage originally.
As she didn't like how the top of the cage kept coming off, she couldn't keep it firmly in place.

So she wanted to know which cage was a good cage. One that was more sturdy.
Which....*shrugs* I have no idea.
I only know what customers tell me.
It's rare that I take any cages out of the box. Or put them together.
Soooo to recommend one...*shrugs*

Apparently the hamster and cage were a birthday gift from a couple of days before.
And as the conversation proceeded turns out she was looking for a hamster that wasn't so....furry.
As the hamster they were given. Was a Long-Haired Syrian. Otherwise known as the 'Teddy Bear Hamster' Which their fur tends to be longer and more fluffy.
The mother was concerned that she'd have to cut the fur. O.o Which...I haven't ever heard of a hamster needing a hair cut.
But she was insistent they get a different hamster.
So the daughter looked....

And decided to go for a Short Haired Syrian Hamster.
Which is basically the same as the Long-Haired Syrian...just the fur is shorter. *shrugs*

But the daughter seemed to like Him.
So we went through all the paperwork.
And I exchanged out the Long Haired Syrian for the Short Haired Syrain.

They went on their merry way.
And I placed the returned hamster into a back room as we observe them for a few days if they're returned to make sure that they're healthy.

And went on with the rest of my work duties.

Only, to get a call like half an hour later.
That apparently,
When they got home and the daughter went to put the hamster into the cage.
The Short Haired Syrian latched onto her finger. And wouldn't let go. Drawing blood and apparently leaving a bruise.

O.o Which...I've seen happen....hamsters do bite.
But a Syrian?
They bite. But only if they're startled/think they're being attacked.
It's rare for them to go all crazy and attack.

Especially since I'd handled the hamster before selling it to them. O.o
I mean, he was active, actually liking walking out on people's hands.
But I saw no indication of biting. Just curiosity.

Sooo to hear that it attacked the daughter....made me skeptical.
As why would it bite? Put it in the cage, leave it alone. Perhaps the daughter had been doing just that, moving the hamster...
But it was just as probable that she was handling the hamster when I told them not to for three days.

In any case.
Because she got bitten.
She wanted nothing to do with that hamster any more.
And so the mother wanted to know if she could return the hamster they'd just bought, and buy back the hamster they'd just returned. Why? Because that hamster hadn't bitten them.

To which I said yes.
So half an hour later.
She showed up with the hamster.
I exchanged him out for the one she'd just brought back.

And back home she went. *shakes head*

Guess that's a lesson in "be satisfied with what you have."

-Sarnic Dirchi

Empty Soles

I may have been slightly sleep deprived when I came into work.
(which isn't uncommon when I go to bed late...)

But when I walked into the back room behind the fish tanks this morning.
I was confronted with this empty pair of shoes.
They weren't tennis shoes like you'd expect to see at work,
but a pair of flats.

Which....I don't see at work.
And I couldn't figure out why they'd be in back where no customers would go.
As my first thought was a customer left them.
Or maybe a coworker had switched shoes and forgotten the other pair? But why not just put them in their locker instead of in the back?

Or. Maybe there had been a person standing there, but they got zapped and only left their shoes behind.
See. Mind was tired.

It bugged me throughout the day.
Wondering why they were there.

But finally, when my manager came in to work just before I was off, I asked her about it.

And she said that they were one of my coworker's.
As apparently said coworker had accidentally flooded the back room. (it happens at least once a month to one of us.)
And in the process of mopping up, had soaked those shoes in bleach and water.
So she basically left them there, and went out and bought a new set of shoes, so she wouldn't have to work in wet, bleach covered footgear the rest of her shift.

O.o But why wear those shoes to work? *shakes head* Honestly. They're totally the wrong sort of shoes to be wearing in a Pet Store.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Giddyup

This older sounding woman called the store today.
Asking if we sold fish in bulk quantities.

Why?
Because she was looking to get Goldfish for a 'Fish Rodeo' for some event in her area.

O.o
I have no idea what a fish rodeo is....
Like, I tried to google it after I hung up with this customer, and all I got was a 'fishing competition' where people basically try to catch the most fish....

Which....I don't see that working with Goldfish...
The other option in my mind.
Was fish in a big swimming pool, and kids going in and trying to catch as many fish as possible with their bare hands.

...Which I also didn't like the idea of. :S I'm not selling fish to just have them get terrorized to death.

Thankfully.
After I explained to the woman that: Yes, we get in large amounts of feeder goldfish, but no we can't order them in bulk. That we could sell them to her (though I didn't want to.) but we couldn't guarantee how many we'd have on hand the day that she needed them, and that we'd be unable to individually bag the fish but could place them in a few large bags for them to separate out later....

She decided that that wasn't what she was looking for.
And hung up.

Yay for saving a few hundred's fish lives.

....Now to figure out what this Fish Rodeo actually is.....

-Sarnic Dirchi