For people who deal with people while working. Everyone gets foolish (I'd say the "S-word" [shut up Connery!], but were not allowed) questions, ones that make wonder what mind-altering drugs they're taking. Heres a place to vent.


I work at the reference desk of a university library. There are waist high shelves of books behind me. There are fifty feet of nine feet tall shelves covered in books to my left. There are fifty feet of "" books to my right. There are six other stories LOADED with books above my head. There is another floor loaded with books below my feet. There is another large Science library elsewhere on campus.

A young couple walks in and asks me, "Where are the books?" AAARRRGGGHHH!

I feel your pain, Merat...

Me, answering the phone at the info desk: "Good morning, World's Biggest Bookstore. How may I direct your call?"

Inevitable response on other end: "Uh...is this the bookstore? It is? Great. I'm looking for a book?"

The number of calls I had like that while in Tech Support was unbelieveable. You may think some of the calls you're read elsewhere are Urban Legends or soemthing but I could guarentee you they aren't.

My one of favourites are the ones which start "Somethings wrong with my PC". At which point they stop talking and seem offended that you have to ask them to /explain/ the problem.
However, one has always stuck in my mind. Imagine the scene, the phone rings, I pick it up.
Me:"Hello Technical Support line, How can I help you?"
Them:"Uhhh...can I order a taxi?"
Granted, this was around about Christmas time but the guy didn't sound as if he'd been drinking or anything...

Well, Spottedkitty, you were a "Taxi Port" line!

One we had at work: a workmate picks up a newspaper and asks "Does this paper come every week?". Answer: "Yes, that's why it's called Electronics Weekly."

I get this one a lot, working at Pizza Hut. "I'd like a pizza." To myself I say, "I'm not a ••••••• telepath you jerk!"

During the holiday season the bookstore I work at also runs a calendar kiosk. In the first week alone I will be asked at least ten times where are the calendars at. My other favorite question is are they for 2004 or 2003. This was in October mind you. People also thought they were records and I was being asked why we weren't selling Cds.

Hey Merat, does this seem familiar?

http://www.overduemedia.com/archive.aspx?strip=20020603

Yes, it is frighteningly familiar. Thats why I like that strip so much. They must have been working at libraries for quite some time.

There are always those people who will ask when you enter a room soaked to the bone after venturing outside on a miserable day "is it raining outside?"
No I just have a habbit of jumping in large bodies of water. Don't be so ••••••!!!

Merat,

I work at the reference desk of a university library. There are waist high shelves of books behind me. There are fifty feet of nine feet tall shelves covered in books to my left. There are fifty feet of "" books to my right. There are six other stories LOADED with books above my head. There is another floor loaded with books below my feet. There is another large Science library elsewhere on campus.

A young couple walks in and asks me, "Where are the books?" AAARRRGGGHHH!

I don't know why this couple asked, but I can easily imagine going to the reference desk in an old-fashioned university library and asking "where are the books I can lend" or "how can I lend books", assuming
a) that the books around the reference desk are for research and can't be borrowed (lexica, telephone directories, etc.)
b) that old-style university libraries have a serious storage problem, so all books are in storage someplace underground and have to be ordered before they can be lend. (this is the way in the two universities in my town, one of them over 400 years old, the other almost 100 years old, with buildings strewn over the city and books in storage for 10 or 20 kilometers away due to lack of space).

My roommate ALWAYS asks [unintelligent] questions. Finally, one day, he walks into the living room where I've set up the new television. He says "You set up the new television?" I looked at him, then at the TV, then back at him and said, "No, it's just your imagination." He said "oh," and went back to his room. Man, I almost laughed my [behind] off.

At Super Bowl media day a popular question was "What is the stupidest question you've benn asked all day?" The players were ready. Invariably the answer was, "Oh, that one."

I think the Gilmore Girls charcater Michel says it best.

"Look, I've had my peace with the fact that everyone who calls here is a notch above brain dead, and that the pennies I am thrown each week are in exchange for me dealing with these people in a nonviolent manner."

one day while in college in the early 80s I was to be on the new fangled gizmo called a computer. The first time it worked fine,etc. Finally it died I went to the teacher , and told her my problem. she said You crashed it. Fix it yourself. . I ended up with a C in the class.
Yeeeeeeesh!

Two things


1. There are people who make those calls and such as pranks. (They tend to work at radio stations)

2. Another thing is that people these days tend to be lazy and rather just be told where something is rather than look around for it themselves.

3. And yet some people ask things and the way it comes out isn't quite how they wanted to ask it. Some people have the ability to think and say exactly what they mean the first time, right when it comes out; others do not. Just like in writing, if it can take several iterations to get to a well constructed sentence, why do people expect that the spoken form be perfect the first time around? Case in point, when I started this post, I had only two comments in mind, but after I completed the second one, I thought of a third. Now, at the beginning, I said two and there are now 3. Does that make me a fool? In writing it can easily be edited to say 3, but when speaking… well you get the idea.

When you work in retail, are wearing the store's shirt, have a name tag etc on and are doing work and a customer walks up to you and asks "Do you work here?".

When they ask "where is the (insert product here)?" when you're standing right in front of it (or they're standing right in front of it).

When they ask 'how much is this?' when the price tag is right over it or under it and simualr products are under or over said price tag.

I know what you mean...

I usually reply with: "well I try to..."

When you work in retail, are wearing the store's shirt, have a name tag etc on and are doing work and a customer walks up to you and asks "Do you work here?".

I often ask that when I'm in a big dept. store and don't know if this salesperson is the right one for this dept., because I don't want to ask a specific question of the guy who's just stacking the shelves, or has hurried over from another section, and then get told "I don't know, you have to ask that guy".

When they ask "where is the (insert product here)?" when you're standing right in front of it (or they're standing right in front of it).

Happens often enough to me (as customer) that I don't see things right in front of my eye. And at the library, when people say they couldn't find the book/shelf, and I show them, they usually feel embarrassed. I think that happens to most people one time or another if you aren't familiar with the place.

I worked a a dept. store, and one nice person asked do I work here.- with my nametag. Im X May I help ya- I'm behind the counter you!

(I wannted to say No, I'm stealing something. Do you mind? I'd be in security by then)


I once got yelled at by an employee when I couldn't leave my dept. I had to ask for help with some furniture they wanted to buy. I had no lunch that day too.We were short handed that day

one time I had to go to the restroom very bad in a dept. store and i went in to the women's restroom. My wife had to cover for me.I had no time to ask where the restroom is

Sometimes they ask me on the phone, Can I ask you a question?

I say back You just did! (It usually turns out to be a telemarketer or heavy breather. )


One prankster calls me up to say I caught you with my wife.I asked back Was I good? He didn't answer

Yeah right

Many years ago I was with my mom when she pulled her car into a gas station & asked the attendant to please fill it up back in the days when they did that at gas stations. His reply was "how far"?Not intending to be rude or anything but his question so took us by surprise that we burst out laughing.

Aol news had the dying lady , she was having a heart attack, for 5 bucks entrance fee.How about IV fee and doctor fee while you are dying? All he receptionists just sees she didn't pay yet!

yeccccccccccch!

and in a 99 cent store some very smart guy asks is that true?-to the manager!

I was in a white shirt and black PANTS, like the store employees were in the 70s and some nice lady told me to do carts, bring em in.I was standing in line with my dad as a customer.She reported me to the manager. used to be a Lucky's,the problem is I had no name tag, and was 12.My dad and i were laughn at her..
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Another time, a mad customer told me to leave my handicapped spot,and yes, I'm so healthy- she told the managaer on me.(i saw her mad as heck, see thru windows help) I was parked in a proper stall, and it wAS the next stall that was fo r handicapped. I almost got towed.They wouldn't listen.



lol

for mike- which city are you in?

A long time ago, my parents and I went to a gas station and saw some lady trying to figure out how to work the hose for the gas...she was 18.She asked how do you work this ^7%#! thing, so I had to show her.Nice lady.I was 12 or so..

years later a 75 year old lady asked my wife the same question.Like she never drove a car before?

Yarhens ago,at a grocery store, I wanted to buy their Pizza, half off.No, she went to the manager on me and told him I'm stealing it with my cart.I got tossed, no I'm not making this up.

She said Dont touch that! (I was getting it)What are you doing?

sigh.she got her way too.I went to another g. store, a 99 cent store.Today its another business.

a librarian got a book back that was due in 1775. the fine was horrondus.You can buy several old books at that price. A relative was cleaning up an attic full of old books!, somewhere on the east coast, so he decided to return it.

--------------------------

I checked out a book when I was supposedly 16.Concepts of Physics.A guy with my name never returned it. When I was 17, i got told I owe them XXX dollars..that was 20 years ago.
when I pay it I can get my library card renewed!

Libraries tend to limit fines to the price of the book plus a restocking fee. Only in truly bizarre cases do you get those "returned after 30 years, owes $50000" stories.

Mcgovern returned one book that was like that-
he said the library was disbanded..They told him he was a coward in ww2.

And when the library went to computers I checked Concepts of Physics. It was there. She lied to me!

and I checked out a book using my nephews' card and returned it. then he got billed late fees. I had to show him and that librarian where it was. He never even got sorry.

i got another library card that was free.This library bills you $50 for a new card every year!