Hiding from Customer after hours

[RichS]

I once saw someone shaking the door of a blatantly empty store. The hours were posted on the door - it was five minutes after closing, the lights were out, and the manager was watching with amusement from the bus stop a hundred yards away. Granted, it was five pm, but the shop had that sort of closed feeling you can sense when ... something's closed.

Rapscallion

Reminds me when I was working at my old job - A couple of years ago, we had just recently moved from our small shop to a 4X larger location across the street.

About a week after, I was working and noticed an older couple going to the door of our old shop and tried to open it. When it didn't open, they looked at the large sign on said door saying that we moved across the street, and looked across straight at the new store.

I guess they didn't notice the signs of the new store, or of me waving at them, because they proceeded to turn to the old store, shook the door again, and when it didn't open, they left.

[blas]

Auto, the station I worked at had pay at the pump 24/7. It's just that after close, no one could pump and then pay. But it never stopped people from trying.......or even worse.......a van with a family would pull up......mom or dad would try pumping, I'd still stand there counting money and not look up.......then they'd send little Jr out to pout and wet his eyes for me to try and make me feel sorry. I wish we had an intercom so I could say, "Cute kids don't work on me. We're closed. You're not getting gas. LEAVE!"

We had cops and other government type vehicles that paid at the pump after hours. Even reg customers who got done with work right around the time we closed and they knew they'd have to pay at the pump because I didn't feel bad for anyone. The store closed at 9, not 9:05 and certainly NOT 9:30. It was bad enough when people tried to show up at 8:55 and then the whole neighborhood followed them and I had to stay open until 9:15. Henceforth, I started closing a few minutes early every night.

Wow....I really, really hated that job.

[JustaCashier]

I live across the street from a Convenience Store with Gas Pumps.

A few years ago, they added another pump island, and generally modernized the system. I once noticed a car at the pumps after hours, and was thinking "What a dummy! Trying to pump gas after hours when the pumps are shut down!" (I had also wondered why the awning above the islands remained totally illuminated after hours.)

I finally realized, at some point, that I was the dummy, and the modernization/replacement of the pumps had included them being credit/debit card accessible.

In my defense, I haven't owned a car for several years, and consquenquently only gas up a car if it's one that I am borrowing from a friend, so the pay at pump feature would not have been at the forefront of my feeble mind!

Mike

[MadMike]

I saw a sign at one of the local stations, saying it is "dangerous and unlawful" to operate gas pumps without an attendant on duty. So I'm guessing that it's one of those laws that vary from state to state, just like it's illegal to pump your own gas at all in one or two of them.

[Rubystars]

When I worked at a shoe store there would always be customers banging on the door after we closed for the night, and we would tell them we were closed, sometimes they would scream about it through the window. If they didn't go away and kept banging we'd continue to do the closing work and laugh at them.

[blas]

The reason our awnings were kept illuminated were for the people who were going to pump gas after hours.......no one needs to feel unsafe in the middle of the night. Also, since the store was pitchblack, we needed some kind of light for the employees on the way to their vehicles.

[Reyneth]

I haven't had many "come after the store is closed" customers lately, but I won't forget one from years ago.

The store was in a mall so we had gates. Being the MOD, I was there first and opening and such - had pulled the main gate down when I came in but left it unlocked knowing another employee would be in within 5 minutes.

Employee comes in, pulls gate back down - SC RUNS to the gate and yanks it up and tries to get in. Un-uh. No way. Posted hours were posted hours - our lights weren't even on yet! Mall security (right around the corner) saw this doofus and promptly escorted her out.

[JustaCashier]

Yeah Blas, once I realized gas was actually available after hours, I figured out that's why the awning was kept fully lit up!

Mike

[volatile]

Yeah lots of customers are bad at realizing that the people serving them are still people. People used to flip out at me because I told them we close early on Christmas Eve. They'd be like "but I have a hungry family to feed! Please?! It's Christmas!" Yeah....I forgot that I'm not a person and don't have a family...only pizza.

[purplecat41877]

SC: What time do you open?
Me: Approximately 12:30
SC: But my movie starts at 1:00!!!

I probably would've told the customer that the movie started half an hour after opening if I worked in a movie theater which I don't. That means that the customer can come in when the place opens, buy the ticket(s), and still have time to get refreshments and find the proper theater.

[customersruinmylife]

Working in a bar is pretty bad because we have the twenty minutes drinking up time after last orders. As soon as time is rang, our manager takes all the tills and begins cashing up, making it impossible to serve anyone. The amount of people that come up to the bar during these twenty minutes is ridiculous.

SC: Could I have...
Me: That was last call.
SC: You never rang last orders! I demand you serve me at once.
At this point, more customers come up to the bar.
Me: I did ring last orders, fifteen minutes ago.
SC: But I was in the toilet!
Me: Sorry, no service. If I served you after time, I'd have to serve everyone.

Or

Me: Sorry, we're closed.
SC: But we've walked for over an hour to get here!

Guess you should have set off an hour earlier.

Or

SC: We're staying in the hotel next door, don't we get any special service?
Me: Afraid not. Like you said, you are staying in the hotel next door. The hotel next door isn't us, they are just our next door neighbours.

Then after locking up, people walk into the doors and start shaking them.

SC: Let me in! I want a drink!
Me: Sorry we closed half an hour ago.

The customer continues to shout. I just go back to the bar and wave at him with a huge grin.

[SteverinoNY]

Customer Karate

I have a story I can add to this thread. A few thanksgivings ago (back in the ancient times of 2004), I was closing the grocery store with another cashier and the manager. The manager tosses me the keys and says to go lock the front door. I disable the automatic door and close it manually. Being a door that opens 158437495838475392 times a day, its old and sometimes jams. I try pulling on it real hard, but nothing happens. I look down to see a customer's foot jammed in the door. He says he needs to go get something for thanksgiving dinner. I politely say that we closed 15 minutes ago and that all registers are offline. He refuses to take no for an answer saying we should start up a register for him. I gently tap his foot out the door and procede to lock up. No more than a minute later, I hear a massive crash and the sound of shattering glass. The asswipe drop kicked a 6x6 panel of glass and shattered it. As he did this, the store manager was wandering by. An older man, he tries to run after the guy, but can't keep up with someone 25 years younger. Luckily he did get his license plate and called the state police. I'm sure that was not a pleasant visit for the karate artist.

We had to run to the hardware store, get some plywood and board up the door until we could get a glass company out. I feel bad for the poor guy at the hardware store who had to stay after hours to cut the wood for us, but it was an emergency. We sent him over a pizza for his help the next day though.

We didn't leave until 90 minutes after close because of the ass who decided to kick our door.

[SmileyBouncer]

I had people trying funny stuff like that at the bar I worked at all the time!

After we closed sometimes I would sweep the front parking lot. One time a big Suburban full of wannabe gangsters pulled up well after close (there werent even any employee cars in the lot). I told them I was sorry but we were closed- they responded with "that's aiight- we brought our own".

They then parked across the spaces in the lot, opened their doors blasting music and pulled out green 40s of Mickeys right there. Their girlfriends (or uh "ho's" I guess) got out like they were having a tailgate or something. I told them their open containers were illegal and they needed to leave. They tried to be charismatic with me about it- after that I didnt even bother (for fear of my own safety). I just went inside and called the police.

[CrazedClerk]

I once had a guy who came up to my store doors after I had locked them at closing and shook them violently in a vain attempt to gain entry...

not once...

not twice...

but THREE times!!

Man I got a good laugh out of that. You'd think he would've maybe caught on after the second time.

Or when they are at the door and they give you that snotty "aren't you going to let me in?" look. I always just ignore them or shout "we're closed".

[Arcade Man D]

Ugh. Stuff like this is why I despise closing at the arcade.

We have a strict no refunds policy on tokens. We can make exceptions in extreme cases only. I will invariably get a customer who wants a refund because "they didn't know we were closing so soon."

Never mind that I am announcing our soon to be closing time ((without benefit of a PA system)) after half an hour before closing, at roughly five minute intervals, in both Spanish and English. Never mind that our closing time is identical to every other non-anchor, non-restaurant store in the mall. I'd blame it on the fact that we're the only store in the food court that does not have to adhere to food court hours, being as we are not food service, but it doesn't just happen Friday through Sunday. It happens more on those days, but it's just as bad on weekdays.

But this one takes the cake. Half an hour after closing ((20 minutes after the last customer left -.-)), I receive a call:

C - Customer
D - The big bear who's posting.

C - "What time do y'all close tonight?"
D - "We closed at 9:30."
C - "Does anything in <mytown> stay open late?"
D - "Well, the theaters and restaurants in the mall are still open."

It wasn't so much sucky there, as just... odd.

But the best part, is I don't hide. I've taken off my work vest and nametag, and I'm pushing a vacuum cleaner/wiping down glass with Windex-like-stuff. If that doesn't clue people in, maybe I should get a clue-by-four. Shame that'd be assault....