This isn't the first time this has happened, but this is the first time it was this extreme....and rude.
Our store closes at 10pm sharp, not a minute after. Our manager plays doorman when the five minute countdown begins.
Our district manager came in himself a week ago and told management that we have to be out at 11pm exactly. No overtime will be tolerated.
So, I'm on the register when we're about to close. It's 9:59 and we are practically counting down the seconds. Lo and behold, a couple walks in and grabs a cart. Our manager politely tells them that we are closing in one minute.
How do they respond?
Girlfriend: "Ok..." In the 'Your point is...?' tone.
Boyfriend: "What? So, we're not allowed to shop?"
Manager who was a bit taken aback: "No, no, go ahead."
The manager sneered after the couple disappeared into an aisle. We hope that this won't take longer than a few minutes.
So, it's now 10:10pm and the manager is still standing at the doors becoming increasingly irritated. I asked her if we could force them to leave. She told me to go ask them nicely if we could do anything to speed this up. I put my nicest face on and load up my nicest voice, but I get hit in the face with a bottle of rudeness.
Boyfriend: "Dude, we ain't gonna be much longer."
Girlfriend: "If you guys weren't always stopping us, we'd be quicker."
Boyfriend: "I know. Damn, man..." As I was walking off.
Oh yeah, I'm irritated now.
10:20pm now and I notice the couple taking their own sweet time in one of our cosmetic aisles, reading the back of shampoo bottles and hair dye. And, yep, my manager is standing there fiddling her thumbs. She can't get started on her paperwork until all registers are closed out.
We saw them look back at us. Yes guys, we are staring at you. Hurry it up.
They finally came up at 10:25pm with a load that was too little to have needed twenty five minutes. They officially are out by 10:32pm. That left my manager twenty eight minutes left to finish closing the registers and all of the manager paperwork and computer work that normally takes the whole closing hour.
Now, you might think they bought necessities. Wrong. They bought candy, drinks, hair coloring, shampoo, magazines, and some other cosmetic stuff.
If our district manager wants to rip us a new one, he can look at the cameras and the register transaction history.
It's been a few hours since and I have a few beers in me so it's not bothering me much anymore.
Question though: Is there anything businesses can legally do to get a customer out of the store if it's past closing time? Or do we have to let them finish?
Our store closes at 10pm sharp, not a minute after. Our manager plays doorman when the five minute countdown begins.
Our district manager came in himself a week ago and told management that we have to be out at 11pm exactly. No overtime will be tolerated.
So, I'm on the register when we're about to close. It's 9:59 and we are practically counting down the seconds. Lo and behold, a couple walks in and grabs a cart. Our manager politely tells them that we are closing in one minute.
How do they respond?
Girlfriend: "Ok..." In the 'Your point is...?' tone.
Boyfriend: "What? So, we're not allowed to shop?"
Manager who was a bit taken aback: "No, no, go ahead."
The manager sneered after the couple disappeared into an aisle. We hope that this won't take longer than a few minutes.
So, it's now 10:10pm and the manager is still standing at the doors becoming increasingly irritated. I asked her if we could force them to leave. She told me to go ask them nicely if we could do anything to speed this up. I put my nicest face on and load up my nicest voice, but I get hit in the face with a bottle of rudeness.
Boyfriend: "Dude, we ain't gonna be much longer."
Girlfriend: "If you guys weren't always stopping us, we'd be quicker."
Boyfriend: "I know. Damn, man..." As I was walking off.
Oh yeah, I'm irritated now.
10:20pm now and I notice the couple taking their own sweet time in one of our cosmetic aisles, reading the back of shampoo bottles and hair dye. And, yep, my manager is standing there fiddling her thumbs. She can't get started on her paperwork until all registers are closed out.
We saw them look back at us. Yes guys, we are staring at you. Hurry it up.
They finally came up at 10:25pm with a load that was too little to have needed twenty five minutes. They officially are out by 10:32pm. That left my manager twenty eight minutes left to finish closing the registers and all of the manager paperwork and computer work that normally takes the whole closing hour.
Now, you might think they bought necessities. Wrong. They bought candy, drinks, hair coloring, shampoo, magazines, and some other cosmetic stuff.
If our district manager wants to rip us a new one, he can look at the cameras and the register transaction history.
It's been a few hours since and I have a few beers in me so it's not bothering me much anymore.
Question though: Is there anything businesses can legally do to get a customer out of the store if it's past closing time? Or do we have to let them finish?
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