I look everywhere. I ask an employee. I take photos. I communicate consistently with the customer. But its my problem when stuff is out of stock. I cant make pro because [STORE NAME REDACTED] didnt get their shipment of ricearoni. Customers have had ZERO complaints about my subs... im tired boss.
I ran into an issue with an order requesting small rose bushes from Lowes, the exact items were out of stock and due to the nature of floral, none of the skus for any other possible substitution were added to the ordering system, preventing me from getting anything as a substitution. If you find yourself with an order for Lowes floral, be prepared for an uncomfortable conversation as you try your damnedest to get something to work as a sub if they dont have an exact match for the order. My customer was frustrated at the situation but good communication kept the heat off of me and tipped extremely well for my trouble.