The fall of the "brick and mortar"

I went to "WorstBuy" the other day because I really wanted this scanner and after reading reviews on Amazon.com, I found that a lot of people complained that after ordering through Amazon, they received broken merchandise. (Those darn delivery guys tossing around boxes around no doubt.) So I went to an actual store.

I walked around the store twice trying to find where the scanners were, and I finally found an aisle that said "Scanners/printers" but they were mostly scanner/printer all in ones, which I didn't want because I already have a good printer, and I went to the store to buy that specific scanner anyway. I finally found them in some obscure aisle that had all sorts of products in it but wasn't really labeled so it was almost like they couldn't fit stuff elsewhere so they just stuck it in that aisle. Of course the shelf where the scanner should have been was empty. I look around for some blue-shirted worker so I can ask for help, but all I can see is a group of them standing in the open, yakking it up. I'm pretty sure they saw me, and I kept looking over at them, but I didn't feel like walking over and interrupting their gossip, so I just kept standing there, waiting to see if they would disperse. Of course, their gossip is good so they keep yakking away and I eventually give up and leave the store empty-handed.

I go back a week later, but first I check that the store has the scanner in stock. Sure enough, they do. I go back to that crazy aisle and...hmm...the shelf is empty. I look around and some girl comes over to help. She checks the computer and she sees that their store has two in stock. So she sends me to some other dude to help me find it. He walks me around the store two times and after asking a couple of people himself, he gives up and says they don't have any. Your computer said you had two, I said. Well, we can't find it, he says. What's the point of having the computer show inventory if you can't organize your store in a way where you can find stuff???? ARGH.

So I leave the store a second time, empty-handed. And I immediately go home and order the scanner from Amazon. It was actually cheaper too, and no tax.

Apathy in the hizzouse

Like I said...

I don't think I say "Like I said". Or maybe I do, I can't remember. I usually say something like "as I mentioned before" in writing. Or if I'm talking to someone I'll say, "Yeah, I brought that up before" or something non-combative. I feel like "Like I said" is very combative. It's up there with prefacing every statement with "Look..." or "Listen..."

But I'm trying to help this lady and she keeps responding with "Like I said", which makes me want to rip her face off. I am being very courteous with her and she treats me like I'm not listening, but she's really the one that isn't listening to me. I would never in a million years work in customer service because I can't deal with having to help mean people. I would probably find out where they live and leave burning bags of poo on their doorsteps. And in their cars. And thrown against their windows.

So then stop arguing!

I feel like I've read this somewhere before. But oh well.

Edit 7/10: