Raise your hand if you too are locked in a battle of wits with your iPod.
Today, someone phoned up and asked me for the phone number for the Wal-Mart Pharmacy. This was, of course, while I was at work, and I work on Saturdays at a teeny independent pharmacy in a rather teeny town.
Would you call Borders and ask for the phone number to Barnes and Noble? Would you call an independent bookstore that's been owned and run by a single person for 50 years and ask for Barnes and Noble's phone number?
Here is the debate that I had with myself in the milliseconds available for forming a response (which was slightly lengthened by my original snappy comeback, which was "Which Wal-Mart pharmacy?" Subtext: you stupid toad, there are like 7 Wal-Marts in a 10-mile radius of here.):
REASONS TO GIVE THEM THE PHONE NUMBER:
REASONS NOT TO GIVE THEM THE PHONE NUMBER:
The appaled and lazy side won. I did what I seem to fall back on in situations where I feel that someone is making a request that is over the line: played dumb. Not an "I'm stupid" dumb, exactly, more like an "I don't know anything useful, go bother someone else^^ with your ridiculous requests" dumb. What I said was, "I'm looking at the list, and I don't see it on here." There was a pause. I clairified with something like, "I guess we don't have it," or "I guess I can't give it to you." I was indeed looking at a list of phone numbers on the wall that had probably been there for 15 years or so. That's not really where we keep the updated list of other pharmacies in the area. I don't know how I feel about that.
*I get slightly tautological in crunch moments, okay?
^^Like, I don't know, an operator? A phone book? A prescription bottle from the farfin Wal-Mart pharmacy where you apparently shop?
Would you call Borders and ask for the phone number to Barnes and Noble? Would you call an independent bookstore that's been owned and run by a single person for 50 years and ask for Barnes and Noble's phone number?
Here is the debate that I had with myself in the milliseconds available for forming a response (which was slightly lengthened by my original snappy comeback, which was "Which Wal-Mart pharmacy?" Subtext: you stupid toad, there are like 7 Wal-Marts in a 10-mile radius of here.):
REASONS TO GIVE THEM THE PHONE NUMBER:
- Being rude is not polite*. This person is making a request, and as an employee serving this person, I should comply with it.
- Perhaps this is some sort of test, like where God asks that one dude to kill his son and the dude is totally like about to and then God's all like no, no, no, I just wanted to see if you would. You can come to heaven, or whatever.
- And if I gave them the phone number, then they'd be all like, Ha, I wasn't gonna call Wal-Mart, but you've earned my business with your selfless dedication to service. Could you call them and have all of my prescriptions transferred to your store?
REASONS NOT TO GIVE THEM THE PHONE NUMBER:
- The request is utterly inexcusable. You want me to do work so that you can give your business to a competitor? WTF? You are lucky that I do not scold you.
- I am lazy. You have interrupted the series of tasks that must be done before I leave, and if it had been up to me I'm not even sure I would've stopped to answer the phone, much less root around in some outdated file-o-fax to help someone who needs help shopping at Wal-Mart.
- Seriously, do you live in a barn?
The appaled and lazy side won. I did what I seem to fall back on in situations where I feel that someone is making a request that is over the line: played dumb. Not an "I'm stupid" dumb, exactly, more like an "I don't know anything useful, go bother someone else^^ with your ridiculous requests" dumb. What I said was, "I'm looking at the list, and I don't see it on here." There was a pause. I clairified with something like, "I guess we don't have it," or "I guess I can't give it to you." I was indeed looking at a list of phone numbers on the wall that had probably been there for 15 years or so. That's not really where we keep the updated list of other pharmacies in the area. I don't know how I feel about that.
*I get slightly tautological in crunch moments, okay?
^^Like, I don't know, an operator? A phone book? A prescription bottle from the farfin Wal-Mart pharmacy where you apparently shop?
<< Home