I wish I could say it to a customer asking for missing product without consequances, but it's most likely I would get a complain for that and be in trouble.
The case (one of those common things that baffle me):
For some mysterious reason there is plenty of customers shopping in supermarkets who think that it is likely that we have the missing product in backstock in warehouse, and would ask store assistant to bring it.
As much as I would agree with thinking that we are lazy and that's why it's not on shelf. Many of my allistic colleagues is not particularly concerned with efficiency and diligence. The product would have to in a warehouse in a first place. Can you imagine managers allowing that to happen? they know what's there, and if something runs out on shelvers they would ask one of us to replenish. It's profit oriented business after all.
There is some backstock always, but it's only selected few items, and that is pretty much constant, so every employee knows what's there. But I observed few times that allistic would say just ''No, we don't have it'' if feeling more than normally lazy, even knowing it's there. While I can't do that because it would be a lie, I can't do that if I'm unsure if it's there as welll, and than I go to look for it.
Conclusion:
I would have to magic it up when we don't have it, and that would maike me Merlin-like. Why would I work in a supermarket if I was Merlin? Yet customers continue to ask.