When Give-A-D*** Has Shipped Out

I’ve just been laid off from a job, and I need to ship some equipment back to the company. They sent a QR code and instructions to bring the items to a [Shipping Company] office location, where the staff will scan the code and take care of packaging up the items as well as actually shipping them.

I’ve never used a service like that, so when I get there, I open with this as I speak to the guy at the desk.

Me: “Hi! I’ve got this QR code to scan, and I’m told you provide the packaging service as well as the shipping. Does that sound right?”

Guy: “No.”

Me: “Oh, no?”

Guy: “We only do the shipping. You have to package it.”

Me: “Oh. Let me double-check the email.”

Guy: “Well, let me scan the code. Each company does it differently.”

He scans the code, types into the computer for about a minute and a half, scans the code again, and then gets a tape measure and begins measuring the items.

Me: “So… you are handling the packaging?”

Guy: “Yup.”

Me: “Why did you say no?”

Guy: *Coldly* “I told you, every company’s setup is different.”

Me: “Then perhaps ‘maybe’ would have been a better answer?”

Guy: “Mmmm… No, I like the word I used.”

Me: “Oh. Uh… I don’t.”

Guy: “Okay.”

He finishes with the items and gives me my receipt. I notice that it says, “Number of pieces: 1.”

Me: “Sorry, is ‘number of pieces’ the number of packages or the number of items in the packages?”

Guy: “Number of items.”

Me: “Okay, I just noticed that it says one piece on the receipt, but there were two.”

Guy: “There’s only one package.”

Me: “…Have a great day.”