Should Have Switched Stores

I work at a well-known video game store. It’s the week leading up to Christmas, so we’re low on a lot of the high-demand items. Because I’ve been checking for most of these items at other stores over the past few days, I have a good idea of how hard everything is to find.

A middle-aged woman comes in, looking rushed.

Me: “Hi there. Can I help you find anything?”

Customer: “Yeah, I need a Switch and some games for it.”

Me: “Unfortunately, we don’t have any Switch consoles in stock. I know [Nearby Location] has a couple left, though.”

Customer: “I’m not driving out there! I came here for one!”

Me: “We don’t have any in the store, though. I can even call and have them hold one for you, if you’re worried about it being sold soon.”

Customer: “I refuse to drive all the way to [Nearby Location]! It’s too far!”

The location in question is about three minutes away. Even with traffic, it’d be no more than five minutes.

Me: “Ma’am, we do not have any Switch systems in the store. Not even used. I can sell you the games, but I have absolutely no system for you. I can call [Nearby Location] and hold one for you or I can have one ordered online and sent to your house, but there is no system in this store that you can purchase right now.”

Customer: “Fine! I’ll just shop at [Competitor]!”

I let her leave. The competitor in question was also sold out. The kicker? We got more Switch systems in the next day.