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Yes! We Have No $ITEM
Feb. 5th, 2011 10:41 pmToday I went out to buy some ice melt. Granted, everyone in New England is probably on the same errand, so I was very much not alone. So much not alone that I didn't even get to Home Depot... couldn't find a parking spot. There's a Lowe's nearby that normally does not get the same crowds as Home Depot. I *was* able to find a parking spot there, but only barely. Once I got inside, I figured out very quickly that they had no ice melt either... all I saw was a half-pallet of water softener pellets where the ice melt would have been.
This is one thing that annoys me about some retailers: when they're out of stock on some item, especially one that is in high demand, they don't come right out and state it. Instead, they do one of two things. Sometimes they quietly do the "1984" omit any mention of the item at all, even shifting other inventory into the hole left by its absence ("Ice melt? What makes you think we carry ice melt or have EVER carried it? Now how about a nice gas grill?"). Other times, they feature a poor substitute where the item would have otherwise been (E.g. the water softener pellets. My favorite is in a summer heat wave, you go down to the store and they have a big display of fans and dehumidifiers. That's code for "Sorry, no A/Cs here").
It really frustrates me that in order to find out a valuable piece of information ("Yes, we have no ice melt!") I have to read the tea leaves of their inventory placement. Would it really hurt them to put up a prominent sign announcing its absence and expected restock time? Yes, I may turn on my heels and leave, but I would have done that anyway. Do they really think that, if they were not so forthright, I'd stick around the store anyway and buy something else? ("My driveway is an ice rink, I'm not seeing any ice melt anywhere, but maybe while I'm at it I'll go pick out paint colors for the bathroom!").
This is one thing that annoys me about some retailers: when they're out of stock on some item, especially one that is in high demand, they don't come right out and state it. Instead, they do one of two things. Sometimes they quietly do the "1984" omit any mention of the item at all, even shifting other inventory into the hole left by its absence ("Ice melt? What makes you think we carry ice melt or have EVER carried it? Now how about a nice gas grill?"). Other times, they feature a poor substitute where the item would have otherwise been (E.g. the water softener pellets. My favorite is in a summer heat wave, you go down to the store and they have a big display of fans and dehumidifiers. That's code for "Sorry, no A/Cs here").
It really frustrates me that in order to find out a valuable piece of information ("Yes, we have no ice melt!") I have to read the tea leaves of their inventory placement. Would it really hurt them to put up a prominent sign announcing its absence and expected restock time? Yes, I may turn on my heels and leave, but I would have done that anyway. Do they really think that, if they were not so forthright, I'd stick around the store anyway and buy something else? ("My driveway is an ice rink, I'm not seeing any ice melt anywhere, but maybe while I'm at it I'll go pick out paint colors for the bathroom!").
