Dear Diary:
My wife, Stacy, was having a problem with her computer, so she went to visit a computer service store on the East Side. After more than 20 minutes in line, Stacy’s turn came.
The employee started to listen to her computer problem but was soon interrupted by a telephone call. The call lasted a few minutes, then 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, with no sign of abating. She finally sought to get his attention with a loud “excuse me!â€
He told the other party to hold on, cupped the mouthpiece and said, “What seems to be the problem?â€
Stacy said, “I am standing here in person, and you yap with the guy on the phone? I was with you first.â€
The employee responded: “I am sorry. Our policy is to give time and deference to call-ins.†He then went back on the phone.
After about five minutes, the employee was paged over the in-store intercom. He told his other caller to hang on, while he answered the page. “How can I help you?†he asked on his second line’s speaker phone.
“Hi. It’s me, Stacy, standing right here. Can you help me with my problem by telephone?â€
The crowd in line roared with laughter, but the employee was not amused.
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