WOMAN: Gerald’s Furniture Shop. How may I help you?
MAN: Hi. My name is Patrick. I’m looking for dormitory furniture. Do you carry any of that?
WOMAN: Why, yes, of course. We have a wide selection of pieces for student housing. I take it you haven’t been to our shop before?
MAN: No.
WOMAN: OK. Well, what exactly are you looking for?
MAN: Let’s see...I need a desk, some shelving, and maybe a bed too.
WOMAN: Don’t dormitory rooms usually come furnished with those pieces?
MAN: Mine does have a bed, but my legs are too long for it. They hang over the edge. And if I get a larger bed, the desk they provided won’t fit either. I talked to the janitor, and he said they could put the furniture from my room in storage if I purchased my own.
WOMAN: Got it. Let’s start with the bed. What length do you require?
MAN: I’m not sure. I just know that the single bed they’ve got in there is too short.
WOMAN: It’s a single? Then the frame is probably about 70 inches. How far off are your legs dangling?
MAN: Um...maybe a few inches.
WOMAN: Then I think that 80 inches should do you just fine. We can certainly make a frame long enough. You’ll need a mattress, too.
MAN: Yeah.
WOMAN: All right...and any color preferences?
MAN: No, not at all.
WOMAN: Great. Now, about the desk...we do have some space efficient rolling desks. They are really just made to hold a laptop. But they are incredibly convenient because they can be moved around so easily.
MAN: What are the measurements of that desk?
WOMAN: Just 27 inches wide and 18 inches deep.
MAN: That would fit perfectly.
MAN: And shelves? What do you recommend?
WOMAN: We have some wall-hanging bookshelves. Most people hang them above their beds or desks.
MAN: The shelves...they can hold a lot of books?
WOMAN: Huh?
MAN: I mean, they can carry weight?
WOMAN: Oh, yes, yes. They are built to hold quite a heavy load.
MAN: Then I’d like to put in an order for those three items. Is it possible for me to do that over the phone, or...
WOMAN: Sure. Can you give me your name first?
MAN: Patrick Wallace. W-A-L-L-A-C-E.
WOMAN: Lovely. And which dormitory are you staying in?
MAN: I’m in Whitney, room 1030. It’s on the 10th floor, and my landline there is 43-499032.
WOMAN: All right. In order to process the order, I will need a credit card. We take Visa or MasterCard.
MAN: I have a Visa card, but I don’t have it with me at the moment. I can call you back this afternoon with the number, if that’s OK.
WOMAN: No problem. Once I charge the payment to your card, we will send an order to the warehouse. It usually takes them three days to deliver the items to our store, and then we’ll deliver them to your dormitory, free of charge.
MAN: Oh, great. Thank you. But what if I’m not here? I’m gone to class between around 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day.
WOMAN: We can have the janitor let us into your room if you let him know that’s OK with you in advance.
MAN: OK. I’ll take care of that tomorrow. So, I’ll call back this afternoon with my card number.
WOMAN: Wonderful.
MAN: Oh, and what is the return policy? You know, just in case there are any issues.
WOMAN: You can get a full refund within 30 days. After that, we don’t offer any partial refunds
MAN: Fair enough. Thank you for your time.