Same Place

You know what's annoying about scanning items?

It's the fact that the bar code is never in the same spot.

You'd think that every single bag of dog food would have a barcode in the exact same spot.

But no.

Depending on the brand of food you're buying the barcode could be at the bottom of the bag, the side of the bag, the top of the bag, somewhere in the creases of the bag....it's rather annoying.

To have to hunt for the stupid barcode so you can scan the item for the customers.

You'd think that with how advanced we are technology wise, there would be some sort of agreement somewhere to have a specific barcode location on items for sale. That way it makes buying and scanning said items much faster and easier....

One can dream...

-Sarnic Dirchi

Stuck Again

You know the problem of having snakes and sticky things mix together?

Yah. Snakes get stuck to said sticky things.

*exhales*

So, in our reptile cages we have thermometers and hydrometers to monitor the temperature and humidity in every cage to ensure that each animal is getting the right heat and humidity.

Unfortunately, due to the failing of stickiness, a lot of the older gauges have been replaced with newer ones.

newer ones that have difficulty staying on the cages after so many times being cleaned.

which means they occasionally fall off.

Which wouldn't be a big deal.

Unless it's the sticky side that falls off and remains sticky.

Unless it's a snake that's wandering around and happens to slither over the stickiness and get stuck....

Which is what I found today.

One of the gauges had fallen off and when I went to open our cornsnake's cage, I discovered that the poor thing had gotten stuck.

It's not a new situation as I've encountered it before.

So I knew just what to do.

I took snake and gauge out of the cage and immediately went over to our vet, requesting that they bring me some mineral oil.

As mineral oil helps to make sticky not sticky and helps to pull the snake's scales away from the stickiness with minimal damage.

Five minutes later, with my hands covered in mineral oil. the Snake was free.

Thankfully, it looks like there was no lasting damage.

I have no idea how long the snake was stuck there.

But thankfully it wasn't so long that it hurt the snake.

It's a good thing their scales can spread out....

Otherwise it could have been worse.

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Fluffy Surprise

I was expecting to get in Nine guinea pigs today with our weekly animal shipment.

Nine more than I needed.
When I already had 31 Guinea Pigs in the store.
I didn't need to have an even 40 before the day was out.

But I had prepared anyways.

Yet.
Upon arriving.
The delivery guy announced that I wasn't getting Nine.
No.
Apparently on his form we were supposed to receive just four Guinea Pigs.

But they hadn't sent me four.
Instead I was only receiving two guinea pigs. O.o

Two.
Out of Nine.

Apparently there's a 'shortage' of Guinea Pigs now?? O.o
Which is weird...since they've been sending me half a dozen for like a month now.
So why the random shortage?

I was grateful though.
Because I could deal with two more guinea pigs a lot easier than nine more.

However.
The Delivery Guy and I both got a surprise when he opened up the container holding the two guinea pigs.

Because there weren't just two guinea pigs in there.

It took a moment for me to register what I was seeing.
But then I exclaimed
CHINCHILLA!!!!

Because there, in the box with the two Guinea Pigs,
Was also a Chinchilla.

()_()
How it got there....neither of us knew lol.

The Guy seemed to think that his company was testing him for some reason.

Which...all things considered.
Could be possible.

As my store isn't currently receiving Chinchillas.
We stopped carrying them earlier in the Spring.
So to see one there in the store with the guinea pigs....

Ha.
Was quite surprising. :)

I wish I could have kept it.
But the Chinchilla wasn't on my inventory, and we had no where to put it.

So it went back with the Delivery Guy.

Ahh...
I miss that Chinchilla already.
They were one of my favorite mammals to interact with in the store. :)

-Sarnic Dirchi

Too Early To Call

Sometimes I wonder if people look at the clock before they call the store.
Or if the even look at the hours of our store before they call the store.

I mean, who else would call at SEVEN AM unless they obviously didn't know we weren't open yet?
Who in their right mind would think that any store is open that early?
Honestly, most stores open at Nine or Ten. Not SEVEN.

Yet, there I was at seven in the morning fielding a call from a customer.
Who of all things wanted to know if we carried adult bearded dragons and how much they were.

Obviously they've never come into the store before.
Because we don't sell adult anything.
Everything is young. Babies.
Especially bearded dragons.

Which I told the customer.
We only sold baby bearded dragons.
They said "thanks" and then hung up.

Honestly though.
Who is UP at SEVEN in the morning and thinks "I want to call a pet store and ask if they have adult bearded dragons?"

Crazies. Go back to bed.

-Sarnic Dirchi

Overflowing

Uh.
Holiday Season.
It's one of the more crazy times of the year.
Mostly because it means more products, more customers, more animals.

It becomes a balancing act.
To make sure everything runs smoothly.

Especially in regards with the animals.

As with the holidays...people want to get animals as gifts.
Which means we get in more animals into the store to keep up with the demand.

And right now.

Our supply of guinea pigs is far exceeding the demand for them.
And every week they keep sending me more.

And more.
And more.

And this increase in guinea pigs coincided, unfortunately, with us not selling guinea pigs.
For the last month, we've hardly been selling any of them.
Maybe one or two a week.
When before we'd been selling at least six, if not up to twelve.

So it's a sharp decline.
A very sharp decline.

Which is bad.
Because every week, I've been getting in more guinea pigs.
At least six.
Because before we were selling at least six.
And usually the supplier replenishes what we sell.

Our suppliers apparently didn't get the memo that we're not selling.
As currently in my store, I have 30 guinea pigs. THIRTY.
Usually I only have around 12.
So yah, I currently have more than double what I usually have.
And guess what.
I'm supposed to get in 9 more this week.
Yah.
NINE More guinea pigs.

Bringing the total to basically 40.

Seriously.
I'm swimming in guinea pigs here at work.
And it's not fun.
You know how difficult it is to find places to keep 40 guinea pigs?

Thankfully, we are prepared for such situations.
And thankfully this only really happens around the holidays.
But if I don't sell any guinea pigs this week....
And they decide to send me more next week....
*rubs eyes*

I really hope they don't send me more next week.
Or if they do, that I sell enough this week to be able to have room for the more if they show up.

Ugh.
Holidays.

-Sarnic Dirchi

WHAM

I suppose, working in a Pet Store comes with it's hazards.

Though most of the time those hazards involve being bitten, getting wet, or stepping in something smelly...
Yah, I suppose there is no suppose in having hazards at a pet store. lol.

Today's hazard was one of those..."Well...that was smooth." moments.

In that I encountered a woman customer.
An older lady who was pushing a cart around looking for a way to clean it.
Why?
Because apparently the customer using the cart before her had had a dog in said cart....and dog had left a little bit of a mess in the cart.
O.o Honestly, first time I've encountered dog poo in the cart.
Usually it's on the floor because some people can't pick up after their dogs. *shakes head*

In any case.
Being the super helpful customer I am.
I dash to the nearest station that holds papertowels and the like for when doggie accidents happen.
And proceeded to clean the mess.

However...
In my hurry to help.
I misjudged the distance between the shelves and me.
-As sometimes my shoulders decide to be wider then my mind thinks they are.
And wouldn't you know it.
I nicely whacked my shoulder right into the corner of one of the shelves.
WHAM.

Talk about OW.

Like painful needle into the shoulder for a shot OW.
It definitely set an ache through me.
One that hasn't quite left just yet.
Just like those annoying needle shots you have to get on occasion.

I even whacked myself hard enough to leave a nice mark behind.
Just red for now.
But we'll see if this one actually bruises up or not.

I suppose this should be a lesson in either "be more observant." "be less fast" or "look out!"

Maybe it's a combination of all three....

-Sarnic Dirchi

Filter Problems

I got a phone call this morning.
From a customer that I had helped earlier in the week with getting a fish tank.
They were calling because the filter had stopped working. O.o

...Not something that usually happens so quickly but it does happen on occasion.

The problem was...he didn't have the receipt...
Which meant I would have to look it up when he brought it in.

Now, in most cases, we can exchange out a filter for a similar one because we carry filters that size....
Only he'd bought one of our new tanks, that's only like a gallon.
And we don't carry filters that small....

So after double checking with a manager.
It was determined that the customer would bring in the filter, and then we'd grab a working filter from another tank set -the same that he'd bought earlier- and switch it out, so he would get the filter that works and we'd just discount the tank that no longer had a working filter.

I told the customer to come in before I left.

And wouldn't you know it.
They showed up half an hour before I left....
Only it wasn't the customer.
It was his dad.

The Dad had the filter.
But no receipt, no credit card,
No way to look up what tank it was that they'd bought.
Because at this point I didn't quite know who the person was....as I do help a lot of people.

So it resulted in me having the Dad call the customer so I could get the information I needed to look up the tank.
Which took a bit.
But I found it!
Only...when I went to the shelf to grab the filter from one of the tanks there....
We didn't have any more.
That spot was empty.
>.<
Ugh.

Thankfully, the tank set he got was part of a series, and they all basically have the same filter.
So I just grabbed a different tank that was of similar price and pulled the filter from that.
To give to the customer.

All in all....the process took the remaining time of my shift.
Which was great as time went by quickly, and the customer left happy.

Hopefully that filter doesn't break either....

-Sarnic Dirchi