A "Did I Suck?" Post

[Saydrah]

So, I might have sighted myself the yesterday. I don't THINK I sucked, but I hate arguing with an employee even if I'm sure I'm right, so I want to see.

There is a dog wash by my house with a sign out front that says "Last Wash Starts 1/2 Hour Before Close."

I had just had my dogs on a walk and Gus rolled in some smelly muck, so vile I didn't want him in the house afterward without a wash. I would normally just throw him in the tub, but I was house-sitting for my parents over the weekend, and they don't like their tub used for dogs.

I looked at my watch and still had barely time to run to the self-serve dog bath place before 1/2 hour to close. It was a Sunday, for anyone who reads this once it's no longer 'yesterday.' They closed at 5:00 and I arrived at 4:27-- cutting it close, but since all I needed was to rinse the stinky off my dog with some nice shampoo, I figured no big deal.

Me: "I just need a wash for the little guy. The bigger dog is along because he was at the park with us, but he had a bath this week already.

Employee: "Sorry, they're already closing the wash."

M: "Oh... but, it's not even quite 4:30 yet..."

E: "We close at five-- so, to clean it, they have to close it half an hour before closing."

M: "Oh... The sign on the door says 'last wash 1/2 hour before close." (not angrily, more mournfully)

E: "Well... can you hurry up?"

M: "We'd be very quick. He just rolled in something stinky, so I can't let him back in my parents' house until he gets a wash!"

I gave my dog his bath, rinsed the tub, replaced the shampoo on the shelf where it belongs, and used a towel to wipe up where he dripped on the floor afterward, then put the towel in the dirty towel hamper. We were out at 4:47, including paying with a debit card.

Was I sucky, or were the employees just trying to bend policy to get home earlier?

[katie kaboom]

Nah, you weren't sucky. Sucky would have been demanding they stay there and let you spend as long bathing your dog as you want. You were in and out before closing. No suckiness here.

[Norton]

The sign did say "last wash starts at 1/2 hour before closing". If it said "last wash ends at 1/2 hour before closing", then you would have been sucky, arriving with only 3 minutes to wash the dog. As it stands, you were in the right.

[Boozy]

I don't think you were sucky, but I also don't make it a habit to quibble with employees over 3 minutes. Your watch may have said 4:27, but theirs may have read 4:31. Without an atomic clock, there's no way of knowing who's right about the time.

Hence, I give employees the benefit of the doubt. Especially on Sundays when many people are off work and spending time with their families. They probably wanted to get home.

But obviously they weren't too upset about your arrival, or they wouldn't have let you in with the dog. If you had come across as rude to them, they wouldn't have done that. So you were probably just fine.

[Titi]

I have to agree with Boozy. It may have been the difference in clocks. But if you were sucky they would have shown you their clock, and then sent you on your way with nothing.

You had a problem and they recognized it and let you wash the dog. (they probably smelled him as well.)

I say good job, on both parts. (For you not getting sucky, and for them noticing the situation you were in and allowing you to wash the dog even when their clocks had a different time and showed that the time allowed to start washing a dog was over.)

As for the "make it quick" comment. It could be that they helped someone else out one time and they took an extremely long time and they ended up there hours after they were supposed to close. (and the owner got upset with them.)

[Crazeyal]

You didn't suck. You asked politely, followed the rules, and didn't make the workers stay late. Why would you think you were sucky? Methinks others have abused the workers before, and they were a little gun-shy.

[Saydrah]

Well, basically what Boozy said-- quibbling over three minutes.

[JustADude]

I don't think you were sucky, but I also don't make it a habit to quibble with employees over 3 minutes. Your watch may have said 4:27, but theirs may have read 4:31. Without an atomic clock, there's no way of knowing who's right about the time.

How about a wrist-watch that constantly sets itself off the radio-signal broadcast by the stations with the atomic clocks?

Yes, it might be sucky to pull it on someone, but I love always knowing my time is the right one, and anyone else is either fast or slow.