Sucky employees at the end of the night

[myswtghst]

Why is it that when a store closes at 10pm, the employees get annoyed with anyone who walks in past 9pm? Grr...got really annoyed last night and need to vent.

On Friday I had minor surgery. The doc gave me Darvocet, but me and heavy duty painkillers don't get along so good, so he said I could take lots of advil and tylenol instead. I stayed at my parents this weekend and figured I'd stop at Walgreens on the way home (there are two on my way) and pick up the pills, along with a few other things I needed/wanted.

The first one is right up the street, so I stopped in there around 9:20pm. The employees were being loud, obnoxious and generally off-putting. After I picked up a few things, I got so annoyed by the girl being completely inappropriate over the intercom/loudspeaker and hearing her tell her manager "what? there are no customers left in the store." I just had to walk out and say "hey, I'm a customer in the store." At this point, I was so annoyed that I ended up just checking out, forgetting half the things I came in for.

Once I got in the car, I realized this, and ended up stopping at the second Walgreens around 9:40pm, and did the quick "run in, grab what I need and head for the front within 2 minutes." Get there, and have to wait 5 minutes before anyone even comes to check me out. Lovely.

Every place I've worked (this includes retail) always had my shift end at least a half hour after the store closed, if I worked til close, so I could do my closing duties after all the customers were gone. I'd say that I was the SC, but I don't think I deserve poor service just because I came in towards closing. I wasn't slow, I didn't waste their time or try to stay past closing, I just happened to want to watch the end of the Colts game before I headed out.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I only got annoyed when they came in and seemed like they're going to make themselves comfortable 5 minutes before closing. And then I'd just nicely remind them that we'll be closing soon. Even if you're annoyed that's no reason to treat a customer badly. And you shouldn't be goofing around on the loudspeaker until after the doors are locked. You never know when you missed someone browsing around a corner That said, we used to press the really annoying buttons on the sound story books over the loudspeaker after we closed

[PhotoChick]

I had a couple who came in right as we were making the "were closed" annoucement. I told them it was 7pm and we were now closed. The guy looked at his watch and said my watch says we still have two minutes. (I hate that) I guess I looked ready to kill them as the woman quickly said we just need one thing and asked me where the showerheads were. I directed them and finished getting my rtvs together to take to the back. When I came back up they were already in line. Warms my heart to see people keep their word.

But really as long as they are out by the time we close (or as close as humanly possible) I really think thats sucky to act put out. If you don't want them in 30 minutes before close than close 30 minutes earlier. The only thing is I do some of my closing duties before we close cause our schedualer sometimes forgets I'm the closing returns cashier and only scheduals me till 7pm. (Meaning I have returns open till 7pm then count out and get everything clean and still leave as close to 7 as possible). But I always make sure I do things around helping customers not instead of helping them.

(Sorry that was long)

[myswtghst]

Thanks for the support. I used to get as annoyed as anyone when I got calls on major issues 5 minutes before we closed down for the night. Now the call center I'm in is 24-7, so anytime they call we're open, even if my shift is ending in 5 minutes.

[powerboy]

I know how you feel. Once, I stopped in with atleast 25 minutes before closing. They had an attitude, because I came in to grab a couple things. It took me a little while, because I actually had to look for it, that took about 15 minutes. Second, I had to wait for a damn cashier, even tho I letted someone know I was ready to buy it, since no one was at the register, that took about 13 minutes. Then I got told I should have came earlier. I walked out after that. Well retard, if I got asked, if I needed help with anything, then I would have been out earlier. It didn't help everyone was no where to be found, except for the one, that came out. And for the record, no I could not have came in earlier, since I was at work, just before then, and I stopped on my way home.

[Gurndigarn]

On the other extreme, I had one employee at an arcade turn off the token machines half an hour before closing. Clocked out every night within two minutes of closing. Then he kept begging mre for more hours.



And he was surprised when he got fired. (It actually took me a while of looking over time cards, saying "Huhhhhh?", and finally figuring out what was going on. I mean, who's dumb enough to... Oh, yeah, we're in the US. No shortage of idiots here.)

[Becks]

Those employees were among the suckiest bunch of sucks ever. It's not as if you slipped in just as the doors were being locked. It's employees like that that give the rest of us bad reps.

[Arcade Man D]

On the other extreme, I had one employee at an arcade turn off the token machines half an hour before closing. Clocked out every night within two minutes of closing. Then he kept begging mre for more hours.



And he was surprised when he got fired. (It actually took me a while of looking over time cards, saying "Huhhhhh?", and finally figuring out what was going on. I mean, who's dumb enough to... Oh, yeah, we're in the US. No shortage of idiots here.)

Honestly, sometimes I don't blame him. Like when I have to run to the front yelling "WE'RE CLOSED!" as ~30 people pile in. And the only reason that I don't have the gate dropped is because we can't even drop it halfway until the customers are all out, probably because some moron hit a gate at eye-level and threatened to sue.

Of course, I don't close early. Not after one coworker I liked was fired for closing early. ((And one who I was not sad to see go.))

[Jack7957]

I only got annoyed when they came in and seemed like they're going to make themselves comfortable 5 minutes before closing. And then I'd just nicely remind them that we'll be closing soon. Even if you're annoyed that's no reason to treat a customer badly. And you shouldn't be goofing around on the loudspeaker until after the doors are locked. You never know when you missed someone browsing around a corner That said, we used to press the really annoying buttons on the sound story books over the loudspeaker after we closed

When I worked at the grocery store, the office looked out over the sales floor. One night we had some shoppers in there that were ignoring the closing announcements, taking their time shopping. So after 9pm, I went up to the office and started turning out the lights in whatever section of the store they were in. Frozen, opps, no lights. Meats, no lights there. Basically used the lights to herd them to the registers.

[DesignFox]

Yea, jeez. Those employees were sucky. You had 20 mins until close! AND you really were quick! It's not like you did a months worth of shopping, took your sweet ass time and trundled up to the register at the pace of a snail, then tried to pay with a bad check.....

I only get pissy when people come in 10-15 to close, ask me WHEN we are closing, and then proceed to take their sweet ass time and not check out until AFTER closing. (or who come in at that time and completely wreck the place). I dont mind if you need something- hell, we're open for another 15 mins! Just get it within 15 mins and I'm quite happy. Also- I'm not farking stupid- I help the person so they can get out of there...Ignoring your customers is horrible.

[HappyCthulhu]

From a friend of mine.

So it's about 1:45 am. I walked to Safeway, to get some beer. I had 3 beers before I left, thus the lack of driving. So I head right for my beer, I have exact change counted out, and I make my way toward the checkout.
There's noone there. And It's the only one open. I look up and down the checkout. Not a soul there. After maybe 2 minutes, the security guard walks over. He picks up the phone and basically says "Anyone fucking working tonight?"
After another minute or so, a guy in his early twenties (i assume) exasperatedly lumbered up to the register.
Mind you, all I had was a sixer, and by this time I had exact change sitting on that little shelf over the credit/debt swiper. So he swipes my beer over the little scanner, and 2 pop off. He sighs and attempts to reattach them. Before he does, he asks for my identification. I produce a valid MA ID (I'm in Oregon). "Massachusetts?" he quips. "Long way from home!"
"Yeah" I reply "I just moved here."
He examines it for a minute and then says "Do you have any other ID?"
So I provide both my Southern New England AAA card, and a credit card issued out of Mass.
"I need to verify your signature"
So I sign the back of an old reciept.
He looks at it, looks at me, rolls his eyes and says "I'm sorry, but I smell alcohol on your breath, I can't sell you this."
I stare in disbelief for a few seconds, decide it's not worth making a scene, walk away, and pay $1.50 more at the convenience store down the street.

Ok, yes he had a few drinks and shouldn't have been sold any beer, but was the cashier sucky for asking for several ID's?
Shouldn't his drivers license have been enough?

[Banrion]

It's fairly common practice when dealing with ID that you are unfamiliar with to ask for backup ID. Most fakers wont take the time to make a whole wallet of fake stuff, they will just take the fake ID and be on their way. I was always trained to ask for a second form when I got ID's from far off states

[tollbaby]

Sounds like the cashier just felt like being a dick for being called away from whatever was *so* important in the back room. Unless your friend was visibly inebriated (not just a bit of alcohol smell on the breath), then no, the cashier had no right to refuse the sale. While it might seem a bit sucky to ask for more than one piece of ID, where I live at least, that's standard procedure if an out-of-province/out-of-state license is used as ID (although he could have explained that and not been such a snot).

[AFpheonix]

It's been so long since I've had to work at a non-24 hour store, I've almost forgotten what it's like.

As it is, I DO get a tad annoyed with people when they expect me to be able to do everything that I normally would be able to do during normal business hours. If it's in regards to some insurance companies who bring their systems down for maintenance or don't have 24 hour helpdesks, or of course doctors' offices who may not always have an on-call option, I'm kind of stuck until the next morning.

Also, why is it that people always do this weird phone flurry right at 10pm at our store to ask silly questions? I don't get it.