I just got a phone call from some company. I probably wouldn’t say the name, but I couldn’t even understand the guy when he said it so it doesn’t really matter.

He said his company sells scientific equipment and medical supplies, and was wondering who to speak to so that his company could be considered. I said, “Well, I make the decisions for the biology department purchases. What kind of stuff do you guys sell?” And he said, “well, mostly, um, scientific equipment. And medical supplies, you know? Is there anyone that I could talk to?”

At this point I decided that I wouldn’t buy anything from these people regardless of what they sell and how good their prices are. But I really wasn’t quite sure how to respond to him because he didn’t answer my question and I had alreayd answered his. I was thinking through my options, and he detected the silence and relieved it by asking if companies put bids in for different items. I told him that only happens with high price items, and for most things I decide what we need and where to purchase it. He said “oh.”

After a few more seconds of silence, he said, “Well, I could send you a catalog?”

So I did it.

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