Weird customers

[Kcwhippet]

We get some weird customers in the shop sometimes. Yesterday two girls came into the shop and asked for some help finding a bottle for a male friend's birthday. These were two college girls - one had a Wellesley College sweater on with Class of 2007 on the back. Well, I asked the usual opening questions - "What kind of wine does he drink, and what do you want to spend?" Their answers were "Red" and "Oh, $20 to $50." So, I spent about 20 minutes walking them around the shop trying to get a feel of what wine would work. We finally ended up in front of the Merlot section, and one of them seemed to recall that she saw him drinking Merlot on a few occasions. So, I went through virtually the entire Merlot section from Bogle up to Duckhorn, and we finally settled on a L'Ecole No. 41. I took it up to the register and just as we were about to ring it in, one of them said "I don't think we really want to get that wine. I don't think you people were really being very helpful, so we're going somewhere else." Arggghhhhh!!!!

[Innkeeper]

Did you check their IDs before you even started? Bet they were underaged.

[Kcwhippet]

Actually, no I didn't because they both had come in before and I had checked them then. As I recall, they had bought a bunch of Smirnoff Ice before. What I don't understand is that there are about 6 or 7 other wine shops between Wellesley College and our shop. So, why pick ours?

[Bucko]

Never underestimate the ability of people to turn a good deed into an unrewarding experience. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/frown.gif[/img]

[Kcwhippet]

If I posted all the strange customer stuff I see, I could fill this folder every week. Such as the lady that came in and wanted the finest kosher wine we had. So, I showed her the racks with almost 50 from the US, Israel, South Africa, Italy, France and Australia, but they didn't seem to satisfy her, and I understood why when she wanted to know where we had the Manischewitz Concord Grape because that was the best wine she had ever tasted. Oh well.

[wondersofwine]

Do you carry the Manischewitz? (Chuckle)

[wondersofwine]

Not wine related--your experience is a little like when I was shopping for a cell phone recently. I said I wanted a no-frills phone (no camera, no MP3, etc.) and large enough that I could read and punch the numbers. They ended up selling me a minute phone. I took it partly because it didn't require a two-year contract. You pay for it with a bank draft/debit monthly and can cancel anytime. I was so unhappy with it that I was back to exchange it in less than two weeks. The next one I got was only slightly larger but I can at least manipulate the numbers and it was less expensive than the one I hated! They hadn't shown me that one as a possibility without the 2-year contract on the first visit. (It does have text message and ring tone capabilities that I don't require but I guess they all have those features now. I may even use the ring tone thingy.)

[winoweenie]

Seems like them girlies are the grand-daughters of the lil' darlins I waited on in Wichita, Ks during my retail days. Spent 6 hours showing them all my Ethan Allen Colonial pieces at their request, then they finally asked where I kept the modern stuff they made. WW AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by winoweenie (edited 10-04-2006).]

[VouvrayHead]

This one happens quite often: people come in looking for Burgundy...
I show them our different burgundies, and the french style New world pinots, explain the different aspects of each one, then, after 5 minutes, they say they like the one in the jug. and "oh yeah, it's called carlo rossi or something or other..."

[img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/frown.gif[/img]

[hotwine]

Like we say around here, ignorance is curable but stupid goes clear to the bone.