An oddly (ir)regular occurence:

When someone new comes into the store, after they get the initial geographical derangement and visual overload reactions out of the way, they settle into either browsing or specific searching.  The specific searchers usually beeline for a specific letter in whatever section they choose and commence flipping.

Now the browsers usually get a "was there anything special you were looking for?" whereas I let the specific searchers come up empty before I ask the same question.  What's surprising is the variety of branches off of this seemingly simple query:

(1) They answer "no" despite the fact they were clearly scouring through "C," came up empty, and then were standing their with a puzzled/dissatisfied look on their face.

(2) They answer "yes" and tell me the title... and we do have it but in a different section, i.e. they were looking in Rock and it's a Jazz title, or a Local Artist release... or they were looking in the New stock and we have it used.

(3) They answer "yes," tell me the title and we don't have it in, but we agree to special order it for them.

(4) They answer "yes," tell me the title and we don't have it in, but we agree to special order it for them, only to find out they need it for a wedding/birthday/bar mitzvah in three days time.  Not possible.

(5) They answer "yes," tell me the title and we don't have it in, and when we offer to special order it for them they say no... don't bother.

(6) They answer "yes," tell me the title, I tell them it may be in the used section, they look through and don't find it, I'm pretty sure it is there so I look through and do find it, they look sheepish and buy it.

(7) They answer "yes," tell me the title, I tell them it may be in the used section, they look through and don't find it, the two friends with them look through and don't find it... I'm busy with a customer at the counter and they leave before I'm done, but after the store clears I check out the section (which isn't huge) and sure enough, there it is.

(8) They answer "yes," tell me the title... and I point it out to them in the New CDs they just looked through, but then they say they were looking for a used copy (despite the fact they looked through the new stuff for it), and when I find we also have that they say, well really it was a vinyl copy they hoped to find (which is even more dubious since they were nowhere near the vinyl)... so when I produce THAT they are forced to fall back on something like, "well, if it's still here when I get paid next week..." or "I'm not sure that's the one my boyfriend was looking for... he might have that one."

(9)  They answer "yes," tell me the title and I kill them.