No, we don't operate by CST here

[Aislin]

Every Day

"What do you mean you stop taking film an hour before you close of the one hour service?"

"It's not 8 on my watch turn this photo machine back on" (it's between 815-CLOSED every time this happens)

Every Sunday the same family comes at 8 (8 is when the kiosks shut down on week days, on Sundays it's 7) "Why is the kiosk down? Did it break?" Same damn family EVERY WEEK. It would be closed if it was a regular day but on SUNDAY it has been closed for an hour. There are 7 of them all in a bunch, you would think one of these drunk, inbreed, idiots would remember the HUGE sign listing the hours week to week but NOPE!

[pile of monkeys]

I used to get this on Sundays all the time. My state has "blue laws" on the books, dictating things like retail hours on Sundays, regulating the times liquor can be sold, thing like that. At the time (more than a few years ago), we were open Sundays from 12-5, because that was legally the only hours we could be open. Keep in mind, every retail establishment IN THE STATE could only be open those hours. And yet, when I'd come in to start opening at 11:15, the stampede to try to make the gate to the store magically open would begin. The worst is, with a gate, they can hear you, and you can hear them, so I just started taping a sign to the gate, at eye level, saying "Due to state law, no mall stores open before 12:00 noon on Sundays." Still didn't work.

[katie kaboom]

The latter. Remember, Nordstrom is the place that supposedly took back a set of tires they didn't even sell in the first place.

Tires??? Tires for a car???? In a department store????

Excuse me, I have to save my brain cells. They are currently on the roof of my house, threatening to jump.

[wagegoth]

Tires??? Tires for a car???? In a department store????

Excuse me, I have to save my brain cells. They are currently on the roof of my house, threatening to jump.

The story I heard while I worked at Nordstrom was this:

A regular customer of one salesperson (we were given planners and we kept personal records of our regular customers, special orders, etc.) was leaving on vacation. He was shopping for last minute clothing items for the trip, then, when checking out, mentioned to the salesman that he was really short on time and wouldn't be able to return some tires before he left for a few weeks. The salesman told him to leave the tires and receipt with him and he would return the tires for him, which he did.

We were taught to go above and beyond, and to develop relationships with customers. Doing favors like this could help your sales, which were tracked by the company. Many departments were commission, and the rest were salaried, but with bonuses of different types for going above a certain level.

One time, as a favor, I delivered a dress from our Walnut Creek store to a home in Novato (about 45 miles) to help out another salesperson. I don't remember the story, but the dress had to be there. I was properly paid for my time and mileage.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Tires??? Tires for a car???? In a department store????

Excuse me, I have to save my brain cells. They are currently on the roof of my house, threatening to jump.

Mine didn't threaten to jump . . . they simply did.

[Rapscallion]

A guy who sort-of works in sales at our place came up with that tale about Nordstrom.

"They really got a lot of free publicity out of it!" he burbled happily.

"Yes, that scammers are welcome there."

I usually get on well with him, but when it comes to customers he often has Stockholm Syndrome.

Rapscallion

[Mister]

Actually, my customers are kind of nice about closing time, then again, no one really "needs" their furniture before the end of the day. It's not like gas in a car to get home or grocery shopping to eat that evening. My heart goes out to those who have to deal with customers which have a legitimate need for the merchandise.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Then again, both of these things can easily be bought earlier in the day or elsewhere. At the petrol station, the place opens at 7am and closes at 10, cept on Sundays when it's 8am to 6pm. Plus, just around the corner practically is a 24 hour petrol station so it's not as tho anyone really has a legitamate reason to harrass staff after closing time. If your need for petrol or food was that damn urgent, you would have come earlier.

[protege]

Ugh. Reminds me of the camp store.

Just about every night, I'd have people pounding on the doors. Why? They needed their sugar fix, of course! Even though the store was closed, I'd be in there mopping the floor (why? it looked exactly the same when I'd finish), or going over the sales figures, restocking shelves, etc. Got so bad one night, that I covered both front door windows with black construction paper. Didn't stop the idiots from whining.

Seriously, I never really understood that. I mean, it's not like I wouldn't be open most of the next day

[Arcade Man D]

Actually, my customers are kind of nice about closing time, then again, no one really "needs" their furniture before the end of the day. It's not like gas in a car to get home or grocery shopping to eat that evening. My heart goes out to those who have to deal with customers which have a legitimate need for the merchandise.

No one *needs* to get in their Time Crisis before the next day, either, and I still get a bunch of shit about closing time. I'm sorry, but the way the schedule works right now, on Fridays I have worked straight since 11:30 AM, and I'll still have half an hour (or more likely 45 minutes because I'm completely sore by then) of cleaning after they all leave.

[draftermatt]

I don't have an open/close time. I come in at 7 ish and leave at 3:30 ish.

But it always irritates me the people who will e-mail me at 6:30 PM, then call as I'm walking in the door at 7 AM wanting to know why I haven't responded yet.

Then they get all snooty when I say I leave at 3:30 PM.

Hey, they don't want to pay me OT, and I don't want to be here 12 hours a day. (Especially if I'm not being paid). I'm sorry you want to be away from home that many hours a day, but some of us are happier at home.

[ProtoMat]

A the store I work at, we have a neat little thing that I call the "Scissor Gate". It's basically a set of collapsible criss-crossing bars that keep a person from breaking down the glass front door.

I stay a few minutes late on occasion, usually to clean up a bit before I close.

Most times around 7:30 (Half an hour after closing) someone will come, pull open the scissor gate (I physically can't lock it from the inside) and yank on the doorknob, which actually is locked.

And despite this outpouring of resistance, the person still won't get the hint and and start banging on the window

Guy: Hey man open up!
Me: We closed half an hour ago
Guy: So?

-.-

[Lace Neil Singer]

I often get window bangers at the petrol station; sadly, we can't just leave when the place closes, we have to lock up everything, cash up the last till and sort the shop before we leave. That means that there's often dickheaded SCs driving in the back entrance or walking to the shop... and they nearly always feel they have to bang on the window. It seems to take such SCs a long time to grasp that yes, I can hear them; and yes, I am ignoring them.

[protege]

The Sears near me has an automotive department. They sell tires, batteries, do service, etc.

The Sears near me does that too. At one time, most of the mall's anchor stores had an automotive department--JC Penny's, Montgomery Ward (aka Monkey Ward) each had one. Monkey Ward later closed, leaving just Penny's and Sears. Not sure why, probably because they wanted more clothing space, but Penny's then closed their auto department. Occasionally, I do take the car to Sears...simply so I can walk around the mall, grab a cookie, etc.

[AriRashkae]

One time, as a favor, I delivered a dress from our Walnut Creek store to a home in Novato (about 45 miles) to help out another salesperson. I don't remember the story, but the dress had to be there. I was properly paid for my time and mileage.

Nice drive in the car, no customers, and I get paid for it? Works for me!