Do not pass!

[repsac]

Ever been into Lowe's or Home Depot? Chances are, if you have; you'll recognize what I'm about to describe. Feel free to skip over this paragraph and get to the heart of the story. However, if you don't know what an Ailse Blocker is, read on.

Both stores use these. It's something of a safety measure and they come in two styles. Elastic with vinyl and metal. Essentially, they're banners designed to be stretched across an Ailse when someone's using a lift in that area. The idea being that customers see these big yellow things, and read "DO NOT PASS!" and wait. At least, that's how it works on paper. The metal ones are a bit stranger. Made to look like an expanding metal gate, this type has wheels and is intended to be used on wider ailses like Lumber, or outside.


I can't tell you how many times I saw customers walk right past these things. Some would go out of the way to move it, and in one incident the guy actually unclipped the elastic, walked across the ailse to clip it to an endcap, and then walked right over to start to shop. Or, at least he tried. It took some persuading, but the associate covering that Ailse stopped him. There have been times though, (one being very memorable and the subject of this story) where we couldn't stop the customers. Come hell or high water, they were determined not to go around.

This one guy, sticks in my mind. I don't know how many times I had watched him at the store, but I knew from experience that while we were to always offer help; this guy was to be avoided. The one time I offered to help him, he berated me for not coming over to where he was earlier, and would hear nothing of it when I tried to note that I, a cashier, could not leave my post for ANYTHING short of a disaster.

Well, one day last summer, the SC of all SC's comes into our store down in lumber. I'm camping out down there (covering for someone) just before my time to get off. This guy heads straight back to get something from the back and spends a ton of time there. Always looking my way and such. A short time later, my relief comes and I call up to the Head Cashier to say that Charlie in lumber needs me to spot for him while he loads up a bundle of wood. Would it hurt if I stayed a moment over? The HC didn't think so, and I bonced off to spot. The barriers were up, and I took to my post. Meaning I watched out, stopped customers, and laughed when Charlier nearly took out an endcap with the weight of the lift.

As I'm standing there, this guy comes up to me and starts poking me in the back. (I'd turned around to check the height since Charlie couldn't see the top of where his lift was.) Turning to the customer I smile. "He'll be with you in a second." I said. The guy gives me this look and says "I need help now. You work here. You help me." Looking back after hearing a clank (the sound of the beam being moved) I said back to the customer appologetically. "He's the department manager. Just let him put that up and he'll help you. I don't know anything about this dept beyond that register."

Sc gives me a...well look. That's the nice way to put it, and walks off. Charlie gets the boards down and starts to turn. Meaning that I have to walk to the front of him and move the barrier and such. As he backs around, the load started to shift. Now, this wasn't anyone's fault. Even the SM agreed after checking the tape. As best we can figure, the boards had been bundled oddly, making them heavier on one end than the other. You'd never have known it by just looking at it. To make matters worse, the banding was going bad (leaky roof dripping on it had rusted them). Charlie backs around, and the load starts to slip. I look back in time to see wonder nuts stepping around the barrier and heading right at Charlie on the lift. Yelling (they said they heard me up front) I screamed "LOOK OUT!" both to charlie and the SC. Banding broke and boards were everywhere. The SC got missed by several feet, but needless to say he got a good scare.


Corporate got hold of this tape I'm told, and changed some of the rules with banding. When I left, we were told to band at least three times down the length of boards. Also, our store was shipped chains so that we could hook our barriers up to prevent customers from moving them.

I'm not sure if he realised his mistake or not, but I know that the SC never returned, never sued, and never complained. Charlie and I never got written up either. Though, truth be known, (and this is stupid) we always felt like we should have. I should have known the cust may try that, and charlie should have made sure his employees banded the wood better.

Maybe I'm being too hard on myself with this one. Talk about a close call though.

[Imogene]

Corporate got hold of this tape I'm told, and changed some of the rules with banding. When I left, we were told to band at least three times down the length of boards. Also, our store was shipped chains so that we could hook our barriers up to prevent customers from moving them.

And they think this will stop customers from going into these areas? Methinks they underestimate the natural urge of the Wild Customer to find ways to earn Darwin Awards. Someone, on a very old incarnation of this board, told a story about a fireworks show, and standing in front of an area blocked off by police tape, because the fireworks were being lit in the area. And he still had people attempting to duck under the tape.

[CrazedClerk]

I worked at Wal-mart during Christmas season 2000.

Well of course Wal-mart has some high shelves so I would on occassion need to climb up a ladder to grab some product from above (or at least search through hundreds of boxes of christmas lights to find one of that certain color a customer wants, but that's another story for another day).

Anyway, customers ARE NOT supposed to be on the ladder. It's a safety thing. SC climbs a ladder, falls, sues, etc. We don't want that so we don't allow them on the ladder.

So this one day I had the ladder set up and after coming down I was flagged by a customer right away and went into the next aisle to help in with something. A few minutes later I return to the ladder to find customers climbing BOTH SIDES of it!, yes even the side that is not mean to be climbed at all!

I calmly asked them to get off the ladder which they did but I was biting my tongue to keep from saying "get the [bleep] off the ladder people!".

[Becks]

And they think this will stop customers from going into these areas? Methinks they underestimate the natural urge of the Wild Customer to find ways to earn Darwin Awards.

Heh...management/coporate types should have these stories, and the fantastic meerkat death thread, as required reading as to why an SC will let NOTHING stand in the way of what they want to do.

[Bliss]

I have it, change the barriers for bands with plastic in the ends, and everything else made from ribboned metal. And have them be tasered (loaded with a current waiting for someone to touch it).

Now really. I think that since it seems almost a sport in certain countries to enter frivolous lawsuits, why not fight back? have the store SUE every customer who removes a barrier to a dangerous area for endangering.

[moekosowl]

*obligatory* YOU SHALL NOT PASS! *waves staff* */ obligatory* *runs like hell*

[Strange Magic]

I have 5 years of Home Depot hell under my belt so I know exactly what your talking about. I have had customers cuss me and a couple of the braver (aka stupider) customers threaten me for not letting them in or making them go around or not leaving to go help them right then and there ,even though I was on spotting duty.
That was one of the few areas where the normally spineless managment team would actually back me. (Except when I spoke back in a less than nice manner...they always caved and said I "can't say those kinds of things"

[Jester]

*obligatory* YOU SHALL NOT PASS! *waves staff* */ obligatory* *runs like hell*

Thank you! I needed that!

[Sandman]

Then all you need are tall knights who say "Ni!" and hate the word "It".

[WHShit]

Nothing stops them! Nothing will ever stop them!

This is not as bad as having something heavy fall on you, but anyway.........

I was in a very small book/stationary shop. When I say small, I mean there is one aisle and 4 walls in the entire store. They also sell art materials. They do not have much, but they are good and cheap.

Anyway, I was in this store on my lunch break and there was a section of the aisle belted off with a note "PAINT SPILL/NO ACCESS". There was lots of visable yellow paint o the carpet. Anyone could see it.....itwas yellow and the carpet is dark. I saw it before it happened. This stupid lady reads the sign, opens the belt and walks right into the paint. Then she complains that her shoes are ruined to the cashier. The cashier said that there was a sign and the aisle was belted off and the woman was having one of it. I do not know what happened, as I had to go back to work...but that is proof that nothing will stop them, and, even if forewarned, they will always say it is the stores fault.
I am suprised your guy did not complain! LUCKY!

[Imogene]

Anyway, I was in this store on my lunch break and there was a section of the aisle belted off with a note "PAINT SPILL/NO ACCESS". There was lots of visable yellow paint o the carpet. Anyone could see it.....itwas yellow and the carpet is dark. I saw it before it happened. This stupid lady reads the sign, opens the belt and walks right into the paint. Then she complains that her shoes are ruined to the cashier. The cashier said that there was a sign and the aisle was belted off and the woman was having one of it.

Well, at least the police will be able to match her footprints fairly easily.