The Need For More Price Gun Control

(I’m a merchandiser in my store so, although I am often on the floor working, my primary job, besides helping customers, is ordering and product resets. Generally, we work as a two-person team, but my co-merchandiser is out with the flu so I am running behind trying to do all of the work by myself. As one of the many tasks associated with a seasonal reset, I am moving discontinued and discounted stock to the clearance area. One of my coworkers is somewhat ditzy and unobservant and doesn’t always clarify what’s needed when helping customers, which results in wasted time and effort for herself and customers, but sometimes for others, as well. Today is one of those days. She approaches where I am working and just stands, watching me take merchandise from my cart, scan, and print a price sticker for each item and place it on the shelf. After a couple of minutes of her watching me work…)

Me: “Hi, [Coworker], can I help you with something?”

Coworker: “Are you busy?”

Me: “No, I’m just playing around.” *then, realizing she’s serious* “Yes, I really am. Do you need something?”

Coworker: “Do you have a price gun?”

Me: *holding the price gun in one hand, applying a just-printed price sticker to the package in the other* “Yes. Yes, I most certainly have one. Why do you ask?”

Coworker: “A customer asked me to price an item. May I borrow it for a moment? I’ll bring it right back.”

(The price guns are kept in the office and the person checking them out is totally responsible for their use and return. The coworker, like some other associates, has set them down on a random shelf and walked away on more than one occasion, so I never loan mine. Usually, the associate will bring the item with them when making such a request, but she has nothing in her hands. There are several customers nearby, so I’m thinking one of them followed her.)

Me: “You know by now that I don’t loan equipment I’m responsible for. What needs to be priced; where is it? Does the customer just need to know the price, or a price sticker, too?”

Coworker: “A price sticker, I think. I already checked the price on the shelf. The customer said he’d meet me by the checkouts.”

(I reluctantly stop what I am doing and walk with my coworker to the front. The customer she was helping has gotten in line and is placing his items on the belt to be scanned.)

Coworker: “That’s him, right there. He wanted to know the price for the coffee maker.”

Coworker: *to the customer* “Sir, the price is $15.99. Would you like a price sticker on that?”

Customer: “No, I just wanted to know if this is the one on sale.”

Coworker: “Oh, yes, sir, it’s the coffeemaker in the sale flyer; you did pick up the right one.” *then to me, as she walks away* “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Me: *in my head, in addition to a few choice words that would be censored on this site* “Neither do I, [Coworker]. Neither do I.”