The bike that stops traffic
My customer of the day today was a man about in his 40s who was admiring a bike something like this (but not 100% exactly. probably a special Wal-Mart edition thing... or something.) that I had sitting at the service desk because it had gone on clearance and was supposed to be outside with all the other clearanced bikes.
It didn't have any tag, any UPC, any price. It didn't have anythign on it. Just a user manual. Well people ask about it constantly. So since this guy was so interested I decided to see if I could get a price. So I page and page for toys. Finally I find out that toys called out sick today. So I was told to check with Sporting Goods. The guy said he'd be back later to see if I got a price. So I keep trying to get a hold of someone and he comes back, I swear, 2 minutes later. No one responds so I start to take matters into my own hands. I start searching the bike over to find some sort of something I can search the computer with. I flip through the user manual while the guy is hovering over me stroking and caressing the bike. He keeps saying that he's just sure there must be something in the book.
I discard the book because it's a generic book for any bike from that manufacturer. No product or item numbers or anything.
So I start looking the bike over. I find a number I can try, dispite the man like constantly being in my way while I'm trying to look it over. He finds the same number 30 seconds after me and offers it. But I'd already started trying to figure out how to find it on the computer by then. He starts flipping through the user manual and finds the registration card and yells over to me excitedly "I found a product registration card!" and I said that I had seen that as well, but I was pretty sure that it was a generic card that you'd have to fill out yourself.
Well while I'm working on the computer trying to find the bike, he's talking about how he loves that bike and how he might not even give it to his kids, he'd just keep it for himself. And how he was so excited that there were racing slicks on the back and how he was all about that bike.
He was so all about the bike, he got on the bike and started riding it in circles in the open area in front of the service desk. And he continued to just sit on it while I worked on finding information.
He finally did leave and said he'd be back later. And he didn't come back. I was given permission to "hand key" it for $58 since I didn't have a UPC for it and never could find it in the computer (even though I was in the right place. I know this because someone from Sporting Goods who being a floor associate and more familiar with those processes than me came up and did the same exact things that I did. So Nyah. I'm competent.)
It was also funny because a couple hours later a kid (of appropriate age) was walking by the service desk and stopped dead in his tracks so quickly he almost fell over and craned his neck to look the bike over and then looked at me, eyes wide and said "That's a cool bike!"
And then another couple, probably late 40s or so came by and saw the bike and whistled and were like "wow that's a blast from our past."
People are so crazy over that bike... I really guess I don't know what's so special about it.
Aaand... the henna mud is starting to get itchy. I'll probably go rinse it soon.
It didn't have any tag, any UPC, any price. It didn't have anythign on it. Just a user manual. Well people ask about it constantly. So since this guy was so interested I decided to see if I could get a price. So I page and page for toys. Finally I find out that toys called out sick today. So I was told to check with Sporting Goods. The guy said he'd be back later to see if I got a price. So I keep trying to get a hold of someone and he comes back, I swear, 2 minutes later. No one responds so I start to take matters into my own hands. I start searching the bike over to find some sort of something I can search the computer with. I flip through the user manual while the guy is hovering over me stroking and caressing the bike. He keeps saying that he's just sure there must be something in the book.
I discard the book because it's a generic book for any bike from that manufacturer. No product or item numbers or anything.
So I start looking the bike over. I find a number I can try, dispite the man like constantly being in my way while I'm trying to look it over. He finds the same number 30 seconds after me and offers it. But I'd already started trying to figure out how to find it on the computer by then. He starts flipping through the user manual and finds the registration card and yells over to me excitedly "I found a product registration card!" and I said that I had seen that as well, but I was pretty sure that it was a generic card that you'd have to fill out yourself.
Well while I'm working on the computer trying to find the bike, he's talking about how he loves that bike and how he might not even give it to his kids, he'd just keep it for himself. And how he was so excited that there were racing slicks on the back and how he was all about that bike.
He was so all about the bike, he got on the bike and started riding it in circles in the open area in front of the service desk. And he continued to just sit on it while I worked on finding information.
He finally did leave and said he'd be back later. And he didn't come back. I was given permission to "hand key" it for $58 since I didn't have a UPC for it and never could find it in the computer (even though I was in the right place. I know this because someone from Sporting Goods who being a floor associate and more familiar with those processes than me came up and did the same exact things that I did. So Nyah. I'm competent.)
It was also funny because a couple hours later a kid (of appropriate age) was walking by the service desk and stopped dead in his tracks so quickly he almost fell over and craned his neck to look the bike over and then looked at me, eyes wide and said "That's a cool bike!"
And then another couple, probably late 40s or so came by and saw the bike and whistled and were like "wow that's a blast from our past."
People are so crazy over that bike... I really guess I don't know what's so special about it.
Aaand... the henna mud is starting to get itchy. I'll probably go rinse it soon.