We were stunned!

[Dark Movie Master]

If I hadn't seen it for myself I never would have believed it. I recently returned to my former job at the movie theatre. Thankfully the management staff was exactly the same so I was happily welcomed back.

Nothing interesting had happened until this Sunday. It was less than an hour until the end of my shift. We had 7 people on staff that afternoon, including two managers. About five minutes before "The Water Horse" was let out the two managers and another employee decide to grab a smoke break. Another employee went outside to join them because they like to talk. This left me and two others in the lobby.

Well, the movie got out earlier than expected so I went to the theatre to open the doors and start cleaning. I saw another co-worker come in to help. Okay, that means the other one is out in the lobby. After a couple of minutes of cleaning I notice that the third co-worker is also in the auditorium cleaning. So if the three of us are in here, that means nobody is out in the lobby handling concession. Since we didn't have much to clean up I just let it go since I knew we'd be back out there in no time.

This is where things get interesting. We finish cleaning in just a couple minutes like I predicted. I'm heading back to the lobby with the other two behind me. As I expected I saw a couple of people at the counter. Then I look behind the counter and I see somebody unfamiliar back there, scooping up popcorn into a bucket.

It was a customer.

I was stunned. Immediately I run back there. I was set to apologize to the people who were at the counter but this guy threw me off. The first thing I said to him was a blunt "What are you doing?" He says that they had been waiting in a very annoyed tone. Then he asks what I was doing. I told him the truth that we were cleaning the theatre. I admit we made a mistake leaving the lobby empty. But, seriously, what...the...hell? Who goes into an employees only area and takes care of something themselves if nobody else is around? Who thinks that is a smart thing to do? There's a reason we don't allow unfamiliar people back there. We have hundreds, maybe over a thousand dollars in cash in the register. Not to mention all of the boxes of candy. And if he burns himself on the popper or the butter machine we'd probably have to pay for it.

I wanted to let the guy have it. But I had to take care of the other refills and the lobby was crowded which is probably why I didn't do it.

After the crowd died down we just had a good laugh over it. We'll probably be talking about this for quite a while.

[vloglady]

I work in a public library. Every Tuesday, all the libraries in Queens NY open at 1pm. EVERY library. For about 40 years now.

We were having a staff meeting one Tuesday. The side door was open, it was warm out. The driveway has one of those ropes across it.

Suddenly, we're in the kitchen with our staff meeting and this lady pops in, asking if someone could help her find a book. Apparently, she ducked under the driveway rope and came in the side door. Since she found the front door locked.

Yeah lady, it was locked because we're CLOSED! We all felt suddenly like she had seen us naked, we were so shocked! We hustled her ass out of there. It's an insurance thing.

can you believe!

Susan, the Jello Lady

[Tanasi]

More than once I have had to get my own refills at some resturants. At one place I got tired of waiting and went back into the kitchen and and got my food that was also too dry to eat. Can't say I blame them too much especially if they were getting free refills.

[Dark Movie Master]

Free refills doesn't entitle the customer to make themselves at home behind the counter. Like I said we made a mistake leaving the lobby empty and this customer was more than welcome to chew us out about it if he'd stayed away from where he didn't belong. But he wanted to be a rebel and take matters into his own hands. Not only does it make you look suspicious but there's also too many ways to get hurt back there.

[powerboy]

More than once I have had to get my own refills at some resturants. At one place I got tired of waiting and went back into the kitchen and and got my food that was also too dry to eat. Can't say I blame them too much especially if they were getting free refills.

Had to get my own drinks before. But that was years ago when I was a teenager.

At my old job, I was the only one working. The CW was on lunch. I was helping this one customer. Another one decided to help himself to ring the register. He asked for help and I turned around. I just said, that he had to get away from there. He didn't have to wait, maybe a minute at the longest. And no, I was not allowed to kick him out. The owner was afraid of lawsuits.

[Whyme]

At one cafe I worked at many moons ago, we always had customers come in through an opening in the counter and come talk to me. There was a long counter, two registers, little counter items like candy on it for last minute purchases. It couldn't be any plainer that this was a counter where people paid. I was always standing there so it's not like I was missing from said counter. I have no idea why people felt so comfortable just walking behind the counter to come and talk to me. We always had to hustle them out of there and they were always stunned they couldn't be behind the counter. Yes, it happened several times. Always a little scary as well since I didn't know there intentions.

Who does that?

[HawaiianShirts]

Yeah, going into employees only areas... not usually a good idea. People don't realize the insurance risks or, in the case of restaurants, possible problems with contaminated food from someone who has not been properly trained in cleaning, handling, and preparing it.

I'll admit, though, I've done that once myself. I had permission, though.

I worked at a pizza place in high school and for about a year afterward before starting college. The owner still gives me an employee discount whenever I come in. I visited there a few weeks ago and placed an order, but they were really busy at the time, so I asked the owner if I could just go make my order myself. He was fine with that. So I went around the counter, washed my hands, grabbed an apron, and joined the employees. I did my own food and a couple of other orders along the way. Worked about ten minutes at the most. When my food was ready, I boxed it up, and got ready to leave. Only then did one of the employees actually stop to ask me if I worked there. I said, "Not any more," tossed my apron into the hamper in the washroom and left.

[Saydrah]

We used to get people trying to catch their own fish at the pet store rather than asking an employee!

Obvious reasons that's wrong:

1. Sign hand lettered by the nets saying "EMPLOYEE USE ONLY!"

2. Need to use a ladder to get to the second tier of tanks- and isn't it pretty obvious you shouldn't use ladders in a store without permission? Liability!

3. They didn't know where to find the SKUs, so an employee would have had to go back to the fish area and take TWICE AS LONG to find where they got each fish from and write down the SKU. No, folks, we don't stick barcodes to their backs....

4. Danger to the fish from incompetent handling.

However, there was one guy we allowed to catch his own saltwater fish, because he knew more about them than every employee combined, and was very particular about how he wanted them caught, bagged, and transported to the register- so eventually we just started letting him do it, since he only came in late at night and there were no other customers to demand 'equal treatment.' (yeah, lady, when you get equal knowledge...)

[Becks]

I worked at a pizza place in high school and for about a year afterward before starting college. The owner still gives me an employee discount whenever I come in. I visited there a few weeks ago and placed an order, but they were really busy at the time, so I asked the owner if I could just go make my order myself. He was fine with that. So I went around the counter, washed my hands, grabbed an apron, and joined the employees. I did my own food and a couple of other orders along the way. Worked about ten minutes at the most. When my food was ready, I boxed it up, and got ready to leave. Only then did one of the employees actually stop to ask me if I worked there. I said, "Not any more," tossed my apron into the hamper in the washroom and left.

This story gets the Becky Seal of Approval™®©.

[marasbaras]

I, too, have gotten my own drink refills at restaurants. When you see the waitress chatting it up in the back and can't seem to get her attention, too fucking bad for "employees only" rules. Sometimes the customer IS right.

That being said, ringing yourself up? Wrong, just NOT done.

[Imogene]

Couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the break room, which is in the mysterious 'Back room!' before my shift. The door's wide open, because someone else had left it that way, and it randomly gets left open as such, and I don't bother with it, cause who knows when the person who did it will be back and need the door open? Anyway, an older woman suddenly popped her head into the breakroom, and looked at me, and said, "Do you have a bathroom?"
Holy crap! "Yes, it's just halfway down the wall, across from the classrooms."
Why did you not ask any of the people actually wearing red aprons who you must've passed to get back into this employee's only area?

[Byronthebanker]

Don't try helping yourself at my office . . .can lead to a bad scene.

(except at the ATM of course)

[powerboy]

I forgot this little gem. Back when I was working days at OfficeMax. I was helping a customer, but I had to check in back to get the type of product(a little computer desk). As I was in back, another customer came into the back room. Told him he had to get out, he didn't believe me. As soon as he had said that, a manager came back into the back room and told him to either step out of the back room or to leave the building and not come back.

[Broomjockey]

Yeah. Been there, had that happen. Best was during a weekday matinee, when we're running maybe 6 at most staff to cover every postion (box office, floor, projection, concession consisting of normal, ice cream area, hot foods area, and coffee bar).

Guy goes to the coffee bar, and then just nips around the counter and heads to the coffee pots as I head over, since I was one of two people covering concession.

Me: "Excuse me, you can't go back there."
SC: There wasn't anyone here. I was going to pay!
Me: There's only two of us working concession today, and we were right there the whole time. If you needed help, all you had to do was ask (Note: This guy didn't even pause before heading behind the counter).
SC: Well, you should have someone over here.
Me: Probably sir, but with two people, we have to stay in a central location so we can get anywhere quickly. What can I get for you today?