So I had a similar situation on the customer side. I was looking for a canned vegan tuna salad, but after looking at several different stores of the chain carrying them, I asked a retail worker if they know whether they're coming back; he didn't know and without me asking got the store manager who told me no. I thanked both of them and continued my normal grocery buying. At home I researched the product, found the actual producer, found out they produced on demand of large chain stores and figured they're probably no longer in an agreement with the chain store and I didn't see myself as the person calling for hours just to get a very likely, but slightly more detailed no.
I don't see how people can't understand how retail economics work. Retail either has it and it will come back sooner or later or they don't and at no point is the individual retail worker responsible for that.
I don't see how people can't understand how retail economics work.
Look, I drove to the store to buy a thing. If you don't have the thing, that means I wasted my time. But since that situation means I am to blame for my own bad feelings, such is obviously impossible since I am a perfect and flawless being.
The only logical conclusions are that either you are incompetent, or that you hate me.
People also wildly overestimate what a normal retail worker has influence over. One time we were out of a particular new model of camera because an airport in Malaysia got attacked and all the shipping got delayed, and someone asked me what I was going to do about it. Well I was actually heading out to Malaysia this weekend to sort it out personally lol.