Some people are unbelievable

[protege]

I was at work when 9/11 happened. In fact, one of our guys was on the phone trying to reach a company in WTC when one of the planes landed in their office He said that the phone was ringing, then suddenly went dead. At the time, we had no idea what happened, until we heard that 'a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center.' Little did we know that it wasn't an accident. After the second plane hit, all hell broke loose.

The boss told us to go home around 1pm. It took an hour and a half to get home...most of that was spent sitting in traffic. Since the 4th plane was still circling around SW PA (several people downtown reported seeing it), the city had closed nearly every bridge and tunnel. Not an easy task when you consider that there are roughly 300 bridges inside the Pittsburgh city limits! Even though our skyline is nowhere near as symbolic as NYC's, it was still evacuated. It was thought that a plane was going to crash into one of our towers--PPG, USX, and Mellon all have towers here.

I didn't go home right away though--I stopped by the garage to have some minor work done on the car. While in the waiting room, we had the TV on. Even so, I still couldn't believe something like that could actually happen. It was like a nightmare.

Getting home from the garage was interesting. Many people were bitching about the traffic, and how it was impossible to get anywhere. I took every shortcut I could think of, and probably broke a few traffic laws in the process. Screw the stop signs!

The next day at work though, it was still a bit odd. Our main office was in NYC (not in WTC, but close enough to be affected). All of our financial links were down, and I couldn't get ahold of anyone. Still didn't stop clients from calling and bitching because we couldn't help them

Uh, let me get this straight: 5,000 people were just killed, and you're getting pissy because you can't get a stock quote? When dealing with those idiots, the boss had no problem with us hanging up on them--he'd just lost a few of his business associates, and wasn't in the mood to deal with them

[PuckishOne]

I hope you didnt take that lying down
Is it YOUR problem that some people live paycheque to paycheque... nope, is it your problem that they cant get with the 21st century and have a direct deposit set up... nope.

No, I didn't take it lying down but I also didn't want to get into a pointless shouting match. Besides the rather world-shaking events that had occurred, 9/11 also happens to be my birthday, and between the two occurrences I was in no shape for argument.

I myself lived paycheck-to-paycheck at the time and had no problems with helping some of the calmer employees contact creditors and request extensions - every one of which was granted, by the way. Very few large companies were untouched by the events on 9/11 and all were accommodating.

And rdp78...these people knew what had happened with the attacks, because it was all anyone was talking about. They simply didn't think that it was worth consideration in light of their inconvenience. Like the OP said...some people are unbelievable.

[friendofjimmyk]

This isn't an issue of closing a store, but I think it's applicable...

On 9/12/01 we were supposed to receive our bi-weekly payroll delivery from corporate office (in PA). Guess what happened to foul that one up?

As the payroll lackey, it was my job to tell the employees who hadn't, for whatever reason (and despite everything short of threats of violence on my part), enrolled in direct deposit that, no, they would have to wait to get their paychecks until such time as the FAA saw fit to lift the no-fly order. If ever there was a situation that was out of everyone's hands, this was it.

I was told that I would "have to" pay bills, late fees and overdraft charges for people because I "wouldn't let" them have their money.

I was told that complaints would be made about me to anyone and everyone who could possibly get me into trouble and/or fired.

I was told that my arrest was imminent because I was "stealing" money.

I had people crying, screaming, pounding furniture, and outraged relatives calling me names over the phone.

I was told to "watch out" when leaving work that day.

After a little while of this I literally started telling people to pull their heads out of their arses and come to grips with what happened. It was easily the worst day of my working life.

Oh my god, if this doesn't show how bad some folks have gotten with self-centeredness, I don't know what does!

[ditchdj]

I'm getting a flashback again to Ace's story about the jackoff in the deli bitching and screaming about not getting any spiced ham while the WTC down the street was smoldering.

"You son of a bitch. Thousands of people have just been murdered and you're bitching about spiced ham!" Woulda been funny to watch that retard fold. I woulda been like "3,000 people have just been murdered. You wanna be number 3,001???"

[dragonflygrrl]

I was at work at Budget on September 11. I was supposed to go home at 12:30 in the afternoon, having opened the store at 4:30 in the morning. I didn't get home until after three in the morning. At first, they weren't letting anyone on or off airport property, and I had people screaming and milling and generally freaking out in the store. It was chaos like I have never seen in my life, and never hope to again. I don't think I've ever been so scared of anything. Eventually, people could leave, just not on planes (they were grounded for at least the whole day), so everyone and his uncle wanted to rent a car one way so they could get home. I was really proud of my bosses that day, they autorized us to rent every car on the lot to whatever city the renter wanted for like 9.99/day because that was the lowest rate we could program into the computer. There were no unauthorized drop fees charged until September 20, so every one could get home to their families. It took us almost until Christmas to get all our cars back, but it was worth it. I had very few unreasonable sc's that day, but everyone was pretty tense.

[air914]

Wow. This is amazing. You should post a sign saying "Our employees will not risk their lives to serve you - although we appreciate your business, we appreciate our employees as well and are unable to serve you if we have no employees. Therefore..... we may be closed due to the hurricane" But I never understand why bad weather brings out the idiots either.....

As for 9/11 - I was in school in Pittsburgh. I was so pissed at one of my teachers b/c we went to class (weren't sure what to do) and I turned on the TV to watch what was happening when the teacher wasn't in the room - she actually turned it off b/c she felt "voice & speech" class was more important that what was going on......... I'm sorry but give me a break - the entire country is going nuts, planes are grounded, people are worried about what is going on in NY, and me taking a voice & speech class is MORE important??? Sorry, not in my mind. I did stay in the class though and after we got out we found out the Pentagon had been hit - our school was sort of evacuated b/c of the plane that hit near Pittsburgh and everyone was panicked. It was a little funny - my roommate wrote on our wipe board on our door "get out now we're all gonna die" - and she was serious. THere wasn't really anywhere to go though........ so a lot of people just stayed in the dorms. No more classes were held though. But I didn't feel like going to school for a week - I just couldn't believe we were all just going about like nothing happened really - I know business has to be done, people have to go on w/ their lives and we can't all just sit at home and mope - but I really didn't feel like going to school......

[protege]

No more classes were held though. But I didn't feel like going to school for a week - I just couldn't believe we were all just going about like nothing happened really - I know business has to be done, people have to go on w/ their lives and we can't all just sit at home and mope - but I really didn't feel like going to school......

I know what you mean. Even though I was at work the next day, there wasn't much I could do. Even though my company's HQ was in NYC, we didn't have many problems, other than our financial wire service, and phones being knocked out. Quite a few other firms we did business with were having the same problems. Sooooo, I had nothing to do for 2 weeks since we couldn't do any business.

What was really scary, is that I have family in Washington, DC....and we couldn't even reach them on 9/11 to see if they were alright. There were reports of a carbomb going off on Capitol Hill...and since I had a cousin who lived up there, we had no idea how she was...nor about my aunt who works in one of the government buildings downtown. Luckily, they were both OK.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This happened December 26, 2001, at about 9 in the morning.

It was the day after Christmas, so it was busy with people returning stuff and wanting to buy Christmas items that had gone on clearance.

At this time, an employee of a beauty supply store at the other end of the strip mall from us noticed a strong gas smell in the store, so they called the fire department, and the fire department told us about the suspected gas leak.

Even though this was at the other end of the mall, the manager decided to evacuate everybody in the store just in case something should happen. So we made an announcement over the PA and the customers left calmly and orderly without putting up much of a fuss. The employees stayed in the store, but had the option to evacuate if they wanted to. (none did)

However, we have an elderly, somewhat slow gentleman named "Bob" who like to visit our store about 3 times a day just to gab with the employees. I casually said to a co-worker "Just watch, any minute Bob will be here."

Five minutes later, Bob shows up the entrance doors and starts pounding on them to be let in. The fire fighters told him that the store was temporarily because of the gas leak. He didn't believe them and started arguing that he should be let inside the store.

They did discover that a heating unit in the beauty supply store was leaking gas. Who knows how long it had been leaking. There could have been enough gas accumulated to cause an explosion. After they got it fixed, the store re-opened, and Bob came in to complain about how he couldn't get in the store.

[Seanette]

I slept late that morning (worked a late shift at WalMart the night before) and didnt get up till around 1030 or 11am (central time). My habit back then was to immediately turn on the tv when I got up in the morning (now I just leave it on all night...I'm a news junkie) Very first thing I saw was a replay of the plane crashing into the second tower, followed by video of both of the towers falling. I stared at it for a few minutes before I read the crawl on the bottom of the screen. That's the point where I freaked out.

I was a full-time homemaker with a scrambled circadian at the time. I got up around 10-something am Pacific and hit the computer. Right away, on e-mail lists and on newsgroups, that was THE topic of conversation. Turned on the TV, promptly got adhered to news coverage all day, while also monitoring Web, e-mail, and newsgroups, plus a couple of real-time chats. I did have to go out briefly that day, to the auto parts place to pick something up my husband had ordered (he worked 50 miles away at the time). Once outside, I really started questioning the wisdom of moving to within a few miles of an Air Force base (we lived in Lompoc, CA, at the time, very near Vandenberg).

[Erin]

Once outside, I really started questioning the wisdom of moving to within a few miles of an Air Force base (we lived in Lompoc, CA, at the time, very near Vandenberg).

I live in Omaha, NE. President Bush came to Offutt Air Force Base (in Bellevue, a city right next to Omaha) on 9-11 because STRATCOM is here and Omaha and Bellevue are communication centers. I've always felt a little weird living so close to Offutt AFB...during the Cold War, we were always told it was going to be one of the first places hit in a war with the Soviet Union. Still...it's a cool place to live.

That day, when President Bush was leaving to go back to DC, I was driving out to the WM I was working at. Saw an airplane flying over very low, and was really nervous about it until I recognized that it was Air Force One. (the WM I was at was under the flight path that most planes that take off from Offutt use) AF1 had just taken off from Offutt and was meeting up with the fighter escort when I saw it. (the WM I worked at is probably about 20 or 30 miles from Offutt)

I thought it was pretty cool to see AF1 fly over...altho the actual reason why it was there really sucked.

[Spiffy McMoron]

On the subject of 9/11, I can't beleive that someone actually didn't know what was going on that day and how clueless someone can be. I mean even if you didn't have a TV or radio, people were talking about it and newspapers were handing out special editions by that afternoon (I know my local one was but I'm not sure if others were).

Actually, I had a history professor who did not find out about 9/11 for about 4 days. He was re-creating the canoe trip that voyuers would have taken 150 years ago for a documentary. (Voyuers, in this case, would be French-Canadian or Metis fur traders, not creepy Peeping Toms) They were in northern Saskatchewan at the time, with no communication with the outside world, and didn't find out about it until they reached their final stop on the 14th or the 15th.

Incidentially, I don't remember how people acted at work on 9/11, so either I didn't work, or they were forgetably nice.

[staticradio]

I live in South Florida, and Tropical Storm Chris (could become a hurricane by tomorrow) is forecasted to sweep through my area sometime during Sunday evening/night.

(edit)

Some people are so ridiculous. They must really do think that we are robots that must remain open to serve them, even if there is a hurricane is coming our way.
[sarcasm]We must be some battery-operated machines that will keep working even if the roof of the place collapses on us. When we're not needed, you just take out our batteries and store us in the closet. If we're injured on the job and can't work...well, that's what insurance is for![/sarcasm]

Sad to think that some people can't go without fast food without blowing a fuse over it.

It just ticks me off so much that some people couldn't give a darn that we, as employees, have families of our own and LIVES of our own. Even if it is Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, a hurricane is coming, or THE END OF THE WORLD, some people out there will STILL expect us to be there in uniform, smiling and readily eager to serve them.

Anyone have any stories of people getting ticked off when you close for special circumstances?

I feel like this in my current position...especially this one moment that happened a few weeks ago (mind you, this isn't about closing for specific reasons).

I'm a supervisor for a midwestern grocery store and we had trouble with our automatic coupon dispensers. This customer bought like $28-30 worth of gourmet coffee for $4 back in coupons. The machine only dispensed $3. To make it short, she said she was "inconvenienced"...OVER A DOLLAR?

ok...then where's my $15,000 I lost from courses in college I couldn't complete, a car that conked out on me after 10 months, and other pratfalls of life these past 11 years?

now that's being inconvenienced.

I like to yell that we don't live here to some people when they're surprized we don't exactly know what is at reduced price(s) around the store.

[WHShit]

I lived in NC for 8 years and have seen my share of hurricnes! In fact, every year I have been there in the summertime, I have experianced one. When we have one, or have a threat of one EVERYTHING is closed!!!! Of course everything closes! I mean, if you are forcasted to have a hurricane hit tomorrow, you have to take into consideration when it is going to hit, the damage it is going to cause, how strong it is going to be...everything! That is why the sign says "MAY be closed...blah blah". You are not saying that you will be closed, but that you may be. I mean, if the hurricane hits and you are at work, alot of you guys may be stuck there. If it is bad storm and causes lots of damage, you do not want to be at work, with your families at home, wondering if they are ok or not!

I can't believe people are this upset at the prospect of a FAST FOOD store closing during a hurricane! I have gone without hot water or electricity 3 summers in a row for almost 2 weeks!!!! We have to take cold baths and play Monopoly by candelight. We have to tough it out. Never once did I say as I was sweating my ass off playing Monopoly in the dark "gee, why can't people OPEN stores"! How, if there is no electricity, can you be expect to operate? And, who the hell is going to be driving or walking to get take out food while 75mph winds blow and rain pours down? NO ONE!!!! Even 2 days after the electricty came on, one summer when we had a BAD hurricane, the stores were not open, and gas stations were pretty much the only place to get food from, but we HAD to accept that.

What is even MORE unbelievable is that corporate is sending faxes agreeing with customers! HOW IS THIS BAD BUSINESS? Corporate should tell the customers that they are concerned for the safety of their staff and that they will just have to live without their burgers/chicken/tacos/roastbeef ect for a day or two.

This is unexceptable and appauling!!!! I am disusted. What has happened to this world? Especially in Florida, where, because of a hurricane, my friend and her 5 children are now living in an older singlewide trailer because her lovely 5 bedroom house was demolished last year! Floridians should know that hurricane means trouble. My god!

[WHShit]

This isn't an issue of closing a store, but I think it's applicable...

On 9/12/01 we were supposed to receive our bi-weekly payroll delivery from corporate office (in PA). Guess what happened to foul that one up?

As the payroll lackey, it was my job to tell the employees who hadn't, for whatever reason (and despite everything short of threats of violence on my part), enrolled in direct deposit that, no, they would have to wait to get their paychecks until such time as the FAA saw fit to lift the no-fly order. If ever there was a situation that was out of everyone's hands, this was it.

I was told that I would "have to" pay bills, late fees and overdraft charges for people because I "wouldn't let" them have their money.

I was told that complaints would be made about me to anyone and everyone who could possibly get me into trouble and/or fired.

I was told that my arrest was imminent because I was "stealing" money.

I had people crying, screaming, pounding furniture, and outraged relatives calling me names over the phone.

I was told to "watch out" when leaving work that day.

After a little while of this I literally started telling people to pull their heads out of their arses and come to grips with what happened. It was easily the worst day of my working life.

People have no consideration for anyone anymore. Why threaten YOU? Could they not understand that there had been a tragedy a day ago and perhaps their money was not that important. I am sure if they called people they owed money to and explained the situation, they would have maybe been willing to wait for payment. It is sad when thousands of people just died horrificlly and all these bastards are oncerned about is themselves! I am sure the families and friends of the vistims would gladly have given all their money away to see their loved-ones not be dead at the hands of terrorists!

Sorry, I feel very strongly about 9/11 still. As I used to live in NY, I would see the towers everyday. The first time it was bombed, a family friend who worked there escaped just barely and the second time, he died. My cousin Vinny, was off work that day (he worked on one of the 90 floors) as it was his birthday...it just makes me emotional when people are selfish and others would kill themselves to bring someone else back. I KNOW it is their money, but when something happens and the safety of the country is at hand with stopping the flights, they CAN WAIT!

[SteverinoNY]

These selfish bastards who only think about ME ME ME make me sick to be honest. I wasn't going to comment on this thread as I am of the same school of thought as WHShit and I was certain my emotions would get the better of me. I am also a resident of New York State (about 150 miles north of the Big Apple) and the Trade Centers were not just an icon for the city, but for the entire state. My uncle, a firefighter serving in Ladder 3 for the FDNY, was killed in the Trade Center that day when it was attacked. Certainly, he didn't think of himself when he was rushing up the stairs of the South Tower, making it all the way to the 43rd floor, trying to save the lives of as many people as possible. Because of his bravery and the bravery of the thousands of firefighters, police officers, and PAPD, thousands of people made it to safety. I am sure if he were around today, his only regret would be that he could not have saved the over 2000 victims of the terrorist attacks. Boo hoo...you can't get paid for a day or get a crappy McDonalds hamburger because of a major act of war perpetrated against our country? I understand you have bills to pay and children to feed, but under the circumstances have some sympathy for those who just died and the men and women who made sacrifices, some with their lives, to ensure that as many people as possible were saved from the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

As a relative of someone who lost his life in the Trade Centers, my condolences go out to anyone who had lost family or friends in the Trade Center, Pentagon, on any of the airplanes, or in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.