Convenience Store Rules

[Cia]

So, she felt entitled enough to open the other bag that we keep in the machine and hence "The Sea of Nacho Cheese." There was cheese everywhere!

Did you at least get to charge her for the bag of nacho cheese she destroyed?

[Shacky Whacky]

My first comment

I'm new. I'll tell a little about myself later, but felt compelled to make a quick comment.

Nothing bugs me more than minors trying to use me to buy them cigarettes. Well, maybe some things bug me more, but it is annoying.

My convenience store-y:

I stopped at the local quick-e-mart to buy a pack of smokes. While I'm in the place, I notice two oldish looking teens, maybe 16 or 17, hanging out inside the store right by the door. While I'm paying for my evil cancer sticks, an elderly woman that just paid for her items was leaving. Think the kids could open the door for her? Of course not.

By the time I'm on my way out, these kids are still hanging by the door. I make my way over, open the door and proceed to walk over to my car, which is about five feet away. The one kid comes out and asks me for a cigarette. I told him that he'll just have to wait until he's 18 to buy them himself.

"But I AM 18! SEE! LOOK! I even have tattoos!" He then proceeds to pull his sleeve up and show off his ink. Whatever.

Now I'm pissed and I give it to the kids with both barrels.

"I'm sorry you spent all your allowance money on that tattoo. If you saved some, you might be able to buy your own cigarettes without bumming them off others. However, you might have had a better chance of getting a smoke off of me if you had a little courtesy to open the door for not only myself, but the elderly lady that walked past you as you were loitering inside the store. Now fark off."

I'm so glad I roll my own now and don't have to bother with that convenience store anymore, as they were the only place that carried Montclairs, my brand of choice at the time.

[ken]

3. If the nacho cheese machine is not working, please tell us. Do not take it apart and try to fix it. We do not feel like cleaning up a sea of nacho cheese.

What is a nacho cheese machine? A kind of contraption producing
warm melted cheese to add to some fast food?

/ ignorant foreigner

[Primer]

What is a nacho cheese machine? A kind of contraption producing
warm melted cheese to add to some fast food?

/ ignorant foreigner

BINGO!

Commercial nacho cheese is about the consistency of pudding when room temperature.

The machine warms it up/melts it and has a pump contraption on it to apply it to chips or whatever.

[Sofar]

Yes, this really did happen, unfortunely! This woman comes in, and opens up a plate of nachos. I was busy helping other customers so I didn't notice that she was trying to fix the nacho machine. So she opens it up and noticed that the cheese only had just a little less than a half a bag left. So, she felt entitled enough to open the other bag that we keep in the machine and hence "The Sea of Nacho Cheese."

We keep the boxes of pop syrup for our soda fountain stacked next to the counter it sits on, and one day a man walks up to the fountain and discovers that the Coca-cola tap is giving nothing but seltzer water. So, he opens the cupboard underneath the fountain, disconnects the empty box of cola syrup, grabs another one from the stack, opens it, and connects it. He then shuts the cupboard and proceeds to fill his cup. He didn't make a mess or anything, but I felt sort of violated. The secret, inner-workings of the soda machine are meant to be known by the clerks and no one else. You don't go into the "Employees Only" room and you don't open the cupboard underneath the soda fountain. The customers shouldn't get to know this sort of stuff.

Sigh, I thought the soda machine and I had a thing going, but apparently she'll just open up for anyone.

[PorkChop]

Did you at least get to charge her for the bag of nacho cheese she destroyed?

Nope. She left while we were cleaning up "The Sea of Nacho Cheese." The good part is, she never came back. Maybe deep down inside she was embarrassed! If I made a mess like that in a store I would help clean up. I probably wouldn't come back out of shear embarrassment. Employees would say, "Oh great, here comes the lady who broke the applesauce!" No this did not actually happen!

[Jester]

The one kid comes out and asks me for a cigarette. I told him that he'll just have to wait until he's 18 to buy them himself.

I have this happen a lot when I hit the convenience store for beer, especially in my old neighborhood, where bums and homeless people and punk kids would hand out outside that particular convenience store. They'd see me coming out with a twelve pack under my arm, and very nicely say, "Hey, can I have one of those?" To which I would say, very simply, "No." My philosophy? I will gladly give out beers to friends of mine, acquaintances, even people I don't know that well who I happen to know are good people or who I see do something good. But complete strangers that have done nothing that would warrant me wanting to give them a cold frosty treat, other than simplyl asking for it? That is called begging, and I expect it from a dog. Not a human. If I don't know you, don't be asking me for my beer, which I worked damn hard to be able to earn the money to be able to buy.

So, he opens the cupboard underneath the fountain, disconnects the empty box of cola syrup, grabs another one from the stack, opens it, and connects it. He then shuts the cupboard and proceeds to fill his cup. He didn't make a mess or anything, but I felt sort of violated.

He was either a convenience store worker, a restaurant worker, or a former one of one of the above. Personally, I think you should thank him. He didn't bother you, he didn't make a mess, he saw the problem, fixed it, was nice about it, did your work for you, and went about his way, all without being an ass. I say he gets a free drink at Jester's Mexican Bar!

[Writer Cath]

Ahhh, Rule #10...

Once during a midnight shift a lady came through drive-through asking us to break a hundred. We told her no. She asked if she could do it by buying one timbit. A single timbit costs like fifteen cents... alas, that cunning plan failed too. She was pretty nice about it, as I recall, but annoyance rang clear in her tone.

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I was at college, I used to get kids bugging me to buy them ciggies all the time. My *ahem* response was to take their money and buy myself a packet of smokes, walk out the door of the store and say "Thanks!" and then walk off. They never learned from the grievious error of trying to get me to buy them smokes. I got to have free smokes all thru college.

I understand that this comes off as very mean, but forgive me, I was a student.

[Plaidman]

When I was at college, I used to get kids bugging me to buy them ciggies all the time. My *ahem* response was to take their money and buy myself a packet of smokes, walk out the door of the store and say "Thanks!" and then walk off. They never learned from the grievious error of trying to get me to buy them smokes. I got to have free smokes all thru college.

I understand that this comes off as very mean, but forgive me, I was a student.

Torn... between morals of stealing/helping minors smoke/drink. Can't... think.

Should have just said no, but at least you somewhat stoped them from smoking. Which is good. But you stoled from them. Which is bad. But they more then likely stoled money, which is bad. So many varaibles...

1: Don't bitch and moan about ID. You going to pay the 50,000 Dollar fine I'd get? Plus bail me out of jail? Help me get another job? Didn't think so.

2: For the love of god, if it takes your more then 30 minutes, just don't come here. Please. It's a tiny store, it takes three minutes to walk up and down the asiles. (I was ... bored >>.)

3: Yep, 5.75 is expensive. Yep 6.95 for camel exotics is exspensive. Yep, store across the street is two dollars cheaper, but they are closed arent they??

[Antisocial_Worker]

25. *Really gross* Used feminine hygeine products go in the trash can. They are not to be used to stage a recreation of the Wreck of the Hesperus in the toilet.

That, my friend, is one of the finest examples of poetic language usage that I have ever read on this board. Although, the image of floating feminine hygeine products for some reason make me think more of The Raft of the Medusa.

He didn't make a mess or anything, but I felt sort of violated. The secret, inner-workings of the soda machine are meant to be known by the clerks and no one else. You don't go into the "Employees Only" room and you don't open the cupboard underneath the soda fountain. The customers shouldn't get to know this sort of stuff.

I feel the exact same way about people who blithely make coffee with our lobby coffee machine -- which is only to be used by us front desk wretches. The thought of someone knowing exactly how it's done... Exactly what to do -- it's just not right. Of all the thing in all the world to feel protective about, for some reason workers in our position are just programmed to feel protective about our drink machines.

[repsac]

If your ID breaks when you hand it to me, do not whine at me about it. It is not my fault you used it to open your house door with.

If your ID is held together by any of the following: Superglue, Packing Tape, Duct Tape, Electrical tape, or gum, I reserve the right to refuse it.

The cooler is not the beer cave. Further, if you get locked back there banging on the door and telling me that you'll sue after I let you out; isn't going to get you out any faster. In fact, I might let you rot back there.

If the sign says "Back in five minutes" Do not bang on the store's doors. I will return in the five minutes as I have said. YOu do not need gas THAT badly.

When I tell you that you can't buy alcohol, flashing your breasts at me will not change my mind. This applies to women too.

If you were just featured on the front page of the paper for your Middle (elementary) School Play, do not act shocked when I say you can not buy cigs or beer.

Do not act surprised when I charge you for a full six pack when you bring me a single. We do not sell singles, so you might as well go back and get the rest.

Remember, if you mean to rob a convenience store, then please think things through. The following are not good choices to make: 1.) A store adjacent to the police/sheriff/trooper station. 2.) Doing so in a shirt with your name on it. 3.) Stealing anything that you have enough money in your pocket to buy, 4.) Calling me by name and chatting me up before you rob me.

Also, when the machine starts beeping at you, press the green start button to fuel. That's what it's there for.

[DesignFox]

"19. If you are loitering outside, I will tell you to leave unless you are waiting for a ride or your car is broke down. If you have no where to hang out, go to the mall. Who wants to hang out at C-Store is beyond me."

Dear god, NO! Don't send them to hang out at the mall with me!

[HYHYBT]

People bring their patronage to The Bank of Hades Burger all the time. At the end of the day there's always four or five hundreds and about a dozen fifties underneath our drawer. We don't have any problem changing them, though, seeing as we don't use our safe, our register has about two thousand dollars in it nearing the end of the night.

Your store really should learn about this invention called a skim... leaving that much in there is just begging for a robbery, especially this time of year.

[blas]

I'm so glad I got the chance to come home and log on today, or I would have never known we have another C-store worker in our customerssuck family!

My name is blas87, and I am a recovering C-store employee, currently in the manufacturing business.

I spent almost an entire year at a mom and pop type (low key, very small store, everyone in the neighborhood relies on that store, yada yada yada the whole Cheers theme playing) gas station, and let me tell you, I have never wanted to hang myself more in my entire life than when I worked there. I usually worked the 2nd shift (except last winter I opened the store a lot).

My rules were:

First and foremost, this will apply to nearly every single thing that I add on. This has everything to do with everything: I AM NOT THE MANAGER. THE MANAGER IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW.

This is NOT a Holiday or an AM/PM or a Kwik Trip or a 7 Eleven. This gas station opens at a certain time and closes at a certain time. NOT EVERY GAS STATION is 24/7.

Like I stated above, this is a small neighborhood gas station. Also, this is the last gas station on this side of town. It will be another 5 miles before you see another. Things are going to be a bit more expensive. We don't care to compete with cigg prices or pop prices or anything, because we are not corporate and we do not answer to anyone. The owner of this store decides what we sell and what we don't, and which companies we buy from and which we don't. Suggestions are always welcome, but whiny, toddler tantrums about us not having stuff will get you nowhere, and I'll *forget* that I even heard you say it.

Entitlement pigs are NOT welcome. I don't care how much money you spend here, how many times a day you come here, or if you know the owner.

Lotto losers.........how I always wanted to just lock the door when I saw the familiar vehicles approaching.

"Ye manager always does it for me!" or "Tell ye manager to order more of MY..." Don't even start with me. I always very very very conveniently forgot to mention to my manager about her gimme pigs and their demands of her. She'd probably hear it over and over and over again the next day anyway.

When you pull up to a dark gas station with no lights on inside.....geee...we might be closed! If you reef on the door, I'll laugh at you. However, if you keep reefing or start "Yoo hoo"ing or hanging around waiting (waiting for what, me to just let you in? whatever) I WILL call the cops. Don't act surprised that we're closed. We. Do. Close. Sunday nights we closed an hour early, and I was always the lucky employee who closed on those nights. By the time I was about to quit there, we'd been closing an hour early for 8 or 9 months, and people would still flock to the store after hours and look confused and freak out over us being closed. Oh the stories, the stories..

It is NEVER a good idea to act suspicious. Pulling up to a gas station after hours and staring at the clerk doing paperwork inside, or doing something stupid (aka, the night a guy was furious we were closed and revved his engine and did circles around the pumps for a while before either a cop drove by or he finally got bored) is not going to get you anywhere. Remember, cops have a lot of sympathy and compassion for C-store employees. A lot of stores have panic buttons or the police on speed dial. Cops do take gas station calls seriously, and even if you were just joking or just mad that we were closed........well, ask the guy with the red Mustang, after he got so angry that we were closed that he threw beer bottles at the door. Ask him what happened to him.

Hitting on the clerk. A big NO NO if there ever was one. It is not flattering or charming. Don't even try asking for their phone number. Don't hit on them, especially if it's a small enough store, they will have every right to tell you "Up yours, perv boy" and there won't be a damn thing you can do about it.

If you're going to steal, let me know.

Don't drive like some Dale Jr wannabe when it's below zero and the parking lot is an icerink. I don't care how powerfull and massive your Ford F6000 is, your dumbass hillbilly self is gonna hit someone, and I will personally tell the police what you did, and you're number 8 sticker is gonna have to be retired for a while.
Also....drag race somewhere else. This isn't a good neighborhood......guaranteed there is always a police officer a mile away or less. Don't try it. Because...........

You don't want to be the sorry SOB who gets pulled over for drag racing or drunk driving right in our parking lot while I stand outside, smoking leisurely, laughing my ass off at you while you flop over doing "the walk" and you can't even count to 10 you're so drunk.

And of course.......no ID, no sale. If I were able to remember each and every single customer that came to that store in the 11 months I worked there, I would be some sort of living legend. I'm sorry, but there were too many people, and the regulars were just such assholes, I'd card all the time anyways. Fits were thrown, the "God dammits!" and the "Are you fucking serious?"es would happen, the "I cannot BE-lieeeeeve you are carding me!" or "You card me every single fricken time I come here!"s were just hilarious. Get the hint? I don't care to remember you. You are not special.

"I have a kid!" "I have a tattoo!" "I'm in the army!" are not excuses for having no ID. The "I have a kid" doesn't fly, because the most popular child bearing age in this town is 14. Even if it wasn't, you don't shoot blanks when you're under 18. The "I have a tattoo!" doesn't fly, I know kids that are 16 that have them. And don't even get me started with the military. If you were truly in the military, you'd know to have ID on you at ALL times.

Oh....and the big bills for small purchases? Grrr...so glad I don't deal with money anymore.