Close, But No Mascara
I was working at one of the only bookstore chains left in the USA when I got a call from an older woman. It started out unremarkable, with her asking for directions to our store. Then, she asked if we had a certain beauty store next to ours. In fact, we did. Then, she launched into a line of questioning that went like this.
Caller: “Does [Beauty Store] have [product]?”
Me: “I’m not sure, ma’am; I don’t work there. I’d be happy to answer any questions about [My Bookstore]’s products, though.”
Caller: “Well, can you tell me how much [product] is?”
Me: *Pauses* “No. I have no idea about any of their products. I don’t work there. I hardly ever even go in there.”
Caller: *Sounding annoyed* “Can you at least give me their phone number, then, so I can talk to someone that knows?”
Me: “I don’t have it on hand. Why don’t you look it up?”
She then hung up on me, but not before telling me how unhelpful and rude I was.