You want candid and blunt?

Count me among those who believe it is rarely appropriate to deliberately be a jerk.

Especially with customers!

Being irritated because someone doesn't know as much as you do is counterproductive.

Telling people trying to order that they are wasting your time, really? It's your freaking job. What could be more important than helping a customer get an order figured out? In a hurry to get back to playing Minesweeper?

Is making people feel bad good for repeat business?

And just what is so admirable about being stuck in the last century?

But who am I to complain? If someone is happy satisfied with their old school system, undesirous of progress or improvement, and enjoys belittling people for not being able to find a part or its number on their website, thanks to its haphazardness and incompleteness, more power to them, I guess?

Just to clarify, I was simply playing Devil's Advocate before. I have no problem with Steve running his business the way he wants to. He obviously already gets all the business he wants, so there is no need to change. If he irks a would-be customer here and there, it has not hurt his bottom line enough to warrant making major changes in his website, order system or attitude. At this point modernizing just looks like headaches.

Perk of owning the business! Things would be different if he had a board of directors to answer to. (All they would know is "More! MORE!")

Oh jeez, I just remembered it's been so long since I ordered from PBR that I don't recall my customer number!

And I need some relays! Augh!

I might have to fire up old computers to look through old emails!

Maybe I'll play dumb and act like a new customer. My address has changed anyway...

Dumb. Checks bounce, and are easily forged. Stolen credit cards rarely get used at restaurants, thieves want cash or pawnable merch, quick before the card gets cancelled.

If the card user also wants all the pies in the pie case to go, then I'd be suspicious.

Steve is the decoder ring, I like that!

You just need to handle the decoder ring with kid gloves, so it doesn't shock you if you use it wrong!

You people! I lob you a softball and nothing.

Rings and gloves don't mix!

To wreck the joke with over-examination, okay, simple bands will fit in a glove, but not a clunky decoder ring!
<slap!> We're not talking about real gloves or rings anyway!