Find a sold-out holiday gift: AI calls stores and holds one
Short answer: Tell your agent the exact gift, your zip, and when you can pick it up. CallForMe calls stores one after another, asks a person to check the shelf, and stops at the first store that has it. The assistant asks them to hold it under your name, then reports how long the hold lasts and the store's hours that day. Answered calls start at $1.
This is the holiday version of checking stock and holding an item: one gift that sold out online, a deadline, and too many stores to call yourself. The online stock checker says "limited," the store phone tree routes you to a department that doesn't pick up, and by the time you get through the last one is gone. Your agent can work the list while you do something else, stop at the first store that has it, and get it put aside.
What your agent does
- plan_call on one store first to check the wording. A plain stock-and-hold goal doesn't trigger any category in plan_call, so the item details are on you: give the exact name, color or size, and the item or model number if you have it. Store staff find an item faster by number.
- call_around with several store types in
queries, your zip innear,concurrency: 1andstop_after: 1. It calls the stores it found one at a time and stops once a call gets what you asked for.
What your agent sends (for developers)
{
"queries": ["toy store", "department store", "sporting goods store"],
"near": "60614",
"count": 10,
"concurrency": 1,
"stop_after": 1,
"goal": "Find out if they have the Nimbus 2 kids' scooter in blue in stock at this store right now. If yes, ask them to hold one under Dana Ortiz until tomorrow at 6pm.",
"details": "Nimbus 2 kids' scooter, blue, item number 4471-22. Only blue. Pickup tomorrow after work.",
"questions": [
"Is one on the shelf at this store right now?",
"Will you hold it, and until exactly when?",
"Where in the store do I pick it up?",
"What are your hours tomorrow?"
],
"on_behalf_of": "Dana Ortiz",
"callback_number": "+13125550142",
"constraints": "Do not pay or give card details. Only a courtesy hold. Blue only, no other color."
}
- get_batch until it says stopped or done. The result is one table: which stores said no, which didn't answer, and the one holding your gift.
Example result
Illustrative example: stores, item, prices and times are made up. Transcript excerpt from the store that had it:
Assistant: Hi, this is an AI assistant calling for Dana Ortiz, on a recorded line. Do you have the Nimbus 2 kids' scooter in blue, item 4471-22, in stock at this store? Clerk: One second, let me look. (3 minutes on hold) Clerk: I've got one blue left. $89.99. Assistant: Could you hold it under Dana Ortiz until 6pm tomorrow? Clerk: We can hold it 24 hours at customer service. After that it goes back out. Assistant: And your hours tomorrow? Clerk: 8 to 10.
What your agent tells you:
| Store | Result | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Clark Street Toys | No answer (free) | |
| Lincoln Park Kids | Sold out of blue | |
| Fullerton Department Store | Has 1, $89.99 | Held for Dana Ortiz at customer service, 24 hours (until about 4pm tomorrow, not 6pm) |
| 7 more stores | Not called, stopped at the first yes |
Note the hold: you asked for 6pm and the store gave 24 hours. Your agent flags that so you can pick it up before 4pm or call to ask for an extension.
Cost: one unanswered call ($0), one short call ($1), one 5-minute call with the hold ($1 + 3 x $0.40 = $2.20). Total $3.20.
Holiday-season tips
- Ask for the hold deadline in hours, not "till tomorrow." Stores often count from when the clerk tags it.
- Ask where to pick it up. Big stores hold items at customer service or a pickup counter, not the register.
- Ask the store's hours for your pickup day. Holiday hours change week to week, and the listing online may not show them. If you only need hours, see confirm holiday hours.
- Pick one color or size, or list your fallbacks in order. "Blue, or red if no blue" in details means the assistant can say yes to red without stopping to ask your agent.
- Give a callback number. If the hold is about to lapse, some stores will call.
- Budget for hold time. Unanswered calls are free, but time on hold while a clerk checks the back is billed like any call time.
What it costs
$1 per store that answers, including the first 2 minutes, then $0.40 a minute, up to 30 minutes. Stores that don't pick up, busy lines, and voicemail reached within 60 seconds cost nothing. With stop_after: 1, nothing is spent on stores after the one that has your gift. Set max_spend_usd if you want a hard ceiling on the whole hunt.
Related
- Check stock and hold an item
- Price check across stores
- Call around with one request
- Have AI call hardware stores
- Thanksgiving week calls: a prompt pack
Questions
Why call one store at a time instead of all at once?
So only one store puts the gift aside for you. With concurrency 1 and stop_after 1, the next call only starts if the last store didn't have it, and the batch stops at the first yes.
Will the store hold it if I haven't paid?
Many stores do a short courtesy hold; some won't hold sale items at all. The assistant asks, never pays, and tells you the store's answer and deadline.
Can it buy the gift for me?
No. The assistant never reads card numbers over the phone. If the store only holds items that are paid for, your agent tells you, and you can buy it on the store's site for pickup or call back.
What if the store is closed when my agent starts?
call_around skips businesses that are closed when the batch starts and never dials before 7am their time. On a short-hours holiday, start the hunt after stores open, or pass include_closed to keep them in the list.
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