The next item on my list at the Big Box Home Improvement Store was a moisture meter for the garden. I checked the store’s app to see where I would find the item. The store showed nine in stock but no location.
The employee looked in his device and said the meters were in the Seasonal section at the front of the store. They were not.
The next employee I asked about the meter told me he knew where they were kept and I followed him to a shelf location—that was empty.
Remember, they showed NINE in Stock
He apologized and said they must be out. I showed him in the app where they had nine in stock but that no location was shown. He said, “Sorry, we must be out.”
Chief Apology Officer
Today, Seth Goden writes about the Chief Apology Officer. This struck me as the perfect explanation for what happened to me at Big Box.
Once the store clerk apologized, I suggested he let someone know who could correct the inventory. With computerized min/max settings, (in this case probably 3/12) they would never get restocked if the inventory wasn’t zeroed out.
His reply to my suggestion? “If only.” Meaning he was only an apology officer and couldn’t do anything about the situation.