I'm a secretary/receptionist. (Not padding it - I'm the receptionist but I'm also the facility manager's secretary.) Up until this position I've always worked in places that were either far enough off the proverbial beaten path that I never saw anyone but the other employees or so big and sequestered (IBM) that I never saw anyone who wasn't supposed to be there. At my current job, we're right on one of the main streets and very accessible to the public. Which I'm still getting used to. It's a computer consulting company, but I've had people come in looking for everything from their proctologist to the AIDS clinic to Planned Parenthood to the Army Recruiting Center to wanting to vote. We had quite a few of those on election day. Not that it was any easier when I was the main lobby receptionist at one of the IBM plants years ago. We once had a visitor come in looking for a certain group who were over in another building. I gave him directions, sent him on his way. Five minutes later he was back, complaining I'd "steered him wrong." That's when it got interesting...
Me: "Do you have a name of someone you're looking for?"
Him: "Yeah."
(Gives me name; I look it up in the employee directory online.)
Me: "He's in Southbury."
Him: "Yes, I know, but you sent me to the wrong building."
Me: "Wait - he's not here. He's in Southbury."
Him: "That's what I - hold it. This IS Connecticut, right?"
Me: "No sir, it's New York."
Him: "Are you sure?"
As it happened, that particular site was located at Exit 15 off the interstate in New York. The site he wanted was also off Exit 15 - in Connecticut. Took me a few minutes to convince him that no, he wasn't on Candid Camera and nope, he wasn't in Connecticut, either...
