It was my last customer of my shift.
A couple of women, who were looking for a specific lightbulb because the one they had had burnt out after 10 days.
The problem?
I no longer carried the lightbulb they needed to replace.
It was a tiny thing, like no bigger than the first joint of your thumb.
And I used to carry lightbulbs that looked like that.
But we stopped...a while. Maybe a year or so ago.
So I was going to chalk this interaction up to "Sarnic fails to help."
because there are times where I just can't...help a customer.
Though I do my best to help every customer as best as I can....there are days where i Just can't.
Like this interaction. Where I couldn't help because I didn't have the product.
Still. I was trying to turn it around. Make it positive.
Suggested other products the customer could use.
Found out the customer had dropped the lightbulb a couple of times trying to get it to work.
But was going to see if she could find another lightbulb first elsewhere before she bought a new lightbulb set up.
And then, since I knew that they were in the store looking at reptiles bulbs for their new leopard gecko...and usually because people who own reptiles usually end up buying bugs while they're in the store. I asked them if they needed any crickets or mealworms.
To which they responded mealworms.
The larger size.
But since they hadn't been in the store before.
I grabbed both sizes of mealworms just to make sure I got them the right size.
And the 'larger size' ended up being about the same size as the 'smaller size'
So I recommended they get the smaller size because you got more for less.
Small -50ct like $3.19
Large -35ct like $3.69
And since they were basically the same size....I told them to get the smaller.
Which she did.
And the woman was like....so impressed? lol that I was helpful, and that i was happy, and that I was doing what I could to give them a better experience.
She was like "Do you have a survey or a 1-800 number I can call as you are AMAZING!"
lol. Which we don't.
But she was like "You're amazing!" And "We're totally coming here from here on out!"
Which is the best sort of compliment when I can convince customers that they want to shop at my work because I'm there and I help them. ^^;;;
lol She ended up telling the cashiers who then told my manager over the radios that the customer thought I was amazing. ^^;;
Like awwwww
Seriously.
I love it when people compliment me at work.
Like I never know how to respond, but I love that people like me and want to compliment me for a job well done. ^^
Yay. ^^;;
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
Bread?
So there I was, minding my own business.
When I hear over the intercom.
"Banana Bread is Ready in Grooming. Banana Bread is ready in grooming."
My coworkers all shared a look of brief confusion.
"You think that's the dog's name?" One finally asked.
"I would hope so..." answered another.
"As how they got the banana bread in the first place would be rather concerning..." said another.
*shakes head*
People name dogs the strangest things....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Cleaning
So this morning I was cleaning the bird cages, when I noticed three little girls come on by.
Which at first I was not happy about because we weren't open yet.
But I figured they'd probably been at the vets and were just hanging out for a bit. (as that does happen on occasion.)
And didn't think much more on it.
After all, I was busy cleaning the glass of the parakeet cages. Trying to get it done before the store opened.
Only...it's hard to clean things....when you have people watching you clean things.
And those three girls, were doing just that.
Which always makes me feel a bit self conscious.
Though I try to not let it show. I usually ignore the people on the other side, and just focus on cleaning the glass.
and being grateful when the customers decide to not play the 'you missed a spot' game with me.
In the end...I couldn't really tell if they'd been watching me....or they were looking at the birds.
As after I finished cleaning that section of the birds and moved onto other cages, the girls remained at the parakeet cages staring at them....
So perhaps they were trying to pick out their favorites.
Which would be a relief.
Because I really don't like feeling like I'm on display.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Which at first I was not happy about because we weren't open yet.
But I figured they'd probably been at the vets and were just hanging out for a bit. (as that does happen on occasion.)
And didn't think much more on it.
After all, I was busy cleaning the glass of the parakeet cages. Trying to get it done before the store opened.
Only...it's hard to clean things....when you have people watching you clean things.
And those three girls, were doing just that.
Which always makes me feel a bit self conscious.
Though I try to not let it show. I usually ignore the people on the other side, and just focus on cleaning the glass.
and being grateful when the customers decide to not play the 'you missed a spot' game with me.
In the end...I couldn't really tell if they'd been watching me....or they were looking at the birds.
As after I finished cleaning that section of the birds and moved onto other cages, the girls remained at the parakeet cages staring at them....
So perhaps they were trying to pick out their favorites.
Which would be a relief.
Because I really don't like feeling like I'm on display.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
A Trial in Info
I had a customer call on the phone today.
Starting the conversation with the words: "I adopted a cat from you guys like 3 months ago."
Which is basically never a good way to start a conversation as 9/10 times this sort of sentence starter means that the person is looking to get rid of the cat.
Which was the case with this customer.
As they'd adopted the cat, and apparently have been grooming it twice a day on a daily basis....
-Which may be....a bit too much? Really....I think that's probably too much....
But the fur keeps shedding off the cat. And the customer can't really take it anymore.
*shakes head*
Which...cats shed yes....but honestly? You want to return the cat because of that?
Like I could understand if it was allergies or something....but with all furry animals...you have to be prepared for them to shed. And shed constantly.
Its not something that's just going to stop one day. *shakes head*
In any case.
The customer remembered that if they encountered any problems with the cat they adopted they could bring it back to us and we'd take it.
Which was almost correct.
Starsmet itself doesn't accept cats back once they've been adopted.
But the adoption groups themselves will.
As we partner with specific adoption groups to get their cats adopted out, and often the adoption groups have a clause where if the person who adopts a cat of theirs can no longer take care of it, they want you to contact them so they can take the cat back and help it find another home.
The problem in this case?
>.<
The customer had no idea which adoption group they adopted from.
Which isn't surprising, it's a common occurrence, but not to worry, it says on the paperwork they filled out which group they adopted from.
....But the customer for some stupid reason had neglected to grab the paperwork when they were leaving the store with their cat.
Which granted, their reason of 'wanting to keep the cat contained'" is a good one....but you should have come back ASAP to grab the paperwork!!!! >.< Gah.
After all that had records of the rabies and the vaccinations and all that sort of stuff.
Plus the name of the adoption group....
*shakes head*
But the customer had neglected to do so.
Which meant I really had no means of knowing which group the customer needed to contact.
So I asked them what month they'd got the cat in.
As we switch groups every month so I could guess off of that and give the customer the right groups phone number.
Only....the customer had no idea.
(Honestly I was beginning to wonder if this person paid attention to life at all or if the fact that their cat was shedding distracted them from all other information.)
So I ended up giving the customer both numbers for each group so they could contact them.
And it would make it easier if the customer knew the name of the cat....
Only, yah, no surprise here, the customer had no idea what the cat used to be called. (as they'd changed the name)
*exhales*
And the customer was like "Don't you keep records?"
And the answer is...no? The adoption group could possibly, but we don't keep records of the vaccinations on paper anymore. It's electronic and sent straight to wherever its sent to and we can't access it.
"Do you happen to still have that paperwork I left?"
No? It's been 3 months. It either was grabbed by the adoption group, accidentally thrown away or who knows what else could have happened to it.
*shakes head*
In any case....the customer ended up with the phone numbers to both groups....
So it's their problem now to try and figure it out.
Which really...it's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.
No name, no records, no idea when you got it, just the cat.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Starting the conversation with the words: "I adopted a cat from you guys like 3 months ago."
Which is basically never a good way to start a conversation as 9/10 times this sort of sentence starter means that the person is looking to get rid of the cat.
Which was the case with this customer.
As they'd adopted the cat, and apparently have been grooming it twice a day on a daily basis....
-Which may be....a bit too much? Really....I think that's probably too much....
But the fur keeps shedding off the cat. And the customer can't really take it anymore.
*shakes head*
Which...cats shed yes....but honestly? You want to return the cat because of that?
Like I could understand if it was allergies or something....but with all furry animals...you have to be prepared for them to shed. And shed constantly.
Its not something that's just going to stop one day. *shakes head*
In any case.
The customer remembered that if they encountered any problems with the cat they adopted they could bring it back to us and we'd take it.
Which was almost correct.
Starsmet itself doesn't accept cats back once they've been adopted.
But the adoption groups themselves will.
As we partner with specific adoption groups to get their cats adopted out, and often the adoption groups have a clause where if the person who adopts a cat of theirs can no longer take care of it, they want you to contact them so they can take the cat back and help it find another home.
The problem in this case?
>.<
The customer had no idea which adoption group they adopted from.
Which isn't surprising, it's a common occurrence, but not to worry, it says on the paperwork they filled out which group they adopted from.
....But the customer for some stupid reason had neglected to grab the paperwork when they were leaving the store with their cat.
Which granted, their reason of 'wanting to keep the cat contained'" is a good one....but you should have come back ASAP to grab the paperwork!!!! >.< Gah.
After all that had records of the rabies and the vaccinations and all that sort of stuff.
Plus the name of the adoption group....
*shakes head*
But the customer had neglected to do so.
Which meant I really had no means of knowing which group the customer needed to contact.
So I asked them what month they'd got the cat in.
As we switch groups every month so I could guess off of that and give the customer the right groups phone number.
Only....the customer had no idea.
(Honestly I was beginning to wonder if this person paid attention to life at all or if the fact that their cat was shedding distracted them from all other information.)
So I ended up giving the customer both numbers for each group so they could contact them.
And it would make it easier if the customer knew the name of the cat....
Only, yah, no surprise here, the customer had no idea what the cat used to be called. (as they'd changed the name)
*exhales*
And the customer was like "Don't you keep records?"
And the answer is...no? The adoption group could possibly, but we don't keep records of the vaccinations on paper anymore. It's electronic and sent straight to wherever its sent to and we can't access it.
"Do you happen to still have that paperwork I left?"
No? It's been 3 months. It either was grabbed by the adoption group, accidentally thrown away or who knows what else could have happened to it.
*shakes head*
In any case....the customer ended up with the phone numbers to both groups....
So it's their problem now to try and figure it out.
Which really...it's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.
No name, no records, no idea when you got it, just the cat.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Attitude Shift
It was towards the end of my shift.
Where I was helping out a bit by going through boxes and putting stuff on the shelves.
But we'd reached the point where the items left in the boxes...were overstock.
So I told the manager in charge that we'd gone through all the boxes.
To which they were like "Great! Could you put the overstock in our bins?"
To which my verbal response (as I'd been asked over our radio system) was "UGGGGHHH!!!" With the sort of. "No, I don't wanna!" attitude. Before I clicked on my radio and responded in a more cheerful tone. "Yah! I can do that."
To which my coworker, who was nearby, kinda gave me a surprised look and laughed.
"That was so weird to see your true reaction." She said...or something along those lines.
Which considering it...
Yah I guess it would be kinda weird to see me be all >.< NO!!!!
And then turn around and be like ^^;; Sure!!
lol...to which I was like...it's called acting.
^^;;
Yah....
There are just times when I'd rather not help out. I have other tasks in mind that also need to be done, and there are occasions when the inability to go ahead and do those tasks is aggravating to me.
But thankfully I ended up getting both done. So yay for winning on both sides today.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Boxes
It was odd to see a man in a work uniform walk into the store that I didn't recognize.
I mean, considering i just met our new Pet Trainer and had no idea we'd gotten one until I saw him on the register like two days ago....I wouldn't put it past my managers to hire more people...though it would be odd to do so the day before Christmas.
But no.
This wasn't a new coworker for my store.
This was a manager of our Sister Store.
Who'd been sent down to our store on a mission.
To get more Pet Boxes.
As when we sell animals -specifically birds and small pets (and some of the larger reptiles)
We put them in a box with holes in it (so the animal can breath but can't escape)
Which isn't fun when you're needing to box up an animal...
and come find out that you don't have any boxes. :S
Which, I got rather tired of that happening to our store.
(We've had to borrow from our sister store a lot)
So I made an effort to have a surplus of boxes on hand.
Just so that I can ensure that we don't have to worry about running low.
(Doesn't always work when the supplier of said boxes is randomly out of stock on them...and our supply dwindles)
But yah.
The manager of our sister store dropped by to grab more boxes.
lol though funnily enough he didn't know how many boxes or what size of boxes he needed.
After a call to the work to check in.
I ended up giving him two sets of our small boxes and one set of our large boxes (approx. 25 in a pack)
To hopefully help them survive the Christmas craze until they can get their own supplies in.
(I have no idea how busy it was for them...but it was a slow start for us today, considering it was Christmas Eve.)
And thankfully.
I have more than plenty leftover boxes that I'm not too worried about us running out.
Though...i probably am going to ensure we order some boxes next time we do a supply order.
...Just to be on the safe side. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Boom
So I had a customer today, who wanted to get some betta fish, and like most customers, was asking after their care and what they needed to buy to ensure the betta fish would do well.
Specifically the customer wanted to know what type of water they could use.
And like usual I responded with "You can use Tap Water but you need to put a water conditioner in it, otherwise you can use any bottled water or well water, but not distilled water. Distilled is bad."
Their response? "Or else the fish will explode?"
To which I was like. O.o Huh??
Like....I don't...how? *shakes head* Distilled water won't make your fish explode.....
It just doesn't have the nutrients within it that the fish need to stay healthy. Hence why it's not usually recommended for tanks.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Specifically the customer wanted to know what type of water they could use.
And like usual I responded with "You can use Tap Water but you need to put a water conditioner in it, otherwise you can use any bottled water or well water, but not distilled water. Distilled is bad."
Their response? "Or else the fish will explode?"
To which I was like. O.o Huh??
Like....I don't...how? *shakes head* Distilled water won't make your fish explode.....
It just doesn't have the nutrients within it that the fish need to stay healthy. Hence why it's not usually recommended for tanks.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, December 21, 2017
It's Empty!
We had a customer inform our manager today that our Guinea Pigs were out of water.
Which...I thought odd...because the store had barely been open like an hour.
We'd just finished opening up the department, which included checking to make sure all the animals had food and water.
And despite their best effort....it takes longer than an hour for guinea pigs to drink the entire huge water bottle we have in their cage. Usually it lasts them the entire day.
So unless it leaked....I was pretty confident in the fact that that water bottle would not be empty when I checked it.
And guess what?
Yah.
It wasn't empty.
It was almost completely full.
*shakes head*
Apparently, the customer thought it was empty because there was a guinea pig that was continuously drinking from it and didn't 'appear to be getting any water.'
So I checked the water bottle...and yah, it was functioning properly.
*shakes head*
I mean it's great and all that customers are on the lookout for the welfare of our animals....
But I do wish that they would examine the situation a little bit closer before going to us with a 'problem.'
As 9/10 times...it's not actually a problem.
After all...A simple look at the bottle to see it's water level would have told the customer that there was water there...
-Sarnic Dirchi
Which...I thought odd...because the store had barely been open like an hour.
We'd just finished opening up the department, which included checking to make sure all the animals had food and water.
And despite their best effort....it takes longer than an hour for guinea pigs to drink the entire huge water bottle we have in their cage. Usually it lasts them the entire day.
So unless it leaked....I was pretty confident in the fact that that water bottle would not be empty when I checked it.
And guess what?
Yah.
It wasn't empty.
It was almost completely full.
*shakes head*
Apparently, the customer thought it was empty because there was a guinea pig that was continuously drinking from it and didn't 'appear to be getting any water.'
So I checked the water bottle...and yah, it was functioning properly.
*shakes head*
I mean it's great and all that customers are on the lookout for the welfare of our animals....
But I do wish that they would examine the situation a little bit closer before going to us with a 'problem.'
As 9/10 times...it's not actually a problem.
After all...A simple look at the bottle to see it's water level would have told the customer that there was water there...
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Wrapping
I have people call work with the oddest requests sometimes.
I mean...it makes sense that if it's somehow pet related, that people would believe that a Pet Store, that sells pet things, would sell it.
But some of the things are just....I wouldn't have thought that they made a pet friendly version of the thing.
Today, I had a customer call the store asking if we sold Dog Wrapping Paper.
As they'd seen some online and wondered if we carried it.
And it's not wrapping paper that has dogs on it.
No it's a wrapping paper that is safe for dogs to tear up.
So you know...when you give your puppy dog a present on Christmas, they can safely bite it like crazy and tear the paper up and you don't have to worry about the dog accidentally eating it or having other issues.
Which. Cool!
But unfortunately...I don't sell it.
And having never heard of it before.
I had no idea who might carry it. ....besides you know...the internet.
I suggested the customer try a couple other local petstores in the area.
But honestly...it's probably an online only thing....for now.
-Sarnic Dirchi
I mean...it makes sense that if it's somehow pet related, that people would believe that a Pet Store, that sells pet things, would sell it.
But some of the things are just....I wouldn't have thought that they made a pet friendly version of the thing.
Today, I had a customer call the store asking if we sold Dog Wrapping Paper.
As they'd seen some online and wondered if we carried it.
And it's not wrapping paper that has dogs on it.
No it's a wrapping paper that is safe for dogs to tear up.
So you know...when you give your puppy dog a present on Christmas, they can safely bite it like crazy and tear the paper up and you don't have to worry about the dog accidentally eating it or having other issues.
Which. Cool!
But unfortunately...I don't sell it.
And having never heard of it before.
I had no idea who might carry it. ....besides you know...the internet.
I suggested the customer try a couple other local petstores in the area.
But honestly...it's probably an online only thing....for now.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, December 18, 2017
Where's the Fish?
I had a customer come into the store, and headed straight for me at the fish wall.
When he reached me he was like "I bought two fish a couple of weeks ago, and they died."
Which isn't an uncommon occurrence (unfortunately) for people to bring back dead fish.
So I'm very used to the routine.
Which basically starts with me saying "Do you have the dead fish?" as I can't always see if they have one with them. -Sometimes it's really obvious because the customer is carrying a baggy.
But this dude didn't have one.
He was like "No. I need to keep the dead fish?"
And I was like "Yah, you need to have the dead fish and the receipt in order to do a return."
Because I need physical proof that the fish died.
I mean, anyone could walk into the store and be like "I bought a fish and it died." and who knows if they actually had bought a fish and if it had actually died.
It's just a means to ensure people aren't stealing from us.
But the guy was like "I HAVE TO KEEP MY RECEIPT TOO!"
Uh? Duh?
"I never keep my receipts!"
Well then...that's a problem. Cus I need proof of purchase.
I mean, there were ways I could have looked up the receipt for him, because we do keep records of transactions done for the last couple of months.
But I didn't bring it up because the guy didn't have a dead fish.
No proof of death...nothing I can do.
*shakes head*
He wasn't very happy when he left...fishless. But hey, at least he knows now that he needs to do more than come tell me his fish died....
-Sarnic Dirchi
When he reached me he was like "I bought two fish a couple of weeks ago, and they died."
Which isn't an uncommon occurrence (unfortunately) for people to bring back dead fish.
So I'm very used to the routine.
Which basically starts with me saying "Do you have the dead fish?" as I can't always see if they have one with them. -Sometimes it's really obvious because the customer is carrying a baggy.
But this dude didn't have one.
He was like "No. I need to keep the dead fish?"
And I was like "Yah, you need to have the dead fish and the receipt in order to do a return."
Because I need physical proof that the fish died.
I mean, anyone could walk into the store and be like "I bought a fish and it died." and who knows if they actually had bought a fish and if it had actually died.
It's just a means to ensure people aren't stealing from us.
But the guy was like "I HAVE TO KEEP MY RECEIPT TOO!"
Uh? Duh?
"I never keep my receipts!"
Well then...that's a problem. Cus I need proof of purchase.
I mean, there were ways I could have looked up the receipt for him, because we do keep records of transactions done for the last couple of months.
But I didn't bring it up because the guy didn't have a dead fish.
No proof of death...nothing I can do.
*shakes head*
He wasn't very happy when he left...fishless. But hey, at least he knows now that he needs to do more than come tell me his fish died....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Barking Help?
I had a weird customer experience today.
Where it was a woman who was trying to find a solution for her dogs.
But she was just....idk....weird.
Like it was like she wanted me to try and guess what she was thinking. She wanted me to find a solution for her without her giving me any details to help her find the solution.
All the while she was being self-deprecating.
"i'm sorry I'm such a difficult customer."
"You're probably really tired of me."
"I'm one of those customers you don't like."
Which I'm always the type of person to jump to reassure someone that they're fine.
But this lady was sure making it difficult to put a positive spin on things.
In any case.
Originally she asked for help with two muzzles. The cloth kind.
Asking which size would fit her dogs the best.
She'd grabbed an XL and an Intermediate.
So I was like "What kind of dogs do you have."
And she was like a Lab and a Pitbull.
The lab was easy to figure out. It would need the xl cus it's a large dog.
but the pitbull I had no idea...their faces are slightly different. So I wasn't sure whether it would fit an xl as well or the intermediate.
So I tried to get a better idea by asking her about the shape of the pitbulls head. Because I wasn't sure...and she was like "I don't know!" and I'm like. "Well is it this big or this big?" holding my hands out to try and size it.
She never gave me a straight answer.
So I couldn't give her a straight answer back.
And I was like "Maybe you need a large for the pitbull" to which she gave me this look of "You're an idiot" and told me. "You're out of the large."
*rolls eyes*
Well. Sorry I didn't know that. But it makes sense why you grabbed intermediate and XL now.
And somewhere in the middle of that she was like "Yah the pit tears through these soo easily, I've bought like six of them now."
O.o Huh?
"what are you using these for." Was my next response.
And she was trying to use them to keep her dogs from barking...
Which the muzzles she was choosing...you only really want to have them on the dog for like maybe 20 minutes. They're not a permanent thing.
So it's no wonder the pit was able to get out of them and maybe destroy them, because it's not meant to be a longterm thing. It stresses out a dog to have the muzzle on for long periods of time.
So I tried suggesting a bark collar.
Which she'd already tried before. Her neighbors had given her one -in a polite "your dogs are too loud while you're at work" sort of way.- but the bark collar wasn't 'strong enough' it had ended up rubbing the dog's skin raw, because it wasn't effecting him at all.
:S
So I was like maybe try the Sonic Egg?
To which she was like "I HAVE!"
But for whatever reason she doubledbacked on that statement like two minutes later.
"Oh, maybe I haven't tried that."
Because the sonic egg is a device that sends out a sound whenever it senses the dog barking and gets most dogs to stop barking. It has a high success rate in that I don't often have it returned.
And if she's not home all day, it's a good thing to try and use for her dogs that doesn't involve collars.
She was doubtful that it would work though.
So I was like "You could try one of the collars that sprays citronella if it senses the dog barking." To which she was like "My dog likes the taste of everything."
>.< Well...how do you know if it likes this taste if you don't TRY IT?
But I reassured her that she had a guarantee with us that if it didn't work she could return the product with a receipt within 60 days.
And with more circular and unhelpful chatting and information from her, I managed to convince her to get the sonic egg.
But she was just....ugh. Just a weird energy. The conversation with her was difficult because it was like she expected me to have all the answers, but wasn't giving me information to help her with the answers and then was putting herself down and was making snide comments to the side as well on how I felt about helping her and gah.
>.<
I hope I don't see her again.
Or if I do I don't have to help her because it was antagonizing.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Where it was a woman who was trying to find a solution for her dogs.
But she was just....idk....weird.
Like it was like she wanted me to try and guess what she was thinking. She wanted me to find a solution for her without her giving me any details to help her find the solution.
All the while she was being self-deprecating.
"i'm sorry I'm such a difficult customer."
"You're probably really tired of me."
"I'm one of those customers you don't like."
Which I'm always the type of person to jump to reassure someone that they're fine.
But this lady was sure making it difficult to put a positive spin on things.
In any case.
Originally she asked for help with two muzzles. The cloth kind.
Asking which size would fit her dogs the best.
She'd grabbed an XL and an Intermediate.
So I was like "What kind of dogs do you have."
And she was like a Lab and a Pitbull.
The lab was easy to figure out. It would need the xl cus it's a large dog.
but the pitbull I had no idea...their faces are slightly different. So I wasn't sure whether it would fit an xl as well or the intermediate.
So I tried to get a better idea by asking her about the shape of the pitbulls head. Because I wasn't sure...and she was like "I don't know!" and I'm like. "Well is it this big or this big?" holding my hands out to try and size it.
She never gave me a straight answer.
So I couldn't give her a straight answer back.
And I was like "Maybe you need a large for the pitbull" to which she gave me this look of "You're an idiot" and told me. "You're out of the large."
*rolls eyes*
Well. Sorry I didn't know that. But it makes sense why you grabbed intermediate and XL now.
And somewhere in the middle of that she was like "Yah the pit tears through these soo easily, I've bought like six of them now."
O.o Huh?
"what are you using these for." Was my next response.
And she was trying to use them to keep her dogs from barking...
Which the muzzles she was choosing...you only really want to have them on the dog for like maybe 20 minutes. They're not a permanent thing.
So it's no wonder the pit was able to get out of them and maybe destroy them, because it's not meant to be a longterm thing. It stresses out a dog to have the muzzle on for long periods of time.
So I tried suggesting a bark collar.
Which she'd already tried before. Her neighbors had given her one -in a polite "your dogs are too loud while you're at work" sort of way.- but the bark collar wasn't 'strong enough' it had ended up rubbing the dog's skin raw, because it wasn't effecting him at all.
:S
So I was like maybe try the Sonic Egg?
To which she was like "I HAVE!"
But for whatever reason she doubledbacked on that statement like two minutes later.
"Oh, maybe I haven't tried that."
Because the sonic egg is a device that sends out a sound whenever it senses the dog barking and gets most dogs to stop barking. It has a high success rate in that I don't often have it returned.
And if she's not home all day, it's a good thing to try and use for her dogs that doesn't involve collars.
She was doubtful that it would work though.
So I was like "You could try one of the collars that sprays citronella if it senses the dog barking." To which she was like "My dog likes the taste of everything."
>.< Well...how do you know if it likes this taste if you don't TRY IT?
But I reassured her that she had a guarantee with us that if it didn't work she could return the product with a receipt within 60 days.
And with more circular and unhelpful chatting and information from her, I managed to convince her to get the sonic egg.
But she was just....ugh. Just a weird energy. The conversation with her was difficult because it was like she expected me to have all the answers, but wasn't giving me information to help her with the answers and then was putting herself down and was making snide comments to the side as well on how I felt about helping her and gah.
>.<
I hope I don't see her again.
Or if I do I don't have to help her because it was antagonizing.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Help Right Now
You gotta love the people who walk in the store and demand your help immediately and expect you to help them right then.
*exhales*
So an older gentleman walked into the store. One of those "I know what I want and you're going to help me get it now." sort of guys.
And what did this guy want?
He wanted our largest dog home.
Which we happened to have a ton of them stacked at the front of the store.
So he had me follow him to the largest one we had.
And he was like "This is your largest one right?"
And I was like "I believe so."
His response was... to give me 'that look' and then demand. "Do you believe so or do you know so?"
Which can I just say I hate that sort of response?
Like. Dude, I gave you an answer. I get that you want to know for sure that it's the largest one.
But I don't give definite answers if I don't know the answer.
It's that same sort of thing of "Can I?" "I don't know Can you? Or May you?"
*rolls eyes*
In any case.
I responded with "I believe so." because I wasn't about to go and say "I know so" and then have me be wrong.
But being the good employee I am, I offered to go look in the back and double check to make sure that it was the largest one we carried. "It's just going to take me a couple of minutes to check as I have to walk to the back of the store."
To which he was like "If it's too far for you, it's fine."
Which *eye twitch* Condescending much dude?
It's not a major issue for me to walk to the back of the store and then come back up front. I do it all day long. It's nothing to think about. I was only telling you for the sole purpose of "This won't take two seconds so don't get mad at me if it takes a bit because I have to walk to the back of the store because you insisted I double check that this is the largest dog home we have."
*exhales*
But instead I was like. "No, it just means you'll be waiting for a bit."
Go figure. It was our largest dog home.
And just to make sure he got out of the store and out of my hair as quickly as possible.
I took him to a separate register, rung him up as quickly as I could, and then had a manager help me carry the kennel out to his car so he could get on his way.
The bright side....
Is that I had climbed into his truck to make sure the home was situated properly and the dude offered a hand to help me back down.
So hey. There's that.
Just kinda wish he hadn't been so demanding and a tad bit condescending the rest of the time.
-Sarnic Dirchi
*exhales*
So an older gentleman walked into the store. One of those "I know what I want and you're going to help me get it now." sort of guys.
And what did this guy want?
He wanted our largest dog home.
Which we happened to have a ton of them stacked at the front of the store.
So he had me follow him to the largest one we had.
And he was like "This is your largest one right?"
And I was like "I believe so."
His response was... to give me 'that look' and then demand. "Do you believe so or do you know so?"
Which can I just say I hate that sort of response?
Like. Dude, I gave you an answer. I get that you want to know for sure that it's the largest one.
But I don't give definite answers if I don't know the answer.
It's that same sort of thing of "Can I?" "I don't know Can you? Or May you?"
*rolls eyes*
In any case.
I responded with "I believe so." because I wasn't about to go and say "I know so" and then have me be wrong.
But being the good employee I am, I offered to go look in the back and double check to make sure that it was the largest one we carried. "It's just going to take me a couple of minutes to check as I have to walk to the back of the store."
To which he was like "If it's too far for you, it's fine."
Which *eye twitch* Condescending much dude?
It's not a major issue for me to walk to the back of the store and then come back up front. I do it all day long. It's nothing to think about. I was only telling you for the sole purpose of "This won't take two seconds so don't get mad at me if it takes a bit because I have to walk to the back of the store because you insisted I double check that this is the largest dog home we have."
*exhales*
But instead I was like. "No, it just means you'll be waiting for a bit."
Go figure. It was our largest dog home.
And just to make sure he got out of the store and out of my hair as quickly as possible.
I took him to a separate register, rung him up as quickly as I could, and then had a manager help me carry the kennel out to his car so he could get on his way.
The bright side....
Is that I had climbed into his truck to make sure the home was situated properly and the dude offered a hand to help me back down.
So hey. There's that.
Just kinda wish he hadn't been so demanding and a tad bit condescending the rest of the time.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Flashing Lights
So.
Because we come in to work before the store officially opens.
-To clean, to feed the animals, to stock the shelves.
The front door is often locked to prevent customers from coming in and wandering around before they're supposed to.
Usually it's not a big deal, because we have a doorbell that allows us to notify people within the store that someone is waiting outside to be let in.
Only....one of my newer coworkers didn't know this.
And he was showing up for his first stocking shift.
-He's usually a cashier.
So when he came to work and found the door shut...and found that knocking on the door didn't get our attention, and that he couldn't access the store....
Decided to grab his car and pull up to the front of the store and sit there, with his headlights flashing at the store.
Which....was rather creative of him.
Though while a few of my coworkers and I noticed the flashing lights....
We didn't think to go open the door.
I mean...it's kinda creepy to have this car sitting in front of the doors with flashing lights.
*shakes head*
Eventually someone let him in.
And he discovered that we had a doorbell.
But honestly...he could have solved the problem by calling the store....and asking to be let in.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Because we come in to work before the store officially opens.
-To clean, to feed the animals, to stock the shelves.
The front door is often locked to prevent customers from coming in and wandering around before they're supposed to.
Usually it's not a big deal, because we have a doorbell that allows us to notify people within the store that someone is waiting outside to be let in.
Only....one of my newer coworkers didn't know this.
And he was showing up for his first stocking shift.
-He's usually a cashier.
So when he came to work and found the door shut...and found that knocking on the door didn't get our attention, and that he couldn't access the store....
Decided to grab his car and pull up to the front of the store and sit there, with his headlights flashing at the store.
Which....was rather creative of him.
Though while a few of my coworkers and I noticed the flashing lights....
We didn't think to go open the door.
I mean...it's kinda creepy to have this car sitting in front of the doors with flashing lights.
*shakes head*
Eventually someone let him in.
And he discovered that we had a doorbell.
But honestly...he could have solved the problem by calling the store....and asking to be let in.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Differences
It's interesting training my different coworkers.
I had to do that today, a bit of training with a coworker who'd come into help open the department with me.
And I was going to have them do the cats, only I noticed as I was showing them the ropes, that my coworker was getting more and more sniffily.
And I already have one coworker who's allergic to furry creatures...
So I was like "Are you allergic?"
"I think so."
But instead of begging off cleaning the cats, like my other coworker does.
-Because my trainee today came in not expecting to be working in my department-
My coworker decided to go ahead and clean the cages.
Despite them having the sniffles and such.
And I was just kinda impressed...and grateful really.
That there was another coworker willing to deal with 'difficult' things instead of finding ways to avoid it.
It made opening a lot easier knowing that if needed, they're willing to do the things.
-Sarnic Dirchi
I had to do that today, a bit of training with a coworker who'd come into help open the department with me.
And I was going to have them do the cats, only I noticed as I was showing them the ropes, that my coworker was getting more and more sniffily.
And I already have one coworker who's allergic to furry creatures...
So I was like "Are you allergic?"
"I think so."
But instead of begging off cleaning the cats, like my other coworker does.
-Because my trainee today came in not expecting to be working in my department-
My coworker decided to go ahead and clean the cages.
Despite them having the sniffles and such.
And I was just kinda impressed...and grateful really.
That there was another coworker willing to deal with 'difficult' things instead of finding ways to avoid it.
It made opening a lot easier knowing that if needed, they're willing to do the things.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Boy or Girl?
I had a customer come into the store today, intent on getting boys and girls off all the fish that he wanted.
The problem?
I can't always tell the difference between boys and girls in the fish.
Basically almost all the fish.
Because all of them are young...and aren't yet full grown.
And also because most of the fish are egg layers and they're just...difficult to tell apart when they're babies.
And this customer wanted to know if I could tell him the difference with the catfish.
Which I could not.
And I told him so. That the catfish were too young, that I had no idea. (honestly I've never looked it up so I don't have the first clue as to what to look for)
But for whatever reason, the customer didn't seem to comprehend that when I said I had no idea for all the catfish.
That I literally meant ALL the catfish.
As he pointed to one tank of Albinos and asked if I could tell the difference and I said "No, I can't tell for any of the catfish."
and he proceeded to point to every single tank of catfish after that point. (five tanks in total) and ask me the same question.
*exhales*
No. No. No. No. What do you not understand about me saying NO?
*shakes head*
He ended up getting a couple anyways.
But do I know what gender they were?
Not the foggiest. *shrugs*
-Sarnic Dirchi
The problem?
I can't always tell the difference between boys and girls in the fish.
Basically almost all the fish.
Because all of them are young...and aren't yet full grown.
And also because most of the fish are egg layers and they're just...difficult to tell apart when they're babies.
And this customer wanted to know if I could tell him the difference with the catfish.
Which I could not.
And I told him so. That the catfish were too young, that I had no idea. (honestly I've never looked it up so I don't have the first clue as to what to look for)
But for whatever reason, the customer didn't seem to comprehend that when I said I had no idea for all the catfish.
That I literally meant ALL the catfish.
As he pointed to one tank of Albinos and asked if I could tell the difference and I said "No, I can't tell for any of the catfish."
and he proceeded to point to every single tank of catfish after that point. (five tanks in total) and ask me the same question.
*exhales*
No. No. No. No. What do you not understand about me saying NO?
*shakes head*
He ended up getting a couple anyways.
But do I know what gender they were?
Not the foggiest. *shrugs*
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, December 7, 2017
To Pet
There was a group of small children who came into the store today. (with their adult watchers of course) Who were looking around at the animals and such, like groups of kids tend to do in the store.
And I decided to be the 'cool coworker' and give them a more hands on experience and pulled out a guinea pig for them to pet.
lol.
To say I was instantaneously mobbed is an understatement. I was surrounded by children from every direction, reaching out to pet the Guinea Pig.
But surprisingly they were all rather polite about it, not too much fighting or jostling.
They each took the opportunity to pet the guinea pig and were happy it was so soft, and how his feet looked and a variety of other things lol.
It was fun just to see the children get so excited over the guinea pig. ^^;;;
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Catfish Bonding
There was a gentleman who came into the store today in search of catfish.
Because the dude is rather obsessed with them. lol
The entire time I was fishing out different catfish for him, he was telling me different varieties that he'd owned, and currently had, and was still looking for to get.
His eyes positively lit up when I told him I had catfish too.
Lol I got to watch a couple of videos and see many pictures of his catfish.
And of course.
He was super excited to find out that we carried the Bumblebee catfish because he'd been looking for them forever and last time he'd come in he hadn't been told about that particular catfish.
-Mostly because it's easily overlooked as that catfish is constantly hiding.
Lol.
Overall it was fun to catch fish for him.
I hope the ones he bought today do well. ^^;;
-Sarnic Dirchi
Because the dude is rather obsessed with them. lol
The entire time I was fishing out different catfish for him, he was telling me different varieties that he'd owned, and currently had, and was still looking for to get.
His eyes positively lit up when I told him I had catfish too.
Lol I got to watch a couple of videos and see many pictures of his catfish.
And of course.
He was super excited to find out that we carried the Bumblebee catfish because he'd been looking for them forever and last time he'd come in he hadn't been told about that particular catfish.
-Mostly because it's easily overlooked as that catfish is constantly hiding.
Lol.
Overall it was fun to catch fish for him.
I hope the ones he bought today do well. ^^;;
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, December 4, 2017
Where Is It?
It's always fun to help the grandparent aged people at work.
Because more often than not they come up to you looking at you like you are the holder of all the answers. And they expect you to know exactly where everything is and know where it is and guide them to it.
lol Today I helped one of those grandparent couples find the frozen mice.
As apparently I'd helped them buy a snake a little bit ago....
-They looked familiar but I had no idea if I was the one to help them buy this snake.
In any case.
I took them over to the frozen mice and pulled out one of the boxes I thought would be the right size for the snake they were describing and showed it to them.
They confirmed that yes that was the size, took it, thanked me and headed on their way.
^^;;
I like it when I can easily give a customer a solution to their question.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Because more often than not they come up to you looking at you like you are the holder of all the answers. And they expect you to know exactly where everything is and know where it is and guide them to it.
lol Today I helped one of those grandparent couples find the frozen mice.
As apparently I'd helped them buy a snake a little bit ago....
-They looked familiar but I had no idea if I was the one to help them buy this snake.
In any case.
I took them over to the frozen mice and pulled out one of the boxes I thought would be the right size for the snake they were describing and showed it to them.
They confirmed that yes that was the size, took it, thanked me and headed on their way.
^^;;
I like it when I can easily give a customer a solution to their question.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Card Phone
So I had hopped onto the register briefly to cover the cashier while they needed to head to the back for a moment.
And I ended up helping a couple who were buying some bird food.
And the gentleman was being all techy and trying to use his phone with the card app thingy.
Because that's a thing, and our new cardreaders actually work for the phone thingies.
Only.
His credit card didn't work with our machine.
It was trying to read it as debit card and wouldn't work as a credit card.
And he got so frustrated...at me.
Which was weird.
Because it's not like I can control the machines. Some machines don't like certain cards and won't recognize some cards can be both.
But he got so frustrated, and the anger flared so quickly.
It was so strange.
Like...it wasn't something to get mad at.
Like I could see how it would be frustrating and why you would get mad if your card wasn't working for you.
But it seemed like such a waste of emotion really.
I didn't get it.
But at least he was able to use a different card on his phone and make it work.
So yay. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
And I ended up helping a couple who were buying some bird food.
And the gentleman was being all techy and trying to use his phone with the card app thingy.
Because that's a thing, and our new cardreaders actually work for the phone thingies.
Only.
His credit card didn't work with our machine.
It was trying to read it as debit card and wouldn't work as a credit card.
And he got so frustrated...at me.
Which was weird.
Because it's not like I can control the machines. Some machines don't like certain cards and won't recognize some cards can be both.
But he got so frustrated, and the anger flared so quickly.
It was so strange.
Like...it wasn't something to get mad at.
Like I could see how it would be frustrating and why you would get mad if your card wasn't working for you.
But it seemed like such a waste of emotion really.
I didn't get it.
But at least he was able to use a different card on his phone and make it work.
So yay. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Glitched
So Black Friday was basically a week ago.
And we had the problems of our online order system being on the fritz.
Where we could only intermittently get into the system to try and pick people's orders so they could come get it later without having to fight the crowds.
And occasionally the system would kick us out.
Or not allow us access.
Or freeze...
Which....we managed to pick all the orders in the end.
So it didn't seem like much of an issue once all was said and done. (besides how long it took)
But in the past couple of days I've gotten multiple calls from customers.
Who had 'ordered something online a week ago.' but had never received a confirmation email.
But when I would go into our system to see if their order had been picked.
It would be there under the "Come get me!" section.
I would then double check that this was actually true by going to go find the customer's order in person to make sure we actually had it set aside for them.
Which we did.
And because I've had to answer this type of phone call at least a half dozen times....
I'm pretty confident in saying that the system glitched in sending out confirmation emails.
Soooo hopefully we can get it all sorted out...and if people don't come get their stuff, call them so they can come get their stuff.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
And we had the problems of our online order system being on the fritz.
Where we could only intermittently get into the system to try and pick people's orders so they could come get it later without having to fight the crowds.
And occasionally the system would kick us out.
Or not allow us access.
Or freeze...
Which....we managed to pick all the orders in the end.
So it didn't seem like much of an issue once all was said and done. (besides how long it took)
But in the past couple of days I've gotten multiple calls from customers.
Who had 'ordered something online a week ago.' but had never received a confirmation email.
But when I would go into our system to see if their order had been picked.
It would be there under the "Come get me!" section.
I would then double check that this was actually true by going to go find the customer's order in person to make sure we actually had it set aside for them.
Which we did.
And because I've had to answer this type of phone call at least a half dozen times....
I'm pretty confident in saying that the system glitched in sending out confirmation emails.
Soooo hopefully we can get it all sorted out...and if people don't come get their stuff, call them so they can come get their stuff.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Silent Assistance
I had a woman call me over to the reptile aisle because she needed help finding something.
However, when I got there. I was like "What can I help you with."
And she, while looking at the shelves, started to say. "Well, I can't fi---"
and she trailed off. "Maybe?" she muttered, looking at the products.
I stood there, waiting for her to tell me what she was needing help finding.
Only she never told me. lol.
She ended up picking up the product off the shelf without needing me to show her.
I guess my presence was enough to help her find it??
lol but then she was like. "I also have a question."
To which I was half expecting her to trail off again or else answer her own question.
She did neither.
She wanted to know if we had any small baggies used for holding carbon.
Which we did.
So I happily showed them to her.
And she happily went on her way.
Yay. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The Walk Away
There was a father and son duo that came into work today.
Looking to buy more betta fish because theirs had died.
But they were also looking to add in some neon tetras, and some algae eaters into their tank as well.
To which I tried to get a general idea of what size their tank was so I could recommend the right sort of fish for them.
But I could only get a vague "it's small" answer out of them.
Who knows if it was a gallon or five gallons.
But apparently 'small' was a good enough answer. >.<
So knowing that it was small, I tried to recommend some snails to them as they usually do a good job of keeping the smaller tanks.
Only to be met with the response of: "We tried those, they died."
And the father basically ignored me after that point.
Saying. "Alright, son, you pick out two bettas one for you and one for soandso and then we'll grab four neons and two algae eaters."
Which. The son could easily pick out bettas.
Which he did.
He picked out a $4 betta....and a $15 betta.
And I warned him. "That's $15" and he was like. "I'll ask my dad if it's okay."
But the main thing was the father hadn't ever said directly to me. "We need four neons and two algae eaters."
He just was talking to his son.
And then walked off.
To who knows where.
So me, being the good person I am.
Fished out his fish.
Four neons. And two otos (as they stay small)
And bagged them up in one bag.
Handed them to the son.
And sent him on his merry way.
Only for the father to be like. ()_() You put them all in one bag?!?!
-Because apparently those fish needed to be divided out.
Which he hadn't told me.
Because he walked away.
So I took matters into my own hands and just put them into one bag.
And he was like. "Could you divide them out?"
To which I gave him a neutral look, waiting for him to tell me how he wanted them divided.
Because he was like. "We don't have a net!! How are we going to get them out of the bag?"
"We sell nets for $5" was my response.
Which apparently seemed to satisfy him as he didn't wait around to tell me how to divide the fish. Instead he was like "Okay, we'll figure something out."
The man definitely wasn't a patient fellow that's for sure. *shakes head*
I do wonder if he even realized his son bought a $15 betta fish, or if he just assumed the price was form other things they bought?
I wasn't about to point it out to him....mostly because I was curious to see if he'd notice.
He either didn't. Or he didn't care. *shakes head*
-Sarnic Dirchi
Looking to buy more betta fish because theirs had died.
But they were also looking to add in some neon tetras, and some algae eaters into their tank as well.
To which I tried to get a general idea of what size their tank was so I could recommend the right sort of fish for them.
But I could only get a vague "it's small" answer out of them.
Who knows if it was a gallon or five gallons.
But apparently 'small' was a good enough answer. >.<
So knowing that it was small, I tried to recommend some snails to them as they usually do a good job of keeping the smaller tanks.
Only to be met with the response of: "We tried those, they died."
And the father basically ignored me after that point.
Saying. "Alright, son, you pick out two bettas one for you and one for soandso and then we'll grab four neons and two algae eaters."
Which. The son could easily pick out bettas.
Which he did.
He picked out a $4 betta....and a $15 betta.
And I warned him. "That's $15" and he was like. "I'll ask my dad if it's okay."
But the main thing was the father hadn't ever said directly to me. "We need four neons and two algae eaters."
He just was talking to his son.
And then walked off.
To who knows where.
So me, being the good person I am.
Fished out his fish.
Four neons. And two otos (as they stay small)
And bagged them up in one bag.
Handed them to the son.
And sent him on his merry way.
Only for the father to be like. ()_() You put them all in one bag?!?!
-Because apparently those fish needed to be divided out.
Which he hadn't told me.
Because he walked away.
So I took matters into my own hands and just put them into one bag.
And he was like. "Could you divide them out?"
To which I gave him a neutral look, waiting for him to tell me how he wanted them divided.
Because he was like. "We don't have a net!! How are we going to get them out of the bag?"
"We sell nets for $5" was my response.
Which apparently seemed to satisfy him as he didn't wait around to tell me how to divide the fish. Instead he was like "Okay, we'll figure something out."
The man definitely wasn't a patient fellow that's for sure. *shakes head*
I do wonder if he even realized his son bought a $15 betta fish, or if he just assumed the price was form other things they bought?
I wasn't about to point it out to him....mostly because I was curious to see if he'd notice.
He either didn't. Or he didn't care. *shakes head*
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, November 27, 2017
Weight?
I had a customer call today, looking for a particular dog crate that he'd found online.
Because he wanted to know how heavy it was.
Which...they don't exactly put the weight of the cage on the box....
Just the dimensions of the dog, and the size of dog most likely to need such a large cage.
But he was insistent. He wanted to know how much this cage weighed.
And I was like. "Well I can barely lift it so it's probably going to need two people with it in the box.
And he was like: Is that sixty pounds? thirty pounds? What?
Honestly I didn't know.
it was heavier than a bag of dog food, cat litter. But not as heavy as lifting one of the giant fishtanks... *exhales*
He ended up deciding it would probably be around 60lbs and was wondering if his wife would be able to move it around.
Which...sure.
Once it's all put together and out of the box, it should be rather easy to scoot around and clean it and such...
It's just when everything is piled on top of each other that it gets heavier.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Because he wanted to know how heavy it was.
Which...they don't exactly put the weight of the cage on the box....
Just the dimensions of the dog, and the size of dog most likely to need such a large cage.
But he was insistent. He wanted to know how much this cage weighed.
And I was like. "Well I can barely lift it so it's probably going to need two people with it in the box.
And he was like: Is that sixty pounds? thirty pounds? What?
Honestly I didn't know.
it was heavier than a bag of dog food, cat litter. But not as heavy as lifting one of the giant fishtanks... *exhales*
He ended up deciding it would probably be around 60lbs and was wondering if his wife would be able to move it around.
Which...sure.
Once it's all put together and out of the box, it should be rather easy to scoot around and clean it and such...
It's just when everything is piled on top of each other that it gets heavier.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Pinhead
Had a gentlema come into the store today looking to buy a pinhead cricket.
Which is like the tiniest cricket ever. One that can fit on the top of a pin. (hence the name)
Only often our crickets at emuch larger than that. The 'smalls' tend to be about 3/8s of an inch when they come in, though occasionally we do get in crickets that tiny.
(and they're a nightmare to try and catch)
So the guy was looking for a tiny cricket.
And I showed him the prebagged ones we already had so he'd have a general iea of the size we usually carry. (which were on the larger size this time around)
And he was like "is it 14 cents a bag?"
"No, it's 14 cents per cricket" was my response.
And apparently...the guy didn't realize that we had a whole bin of crickets that I could grab from.
As he started looking through the bags of crickets I'd already prebagged looking to see if there was a pinhead one within one of them that I could then grab out for him.
(I think he was feeding a tiny spider.)
I watched do this for a little bit, as at first I thought he was just looking for a bag of the smaller quantities of crickets.
When I realized he actually just wanted one.
I was like "I do have this entire bin here where I can just grab one cricket out for you.
Which he took with some surprise lol.
But was grateful he was like "Okay, get me the tiniest one you can see."
Which surprisingly I did manage to find him a little pinhead cricket.
I caught it.
Put in the bag and bagged it up for him.
And had to double check like three times that the cricket was in there because it was so tiny.
Gave it to him.
And he went on his merry way.
So at least I was able to help him out. :) woot.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, November 24, 2017
Online Mishap
Whelp.
Black Friday.
Always an...interesting experience to say the least.
Especially when it comes to online orders.
Which is a rather new thing for us.
We only started it last year.
So you can imagine that there are...well kinks to work out.
Like the fact that the servers kept crashing/goingdown/malfunctioning.
So people who ordered stuff online the night before to get their things....
Were rather confused when morning came...and there were no order confirmations waiting for them.
Because we were struggling to access our system. And when we could...we'd only manage to do one or two before the system would fail again. *exhales*
So it made for a rather slow process.
*shakes head*
Which means...that a lot of people were calling,
Wanting to know where their orders were.
I don't know how many times I had to explain over the phone that our system was down, but we were working on picking them as quickly as we could.
I honestly don't know if they ever got the system back up and running.
I know it was completely down around lunch time...
But after that point...not sure.
However.
I do have to say that my favorite phone call customer was a woman who called, with the concern that she hadn't received her order yet.
However, she was really understanding. Wanting to know how we were holding up. Reassuring me that she knew it wasn't our fault and that we can't control everything in the store, and she was perfectly fine waiting a couple of days to get her order.
Which was so gratifying.
Seriously. It's great to deal with customers on Black Friday in a Pet Store.
Because 98% of the time.
They're really understanding.
Most of them are rather laid back.
Most of them don't get frustrated.
And I'm so grateful for it.
It's crazy busy lol. But at least it's a good crazy busy.
And I really just like it when the customers know that sometimes...things happen that are beyond our control.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Black Friday.
Always an...interesting experience to say the least.
Especially when it comes to online orders.
Which is a rather new thing for us.
We only started it last year.
So you can imagine that there are...well kinks to work out.
Like the fact that the servers kept crashing/goingdown/malfunctioning.
So people who ordered stuff online the night before to get their things....
Were rather confused when morning came...and there were no order confirmations waiting for them.
Because we were struggling to access our system. And when we could...we'd only manage to do one or two before the system would fail again. *exhales*
So it made for a rather slow process.
*shakes head*
Which means...that a lot of people were calling,
Wanting to know where their orders were.
I don't know how many times I had to explain over the phone that our system was down, but we were working on picking them as quickly as we could.
I honestly don't know if they ever got the system back up and running.
I know it was completely down around lunch time...
But after that point...not sure.
However.
I do have to say that my favorite phone call customer was a woman who called, with the concern that she hadn't received her order yet.
However, she was really understanding. Wanting to know how we were holding up. Reassuring me that she knew it wasn't our fault and that we can't control everything in the store, and she was perfectly fine waiting a couple of days to get her order.
Which was so gratifying.
Seriously. It's great to deal with customers on Black Friday in a Pet Store.
Because 98% of the time.
They're really understanding.
Most of them are rather laid back.
Most of them don't get frustrated.
And I'm so grateful for it.
It's crazy busy lol. But at least it's a good crazy busy.
And I really just like it when the customers know that sometimes...things happen that are beyond our control.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Two or One?
I had a young customer who came into the store today to get a guinea pig that he'd saved his money up for.
And they were having trouble deciding on a guinea pig, as the ones on the floor were all unique looking and energetic.
So I suggested that they get two.
So they'd have less of a decision to make, but also because Guinea Pigs love to have a buddy to be with.
But...yes, admittedly, I suggested that they get two because I currently have 45 guinea pigs in the store and I really want to lessen those numbers as much as I can.
-Hopefully Black Friday will decrease that by half. *fingers crossed*
Still, they were like "Yes!" but they first had to see how much what they already got came up to.
Because again, it was the son who'd saved his money for a guinea pig. (with the mother going to pay for the rest)
So they went to the check out with a single guinea pig as well as the cage and everything else they needed for him.
Left.
And apparently sat in the parking lot feeling guilty that they hadn't bought a second guinea pig,
As they came back like five minutes later and picked out a second one. ^^
I hope they have fun with their new pets!! :D
-Sarnic Dirchi
And they were having trouble deciding on a guinea pig, as the ones on the floor were all unique looking and energetic.
So I suggested that they get two.
So they'd have less of a decision to make, but also because Guinea Pigs love to have a buddy to be with.
But...yes, admittedly, I suggested that they get two because I currently have 45 guinea pigs in the store and I really want to lessen those numbers as much as I can.
-Hopefully Black Friday will decrease that by half. *fingers crossed*
Still, they were like "Yes!" but they first had to see how much what they already got came up to.
Because again, it was the son who'd saved his money for a guinea pig. (with the mother going to pay for the rest)
So they went to the check out with a single guinea pig as well as the cage and everything else they needed for him.
Left.
And apparently sat in the parking lot feeling guilty that they hadn't bought a second guinea pig,
As they came back like five minutes later and picked out a second one. ^^
I hope they have fun with their new pets!! :D
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Trio Trouble
I had a trio of teenage guys come into the store today.
The type that are 'out on an adventure' and aren't inclined to think of the consequences of their actions.
Why were they in the store?
To get a fish.
A fish for their bowl.
Which unfortunately for them, limited their options. To basically a betta fish.
Though one of the guys was quick to point out his goldfish is doing just fine in a bowl. *rolls eyes*
And the guys weren't inclined to listen to me at all.
When I was trying to direct them to a fish that would actually live in their bowl.
They had a knack for going straight to the fish that would get at least 15inches long.
And I would have to actively dissuade them from getting said fish.
I actually don't know if they ended up getting anything.
As they came in just as I was getting off work.
But last I saw them they were excitedly looking at the reptiles.
Soooo
Hopefully they ended up getting nothing.
Who knows though.
Who knows.
-Sarnic Dirchi
The type that are 'out on an adventure' and aren't inclined to think of the consequences of their actions.
Why were they in the store?
To get a fish.
A fish for their bowl.
Which unfortunately for them, limited their options. To basically a betta fish.
Though one of the guys was quick to point out his goldfish is doing just fine in a bowl. *rolls eyes*
And the guys weren't inclined to listen to me at all.
When I was trying to direct them to a fish that would actually live in their bowl.
They had a knack for going straight to the fish that would get at least 15inches long.
And I would have to actively dissuade them from getting said fish.
I actually don't know if they ended up getting anything.
As they came in just as I was getting off work.
But last I saw them they were excitedly looking at the reptiles.
Soooo
Hopefully they ended up getting nothing.
Who knows though.
Who knows.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, November 20, 2017
OverStocked
Whelp.
The Holiday season has officially started.
Because that's when I get overloaded with animals that I have to find room for in the store.
*exhales*
It can be quite the task to juggle that all.
But somehow I make it work.
Yet, it's going to be an interesting few days before Black Friday.
Because I'm in that rock and a hard place of wanting to sell more animals before Black Friday so I can empty out the back rooms.
But also needing to make sure we actually have animals to sell on Black Friday so I don't have to keep telling customers that "there aren't anymore."
Still....
I kinda wish that the shippers would look at our inventory a little more closely before they send us animals.
Because having 45 guinea pigs in the store is rather extreme.
*exhales*
Especially when I can usually only have 6 out on the floor at a time. *shakes head*
So right now...
I'm really hoping that we can sell a few guinea pigs before Black Friday because we really need to decrowd the space in back.
Because 45 guinea pigs eat a ton, and make a huge mess.
-Sarnic Dirchi
The Holiday season has officially started.
Because that's when I get overloaded with animals that I have to find room for in the store.
*exhales*
It can be quite the task to juggle that all.
But somehow I make it work.
Yet, it's going to be an interesting few days before Black Friday.
Because I'm in that rock and a hard place of wanting to sell more animals before Black Friday so I can empty out the back rooms.
But also needing to make sure we actually have animals to sell on Black Friday so I don't have to keep telling customers that "there aren't anymore."
Still....
I kinda wish that the shippers would look at our inventory a little more closely before they send us animals.
Because having 45 guinea pigs in the store is rather extreme.
*exhales*
Especially when I can usually only have 6 out on the floor at a time. *shakes head*
So right now...
I'm really hoping that we can sell a few guinea pigs before Black Friday because we really need to decrowd the space in back.
Because 45 guinea pigs eat a ton, and make a huge mess.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Gravel Decisions
There are days where there are customers that just....automatically drive you crazy.
Because they have this desperate insatiable hunger to be told what is right. To be told that the thing they researched on the internet is definitely the correct thing.
And it gets....rather draining. To try and validate that customer when they expect you to know everything...and you don't.
*exhales*
I had one of those customers today.
It was a woman who wanted to get a tank set up that had live plants in it, but she also wanted to put in betta fish so she could breed them.
And she was like "I need this special rock for the plants to survive in, but I also need sand and gravel."
Which....I didn't quite see why she needed the three different soils.
Usually for our aquatic plants I just recommend the gravel that has nutrients in it and is meant specifically for plants to grow in.
But this woman wasn't hearing it.
She needed Sand.
She needed good rock.
And she wasn't going to hear anything different.
But wasn't listening when I offered suggestions.
Why?
Because she had this book.
That she'd picked up from a book store.
That detailed with setting up fishtanks for aquatic plants to survive in.
And she wanted to follow it exactly.
Only her hang up was that the book didn't detail tank set ups for bettas.
And she wanted to make sure everything would be safe for the betta.
And it was getting to the point where I was like. "Lady. It's aquatic stuff. It's meant to be in the water. The bettas are meant to be in the water. Therefore the two should do well together."
*exhales*
I didn't.
Not exactly.
I basically just went. "Okay you need this, this, and this." and pointed to the rocks and gravel and sand that I thought would work best with what I saw in her book thingy.
Which basically was what she wanted.
She just wanted to be told direct things.
Didn't want to be given options.
Didn't want to make decisions.
She just wanted to be told.
So I told her.
Hopefully that tank works out well for her.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Because they have this desperate insatiable hunger to be told what is right. To be told that the thing they researched on the internet is definitely the correct thing.
And it gets....rather draining. To try and validate that customer when they expect you to know everything...and you don't.
*exhales*
I had one of those customers today.
It was a woman who wanted to get a tank set up that had live plants in it, but she also wanted to put in betta fish so she could breed them.
And she was like "I need this special rock for the plants to survive in, but I also need sand and gravel."
Which....I didn't quite see why she needed the three different soils.
Usually for our aquatic plants I just recommend the gravel that has nutrients in it and is meant specifically for plants to grow in.
But this woman wasn't hearing it.
She needed Sand.
She needed good rock.
And she wasn't going to hear anything different.
But wasn't listening when I offered suggestions.
Why?
Because she had this book.
That she'd picked up from a book store.
That detailed with setting up fishtanks for aquatic plants to survive in.
And she wanted to follow it exactly.
Only her hang up was that the book didn't detail tank set ups for bettas.
And she wanted to make sure everything would be safe for the betta.
And it was getting to the point where I was like. "Lady. It's aquatic stuff. It's meant to be in the water. The bettas are meant to be in the water. Therefore the two should do well together."
*exhales*
I didn't.
Not exactly.
I basically just went. "Okay you need this, this, and this." and pointed to the rocks and gravel and sand that I thought would work best with what I saw in her book thingy.
Which basically was what she wanted.
She just wanted to be told direct things.
Didn't want to be given options.
Didn't want to make decisions.
She just wanted to be told.
So I told her.
Hopefully that tank works out well for her.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Carry Out
So the call came over the radio today that a customer needed a flat cart to get a cat tree out to their car.
Which had me going O.o
Because cat trees, despite being awkwardly shaped...aren't that hard to carry.
I'd think that they would be the same weight, if not less, as a bag of dog food.
So I was confused as to why there would be a cart needed.
Therefore, I decided to go check out the situation,
Since I wasn't busy with customers at the moment.
To see if I would really need to hunt down our red cart.
(Because that thing can be notoriously difficult to find. It likes to hide.)
And found an older gentleman and his wife, who were looking to get one of our taller cat trees.
Having carried such cat trees before. I was like. "Oh, you don't need a flat cart. I can just carry that for you."
To which the guy was like. "Well...then I'd feel like a weakling if you did that."
Which honestly he shouldn't. I kinda figured he just had a bad back. As that's often the reason why people ask for assistance in the store. It's because they either aren't strong enough to lift the thing, or else have a physical injury that prevents them from lifting it.
So I took the cat tree up to the register.
And the customer was like. "...would you be able to carry it out to our car too?"
To which I happily complied because I don't get to go outside often once I'm at work lol. So being able to see the sun (or the clouds) and just get some fresh air is nice.
So I helped the gentleman and his wife get their cat tree out to their car.
And was like "Have a good day! Drive safe!" and turned to walk away.
I heard him say something,
Glanced back, saw the gentleman rooting around in his car, figured he'd been talking to his wife, and continued walking, only to have the gentleman call out again.
So I turned, saw him walking towards me.
I walked back to him, wondering if he needed help with something else.
Until I saw the cash in his hand.
"Here." He said handing it to me.
"That's not necessary sir." I said, with some surprise.
Because...I don't usually get tips.
Pretty sure we're supposed to decline accepting tips, because we're not working for tips.
But the guy was like "I insist. I feel bad that you carried it out for me." And again handed it to me.
^^;;;
Guys.
I got tipped.
This is so weird.
lol. But so cool!! Like it's an extra thank you for helping out.
And ahhh.
It's nice. ^^ So nice.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Which had me going O.o
Because cat trees, despite being awkwardly shaped...aren't that hard to carry.
I'd think that they would be the same weight, if not less, as a bag of dog food.
So I was confused as to why there would be a cart needed.
Therefore, I decided to go check out the situation,
Since I wasn't busy with customers at the moment.
To see if I would really need to hunt down our red cart.
(Because that thing can be notoriously difficult to find. It likes to hide.)
And found an older gentleman and his wife, who were looking to get one of our taller cat trees.
Having carried such cat trees before. I was like. "Oh, you don't need a flat cart. I can just carry that for you."
To which the guy was like. "Well...then I'd feel like a weakling if you did that."
Which honestly he shouldn't. I kinda figured he just had a bad back. As that's often the reason why people ask for assistance in the store. It's because they either aren't strong enough to lift the thing, or else have a physical injury that prevents them from lifting it.
So I took the cat tree up to the register.
And the customer was like. "...would you be able to carry it out to our car too?"
To which I happily complied because I don't get to go outside often once I'm at work lol. So being able to see the sun (or the clouds) and just get some fresh air is nice.
So I helped the gentleman and his wife get their cat tree out to their car.
And was like "Have a good day! Drive safe!" and turned to walk away.
I heard him say something,
Glanced back, saw the gentleman rooting around in his car, figured he'd been talking to his wife, and continued walking, only to have the gentleman call out again.
So I turned, saw him walking towards me.
I walked back to him, wondering if he needed help with something else.
Until I saw the cash in his hand.
"Here." He said handing it to me.
"That's not necessary sir." I said, with some surprise.
Because...I don't usually get tips.
Pretty sure we're supposed to decline accepting tips, because we're not working for tips.
But the guy was like "I insist. I feel bad that you carried it out for me." And again handed it to me.
^^;;;
Guys.
I got tipped.
This is so weird.
lol. But so cool!! Like it's an extra thank you for helping out.
And ahhh.
It's nice. ^^ So nice.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
The Locksmith
Apparently I'm now the unofficial locksmith at work now. lol.
So like three months ago? Really. It's been forever.
Two of the locks to our small pet cages broke.
They simply fell apart, and pieces got lost...and therefore became unfixable.
Which meant that we had to order in new locks to replace the broken ones.
And like I said....it took forever.
Those cages have been unlocked for months.
Because for whatever reason, the parts take forever to come into the store. *shakes head*
However, today. They finally arrived.
The key locks.
Which, I probably wouldn't have realized had come as quickly.
Except the managers were like: Hey, Sarnic. The locks came in to fix the cages. Could you fix them for us?
Because guess who's been the one fixing the broken bird lock multiple times in the past month?
Me.
Because I actually have the patience, and the curiosity to try and figure out how the lock works and how to put it back together again in order to get it working.
And since the bird door lock has a pretty similar principle to the small pet cage key locks....
As well as the fact that I have put together the small pet cages locks before as well....
I obviously was the best person for the job to get the job done. lol.
So that's what I did.
With some fiddling and some faddling.
And the search for like a mini wrench where I could loosen a piece of the lock so it wouldn't be crooked any further.
I fixed them!!!
Woot.
Yay for me fixing locks. lol.
>.>
<.<
I really hope they aren't broken when I come back into work tomorrow. >.>
-Sarnic Dirchi
So like three months ago? Really. It's been forever.
Two of the locks to our small pet cages broke.
They simply fell apart, and pieces got lost...and therefore became unfixable.
Which meant that we had to order in new locks to replace the broken ones.
And like I said....it took forever.
Those cages have been unlocked for months.
Because for whatever reason, the parts take forever to come into the store. *shakes head*
However, today. They finally arrived.
The key locks.
Which, I probably wouldn't have realized had come as quickly.
Except the managers were like: Hey, Sarnic. The locks came in to fix the cages. Could you fix them for us?
Because guess who's been the one fixing the broken bird lock multiple times in the past month?
Me.
Because I actually have the patience, and the curiosity to try and figure out how the lock works and how to put it back together again in order to get it working.
And since the bird door lock has a pretty similar principle to the small pet cage key locks....
As well as the fact that I have put together the small pet cages locks before as well....
I obviously was the best person for the job to get the job done. lol.
So that's what I did.
With some fiddling and some faddling.
And the search for like a mini wrench where I could loosen a piece of the lock so it wouldn't be crooked any further.
I fixed them!!!
Woot.
Yay for me fixing locks. lol.
>.>
<.<
I really hope they aren't broken when I come back into work tomorrow. >.>
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
A WEEK?!?!
There was a customer on the phone today, with a southern accent with a simple enough question.
She wanted to know how long it would take the money show up in her account after she returned an item to our store yesterday.
After double checking if she'd used a Debit or Credit card and finding out she used a Debit card.
I told her that it could be within a day, but could also take up to a week for the money to show up.
And it was like the woman hadn't even heard the first part where it could show back up in the account in a day.
No all she heard was "Up to a week."
and for whatever reason, that sent her temper into full on volcano mode.
"UP TO A WEEK!? WHY I NEVER!" *shakes head*
She was like "Everywhere else it's 2-3 days! Why in the world would it take up to a week for my money to come back?!"
Which....she made it sound like she needed that money to show back up in her account NOW.
Which left me confused...as usually with debit cards our policy is to give the money back in cash because of that very reason. That it takes a couple of days for the money to show back up in the account. Why she got it back on her card...not sure...but honestly...I couldn't see why she was freaking out. The money would be back in her account within the week.
But she was still stuck on that "seven days" sort of week thing.
And was like. "You believe it's up to seven days?! Do you KNOW how long it takes?"
To which I was mentally rolling my eyes at this woman. and I calmly interrupted her and said that I could double check with a manager to see for sure what the answer was.
Which I did.
And I returned to tell her that the manager had stated that it takes 3-5 days to show back up in the account, but could be up to a week if the return was done on a weekend. Because it's 3-5 business days.
And that seemed to calm her right down. As she hung up soon after.
*shakes head*
Don't get it.
Really don't get it.
Why did she get so upset?
Why was she checking the DAY AFTER she returned an item if she knew that other places took 2-3 days to put the money back in the account? *shakes head*
I have no idea.
But instead of being annoyed by the encounter, I was more amused.
because really...it was a stupid reason to get upset.
And because her accent...I actually liked listening to it. So the fact that she was mad while it registered, didn't really bother me.
It was just well...funny to hear that southern bell accent trying to be mad.
-Sarnic Dirchi
She wanted to know how long it would take the money show up in her account after she returned an item to our store yesterday.
After double checking if she'd used a Debit or Credit card and finding out she used a Debit card.
I told her that it could be within a day, but could also take up to a week for the money to show up.
And it was like the woman hadn't even heard the first part where it could show back up in the account in a day.
No all she heard was "Up to a week."
and for whatever reason, that sent her temper into full on volcano mode.
"UP TO A WEEK!? WHY I NEVER!" *shakes head*
She was like "Everywhere else it's 2-3 days! Why in the world would it take up to a week for my money to come back?!"
Which....she made it sound like she needed that money to show back up in her account NOW.
Which left me confused...as usually with debit cards our policy is to give the money back in cash because of that very reason. That it takes a couple of days for the money to show back up in the account. Why she got it back on her card...not sure...but honestly...I couldn't see why she was freaking out. The money would be back in her account within the week.
But she was still stuck on that "seven days" sort of week thing.
And was like. "You believe it's up to seven days?! Do you KNOW how long it takes?"
To which I was mentally rolling my eyes at this woman. and I calmly interrupted her and said that I could double check with a manager to see for sure what the answer was.
Which I did.
And I returned to tell her that the manager had stated that it takes 3-5 days to show back up in the account, but could be up to a week if the return was done on a weekend. Because it's 3-5 business days.
And that seemed to calm her right down. As she hung up soon after.
*shakes head*
Don't get it.
Really don't get it.
Why did she get so upset?
Why was she checking the DAY AFTER she returned an item if she knew that other places took 2-3 days to put the money back in the account? *shakes head*
I have no idea.
But instead of being annoyed by the encounter, I was more amused.
because really...it was a stupid reason to get upset.
And because her accent...I actually liked listening to it. So the fact that she was mad while it registered, didn't really bother me.
It was just well...funny to hear that southern bell accent trying to be mad.
-Sarnic Dirchi
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