"what do you mean I can't charge my phone in your store?!"

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I never thought I'd run into this at a games store, but I guess since we have some many video game systems and such, people realized we had a bunch of electrical outlets at any given time.

What did NOT realize was these outlets were for STORE USE only. I had many an exchange with customers who wanted to do this. Such as this gem I cecall

SC: Hey can I borrow one of your power outlets?
Me: May I ask what for?
SC: Well I have some shopping to do at the Costco across the parking lot and my cell phone just died, I need to charge it.
Me: I'm sorry, the outlets are for store use only.
SC: What? But there's an empty one right there! *points*
Me: I'm aware of that, but how do you know I won't need to plug something up there 5 minutes from now?
SC: Well if it's empty now I should be able to use it now! How about this, I'll buy one of these bargain bin games from you and you let me use the outlet?"
Me: You are welcome to get a game if you want to, but I still can't let you use the outlet.
SC: But there's nothing in it! I promise I'll be out of Costco in less than 30 minutes!
Me: Ma'am, let's say someone comes in to trade in a used Xbox, I'll need to test that system before accepting it, which will in fact require me to have an available outlet.
SC: Well if that happens you can unplug some of your other stuff!
Me: *urge to kill rising...* Look ma'am, I understand you're in a bit of a bind but these outlets are for STORE USE ONLY, that means you'll have to find somewhere else to charge your phone.
SC: Ok fine, if you're going to be a jerk, be a jerk, I'm never shopping here again.
(that's funny I don't actually recall you shopping here in the FIRST PLACE!)

Then she stormed out the door. Flash forward a week, manager pulls me aside to say corporate got a complaint about our store that I was rude and unhelpful to a customer. I explained what it was I had refused to help with and the manager said "So this lady goes apeshit on us because you were just doing your job? Some people..."

Now this lady was the pure extreme, but she was one of quite a few customers who asked to charge their phones up in my store. Sure we sell electronics, but that doesn't mean all our outlets are available for use by whoever.

Come to think of it, I should've asked corporate if I we could implement a fee for people who wanted to charge their phones!

[chops]

This is why I have a charger for my car. Then again, nobody calls me on my cell phone anyway, so I think I could just leave it dead until I got home if I didn't have one. (My car has OnStar, which means it has its own built-in prepaid cell phone in case of emergency.)

[myswtghst]

I've never understood things like this. Number 1, it would never even occur to me that asking that would be a valid option. And number 2, I charge my phone every night - I just keep the charger on my nightstand, and plug the phone in before bed. Voila! My phone is nearly always nice and charged.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

SC: Hey can I borrow one of your power outlets?
Me: May I ask what for?

Is there a reason why people can use the outlets? If they policy was for no cell phone charges whatsoever then I would apologise to the customer and state that we can't do that, that woman was a beeotch! People can't convince me to do someone that will have me lose my job over like many people. I don't have control of the policies and I'm still going to assume that you don't understand. I liked how you mentioned about a situation where you needed the outlet to test a used system and she was asking something stupid like "Well unplug something else". Well go home and charge it I hate how they are too stupid to do that!

[marty]

Wow. I have never in my two and a half years at a probably similiar game store been asked by anyone if they could charge their phone.

Then again they probably ask the people next door at the cell phone place.

I bet she asked the people at Costco too, and I bet she was also denied. I'm willing to bet at least three stores got a letter of complaint from her about her stupid cell phone.


Halfhuman: It's a liability thing. She plugs in her cell phone, leaves for Costco, comes back for her cell phone, the moment something goes wrong with the damn thing she'll blame whatever worker let her plug it in. Also...yeah, we do pretty much need every single outlet considering all the shit we have to plug in.

[PepperElf]

Come to think of it, I should've asked corporate if I we could implement a fee for people who wanted to charge their phones!

Hey... it works. They have machines in Japan where you drop a couple hundred yen in (around 2 bucks) and get 15 minutes of charge time etc.


the thing she didn't think of is this... you're under NO responsiblity to ensure that no one else takes her phone. You might get busy and suddenly *poof* someone takes the phone...


Besides... is there a reason she couldn't buy a car charger or emergency battery charger? granted there's a wider selection of them in Japan i think, but they *do* exist in the states.

[Bank Lady]

Who does this?? What kind of person thinks it's okay to ask a business for the use of a power outlet? Oh, right, sorry... I forgot we're talking about CS's.

[DesignFox]

We get it fairly often, but it isn't as suprising considering we sell phones. We don't let people drop the phone and walk, though. If they want to charge it for a bit, fine, but we are not responsible for it if it walks.

[Dave1982]

Never mind the fact that she'd be mooching some free electricity.

[Miffed]

I would have been tempted to just let her plug it in, then once she leaves unplug it and stick it in the lost and found.


Then again there is the liability issue previosuly mentioned.

[bainsidhe]

the thing she didn't think of is this... you're under NO responsiblity to ensure that no one else takes her phone. You might get busy and suddenly *poof* someone takes the phone...

Exactly what I was thinking.

[jedifarfy]

We covered all our outlets with labels saying "EMPLOYEE USE ONLY" in an X formation, then covered with packing tape. People constantly plugged in their laptops and would sit for hours. They still peel it back, and we tell them fine, but if a power surge kills your stuff, we aren't liable (we have power issues :P).

JF

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

Who does this?? What kind of person thinks it's okay to ask a business for the use of a power outlet? Oh, right, sorry... I forgot we're talking about CS's.

I know.. I wouldn't have imagined this until I heard about someone wanting their camera recharged in the photo center. I thought "what the hell?" If I wanted to I could ask if they can charge my PSP or DS in their outlet uggg.... the stupidity!!

[powerboy]

At my last job, all of our surges was connected onto 1. We always told them, if the power kills anything then we are not liable. We would always cut it after about 30 minutes. What can I say, too many things connected to it and running at once

[mattm04]

I have never had a customer ask me to use an outlet. At many supermarkets, including the one I work at, they put outlets at the end of each aisle to run vacuums, floor polishers, portable refrigerated/illuminated displays, etc. Only once has a custoemr plugged in their phone, hid it behind some product and left to to charge while they shopped.

The forgot the phone, got home and called the MOD and wanted us to bring it to their house. The MOD was trying to not laugh at SC on the phone as the tried to explain why we should. We never go a complaint beyond the initial call. The came in three days later to finally pick it up.