Do you think shop staff should be trained in what goods they sell?

I hope she asked to speak to the manager. Unless of course that was the manager !,,,

Think it would be quite difficult to know the details of everything on sale although that example seems extreme.

Rather unfair, surely it isn't possible to train staff so thry know every author who has ever written a book , perhaps the assistant has never read a Pooh book and why ask fir the manager? To complain about the assistant?

WHO,has never heard of Winni the Pooh??

Does EVERYONE know who wrote the Pooh books?

Every Waterstones I have visited have a computer where an assistant can look up what stock is held. So I don't think it unreasonable for a customer to expect an assistant to do just that. Also as Marmark1 said who hasn't heard of Winnie the Pooh (even me and I don't have children!)

not unfair at all Anniebach, I think your missing the point I was trying to make.

I am very surprised. I always find Watersrones sales.people are very good. They are seem to be "bookies". I can usually have a good chat and they are very knowledgeable about children's book. ( Must have been the work experience girl or the cleaner.

Perhaps the sales assistant was from another country where Winnie the Pooh is not so much a 'National Treasure' as she is here. (tongue in cheek emoticon)

As others say, they usually just check on the computer as to the books in stock.They would certainly have had The House At Pooh Corner and Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded By Water in stock.I think most bookshop staff would look things up for a customer, so this member of staff was being either lazy or a bit thick.

Yes they do look it up on the computer,also in music shops and in the library.
I would sometimes say," I'm sorry,I'm not sure,but I'll find a person who is"

www.goodreads.com/author/list/81466.A_A_Milne

To be fair to the assistant (devil's advocate here) they are not all called Winnie the Pooh, . I am assuming the customer DID ask for books by A A Milne? (Usually in alphabetical order by author, certainly in my local Waterstones)
If she wanted picture books, maybe the Disney Store WAS the best place.

They don't need to be trained in every product on the shelf, but they do need good customer service training.

Yes Daphne my friend told the assistant the books were by AA Milne,

I think staff should have a rudimentary knowledge of what they sell. For instance if I go in to buy a particular printer /fridge/ laptop and I ask advice I expect there to be some level of knowledge or to be referred to that brands 'champion' in store.

For books I would expect them to at least say ' it will be in our children's section if we have any . Let me come with you to look'.

I'm sure Waterstones would be chuffed to bits to hear a member of staff just directed a customer straight to another store without checking /asking someone/ using the ISBN computer.

So to answer your question OP Yes I do think so. Its what can give a shop and edge over its competition.

In that case Mumsy I think she got a dim/stroppy/intellectually snobby assistant who was clearly wanting to be elsewhere! He/she might find themselves elsewhere if the branch manager gets many more complaints!

my daughter would know & she doesn't even work in Waterstones (just spends rather a lot of time there)

I had this in Waterstones. I was after Ruth Rendell's last one and they hadn't heard of her.

I, like LullyDully, find it a bit surprising - with books so cheap everywhere else it is the buying experience that Waterstones sell; being able to hold the book, getting advice from a real person standing next to you and firing you up with their love of reading. My local is just like that and without it they would have problems, with the same books often being pounds cheaper a short walk away. I try to use proper bookshops when I can afford to. I don't do internet purchasing and Tesco are unlikely to carry, or get everything I want, so it would not be good if they disappeared, but if I came across a shop where staff were as uninterested as this one I would take my custom elsewhere.

I once asked if they had Bill Clinton's autobiography and was directed to the Travel section. I think the assistant was mixing him up with Bill Bryson

I wouldn't have dreamt of complaining. Just thought it was amusing.

Only on GN could something so mundane be turned into a hanging offence

Not so long ago I went into Waterstones in a tearing hurry to find a present for my DiL. I told the young man a little bit about her, that her English is good but not her first language etc, and that I wanted a book of short stories. He reached for several such books and gave me a detailed critique of each before coming up with his final recommendation - he had clearly read the books and DiL loved his choice. I was very impressed.

Oooh! Bohemian! What a put down.
At least the assistant could have been trained to ask another member of staff if he/she didn't know the answer. Perhaps the person didn't know they didn't know.

Lullydully you are making an assumption there that a cleaner cannot be well read.