What does "Closed" mean to you?

[nevermore]

I agree that many customers for some reason feel like they're better than the customer service people. Customers often talk to a customer service person worse than they would a complete stranger on the street, cause that stranger might beat the crap out of them. The customer feels rather safe though, from the customer service person.

However, a lot of people posting in this thread that have a customer service job, don't have the right attitude. Like the gun toting customer at the truck stop, we should assume that all customers have a gun and are willing to kill us if we aren't sensitive and polite. There is no sane reason to not be as polite as possible, and there is no good reason to tell a customer "No".

If one doesn't have the authority to say "Yes", then one shouldn't have the authority to say "No". Try a "Here's my understanding of the store policy. Let me see if I can get an exception for you," and escalate the issue.

I'm a customer service manager for a call center. Our customers definitely aren't inconvenienced by end of shifts, as employees expect to work past their shift if needed. If they can't do it, then I will get them relieved, usually relieving them myself. Those that feel some entitlement to inconvenience a customer because the customer could have planned their day around the business transaction are being hypocrites.

I don't blame any customer service person though, when I get poor customer service. I blame their management team.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that, while a lot of people in here might be bitching about their customer service jobs, that doesn't mean they don't do it to the best of their ability when they're actually there.

I consider myself to be very good at my job, and yes, there are plenty of customers that do things to piss me off, but I would never let them know that. I suck it up and do my job. I might be upset and bitch about it later, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

A good customer service employee might as well be an actor.

This is exactly it, and why the 10-minute-before-close customers get a different level of service than the hour-before-close customers.

I'm not cut out for customer service, but the circumstances of being in school full-time, pulling 18 credits a semester and needing to make enough in 30 hours a week to pay rent and bills while having the ability to work nights necessitated that I work in the industry. So, when I waited tables, I put on a completely different personality when I was on the floor. I smiled constantly, took the complete bullshit people slung at me with good grace and "yessir" and kept all my complaining to the kitchen, but for fuck's sake, it's exhausting physically and mentally, and after a Saturday dinner shift when you've been running for 10 hours straight and maintaining that facade in the face of almost constant abuse, that two-top that comes in after you've cleared your section and started sidework, with another hour of it looming in front of you (at $2.13/hour) which you can't finish until the store is cleared, and wants to linger over a $15 check of buffalo wings and water for an hour can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Cracks appear in the mask and if they're going to be assholes about it, and the store closed at 12 and it's 12:45 and they've been asked politely to close out their checks so we can get out before the alarms come on at 1:30 and they just won't do it, then fuck 'em.

Now, I will say, that's a problem I only had at the corporate restaurant. The smaller place I worked after that had a very good policy of "last orders 30 minutes before close" and anyone seated at that time were informed that the store would be closing at such and such a time and that they would be asked to close out 15 minutes after that, with leeway given for later food delivery. This was due to the fact that the owners were also former floor and kitchen staff and one ran the floor while the other was the chef, so they understood the position that long-lingering late tables put their staff (and themselves) in. I actually enjoyed working there and went above an beyond, showing up early, picking up extra shifts I didn't need and staying late to help out behind the bar. Customers received excellent and knowledgeable service because the staff was consistent with little turnover and were enjoying themselves. We never even thought about the fact that we were only making $2.13/hour before tips and during set-up and break-down. That was down entirely to the fact that we had the support of ownership who considered their staff as well as their customers.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Of course it would. Some people are still dicks though, and you have to work through it. C'est la vie.

And we do. But what, we can't vent our frustration about it? That's the vibe i'm getting from you and if that's what you're going for, i have to disagree with you.

 

[pookha]

Ahh, TrekBBS just would't be the same without its monthly retail workers Whine Festival.

You guys are so hard done by

What's wrong with getting something off your chest? He's not saying customers are stupid or jerks. He's not advocating that they all go to hell. When did it become wrong for someone who works for a living to get something off their chest?

J.

i wonder how many of the people coming in at the last minute are themselves former retail people thinking now it is my turn,,,:
but the fast food place i worked for you dare not lock the doors early or
trying to get people to leave who made it in and were still eating.
because if you did the big corportation would come down and smash you.

though we did get lucky once.
there was a basktball tournament in town and we thought we would get swarmped just before closing.
but we got real lucky and the last game went into multiple over times.
so we were able to lock the doors on time and shut off the outside lights .



but as far as today..
i think one thing that might be happening why some people are shopping later then ever is that so many people have had to get an extra job.
so they are trying to pick up something on their way home.


want something work related to get upset about.
work for years and save into a 401 k and with one quater see a third of it gone.

 

[Trekker4747]

-- One bought a bunch of hamburger, cut the package open, sat it in the floorboard of her car under the a/c vent. Took a couple hours to drive home. Next day returns to the store with the remainder of the spoiled meat complaining that had the meat been fresh her a/c would have kept it cool enough to last a 2 or 3 hour drive while she went in and out doing other shopping. When asked why she opening it: Well, how else is she suppose to keep it cold?

-- Other woman, various meats, comes back about 4 or 5 days after she bought them. All just gagging inducing from appearance and smell. She had left the food in the truck of the car for 3 days and wanted a refund cause fresh meat doesn't need to be refrigerated and this wasn't fresh meat if it spoiled, besides it tasted like exhaust and antifreeze.

Customer comes in, very disatisfied with some salmon she bought. She said it was dry, burned and impossible to eat. "Gee, I'm sorry to hear about that. May I ask how you prepared it?"

"Well, I put it in the oven at 450* and cooked it for 3 hours."

A lot.

God, I love this woman.

 

[TheBrew]

Now, I will say, that's a problem I only had at the corporate restaurant. The smaller place I worked after that had a very good policy of "last orders 30 minutes before close" and anyone seated at that time were informed that the store would be closing at such and such a time and that they would be asked to close out 15 minutes after that, with leeway given for later food delivery. This was due to the fact that the owners were also former floor and kitchen staff and one ran the floor while the other was the chef, so they understood the position that long-lingering late tables put their staff (and themselves) in. I actually enjoyed working there and went above an beyond, showing up early, picking up extra shifts I didn't need and staying late to help out behind the bar. Customers received excellent and knowledgeable service because the staff was consistent with little turnover and were enjoying themselves. We never even thought about the fact that we were only making $2.13/hour before tips and during set-up and break-down. That was down entirely to the fact that we had the support of ownership who considered their staff as well as their customers.

The restaurant I worked at was family owned and it started out like that. The manager was tough, but fair and we were allowed to order up a burger or chicken wings before or after the place opened so that we could have some fuel during our shift. Then the owner came down to take a more personal hand in the day-to-day. Now this wasn't the original owner (he had died a few years ago from a freak rattle-snake bite), but the son-in-law. He was a former car salesman if that means anything to you. No more food of any kind and he put a busser into tears because I sneaked her a slice of bread. It got so draconian that I ended up quitting after the manager quit. The manager was a good guy who was always on our side while insuring great customer service. The owner didn't give a shit about the employees and was about the all-mighty-dollar.

Corporate places aren't always evil and family-owned places aren't always good. Though I guess that was a bit OT since we are bitching about customers, not bosses.

 

[nevermore]

Corporate places aren't always evil and family-owned places aren't always good. Though I guess that was a bit OT since we are bitching about customers, not bosses.

Oh, definitely. The fact that the smaller place was really small (10 tables inside, about 15 outside in the Summer) and was pretty high-end also meant that it attracted a better kind of clientele, making it possible for the policies I referenced to work. The culture of respecting the staff either spilled over to the customers or attracted customers who appreciated having a well-treated and happy staff serve them.

On the other hand, the worst experience I ever had at any place I ever worked was at a small family owned restaurant where I worked when I first moved to Baltimore (it's called Speakeasy, in Canton Square. No one should ever eat there). The old lady just berated and abused the staff constantly, threatening to hit us and telling us we were worthless, her sons never said anything and they didn't pay us even the $2.13/hour to put up with it. One Friday dinner shift, she threatened to punch me in the face when she kicked the kitchen door into while I was making a salad, causing me to drop three croutons on the floor (made from stale dinner rolls, which they made us re-serve until they went stale and then made into croutons...). I quit on the spot. And that was the only job I have ever left without at least 2 weeks notice.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

i wonder how many of the people coming in at the last minute are themselves former retail people thinking now it is my turn,,,:

I know you're joking, but I would hope not. Having worked retail before as a peon and management, I go out of my way to be polite and considerate to people working in customer service now, even if they (or more often company policy) are wrong on a particular issue.

I'll disagree with them if necessary, of course, but you really have to push me far to make me get visibly angry at them. And I would never stay after closing, demand special treatment on prices, or mess up their shelves and floor when picking my merchandise (I always re-straighten the shelf after I remove what I want - force of old habit).

If the customers treated the employees with the same level of respect they would appreciate, they'll find they get more in return. It shouldn't be required for them to do so to receive good service, but it certainly pays off in my experience both as an insider and outsider.

 

[SpokOdo]

Of course it would. Some people are still dicks though, and you have to work through it. C'est la vie.

And we do. But what, we can't vent our frustration about it? That's the vibe i'm getting from you and if that's what you're going for, i have to disagree with you.

Absolutely. I've done retail and this thread is bringing all the horror stories back. Its hard and frustrating. What's wrong with venting a little in forum where its not hurting anybody? Its healthy as far as I'm concerned. If you don't like it don't read the thread. All the "man up" crap is sanctimonious and is missing the point.

People get irratated about about dickheads they meet at work. Its human nature to vent about it. Don't like it? Tough. C'est la vie.

 

[doubleohfive]

Of course it would. Some people are still dicks though, and you have to work through it. C'est la vie.

And we do. But what, we can't vent our frustration about it? That's the vibe i'm getting from you and if that's what you're going for, i have to disagree with you.

I never suggested that. I'm the last person to try to censor anything anyone has to say, and I certainly am not trying to.

The initial post wasn't about people being treated poorly. The thread started out being about what "closed" means to us. That's what I replied to.

On the matter of 'customers treating employees like crap,' as I said before, I feel your pain. I get it a lot too in what I do.

I take issue though with the seeming indignation that some posters in this thread have displayed, that's all. A job is a job and nothing is ever 100% on time or perfect. It happens. But that doesn't also mean that I agree with it or that I think you shouldn't be able to vent about it. There's a fine line between the two.

 

[JoeZhang]

A job is a job

As an aside - I wonder how many people here have "jobs" and how many have "careers"?

 

[SeerSGB]

See what pisses me off the most: Is customer that makes it personal.

Like my wife, she was following the law the customer now wants her fired to "teach her not to mess with me [the customer]." It's the law, it's not personal. I'm sorry, but you can't expect someone to get fined or go to jail cause you are to drunk and stupid to remember to bring you driver's license when you buy beer.

I've had customers that got pissed cause I can't bend some piece of company policy to suit their personal whims, and then call in and accuse me of everything from cursing them out to trying to grab their tits. Thank god for security cameras.

 

[NickInABox]

You assume wrong, I worked behind a till for many years. Of course TBBS wasn't at my disposal to bitch about it back then.

Well... now it is!

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

You assume wrong, I worked behind a till for many years. Of course TBBS wasn't at my disposal to bitch about it back then.

Well... now it is!

He's got you there, Pingy.

 

[Captain Ice]

I will say this, working retail has turned me into a better customer. Being on the retail side of it, i never realized just how mean people can be. What i really hated was guests who would come into the store and pick something up and walk around the whole store and at the end, decide not to buy it, so now it's the other side of the store and of course, it's part of our job to clean it up. Working retail has made me very polite and sympathetic to those that work retail and food.

Amen to that brother.

When I was in restaurant management, I would personally go and collect from tables that still had not paid 40 minutes after closing, telling them that they were welcome to stay as long as they liked, but the cashier and waitresses were leaving. 95% they paid and left within 10 minutes.

I also would walk through the dining area the last hour or so before closing and collect empty dishes so we could get them run through the dishwasher and get out ourselves.

Nowdays, it's a very rare occasion when I will go to a restaurant within an hour of closing. If I do, I usually get takeout or will pay as soon as my food shows up. Retail stores I will run in, grab what I need, and get out. I also strive to not arrive in them the last hour they are open.

Deli counters (and butcher as well) do get me angry when they won't wait on a customer the last 15-20 minutes that they're open. Have had that happen more than once. Usually I end up with the store manager down there handling it him/herself when that happens.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

A job is a job

As an aside - I wonder how many people here have "jobs" and how many have "careers"?

If I worked retail I could never consider it to be a "career", no matter what the pay. Maybe it has to do with punching a time clock or something.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

I will say this, working retail has turned me into a better customer. Being on the retail side of it, i never realized just how mean people can be. What i really hated was guests who would come into the store and pick something up and walk around the whole store and at the end, decide not to buy it, so now it's the other side of the store and of course, it's part of our job to clean it up. Working retail has made me very polite and sympathetic to those that work retail and food.

At the very least I wish they'd deposit the item in something similiar to where they found it.

Example: If you got a box of ice-cream bars out of the freezer door, don't stick them on a grocery shelf or in a refrigerated case. Why? Because by the time the box is found the bars likely will have melted.

If you buy a meat or other perishable item do not deposit that item on a grocery shelf. Why? Because it will SPOIL!

nd you can't tell me that the deli clerks aren't all TAUGHT to go over on the requested weight if the deli meat!!!

Well we're certainly not taught how to guess and judge precise measurments of stuff!

If they go over and you don't want that much over what can you do about? Hmmmm. This is a tough one. Might not be a solution.... Oh! You could simply ask the guy to take the excess off!!!

doubleoh[/i] the point isn't that people come in at the last minute, the point is that they come in at the last minute and expect things to operate the same as they do in the middle of the day. As the OP said, he could've found and activated phone earlier in the day but since it was past/at closing he couldn't do anything to help the customer. This is about common human-deceny, as well. To walk into a store minutes before closing (and didn't Flux say he was locking the door when the guy came in?) and to dally around and take your sweet-assed time is being an asshole. This is simply about treating your fellow human beings with an ounce or two of respect.

Sure, if someone comes in when I'm closing I'll try and help them as best as I can -as you say, that's my job- but that doesn't absolve the customer from being a selfish-jerk for coming in at the last possbile moment and using up what should be *my* time (or in some cases time set aside to take care of other closing-tasks done when the doors are locked.) This is just about extending the same courtesy to the person working in the store as he would extend to you.

That lady I mentioned telling me "sorry" for making me dirty equipment and make her special orders PAST the point of us being closed would've gone a LONG way. But, no, she was a smug-bitch who didn't care about *my* time she was using up because she came in when we were closed. She got helped, yes, that's my job. But, sorry, I've the right to think she's an idiot for not coming in much sooner when it would've been less of a hassle to help her.

This is about extending a level of courtesy to your fellow human beings. They don't want to stay any longer after work than you do. Coming in and using up their time when they're locking the door, or -as was in my case- heading OUT the door is just being a selfish asshole.

When I was done helping that lady and getting off of work nearly a full-hour late should I have been all happy and filled with joy saying to myself, "Gee! I'm so glad I could help her! I really am doing good things here!" I don't think so. I have the right to be pissed that I was treated as a working-class piece of shit who was there to do her bidding. She SAW that I was making things dirty, one would assume she knew that I'd have to clean it, I also pressume she knew from the lights being off and me walking out with my coat on and tie undone that the shop was closed. She HAD to know that I was heading home. If not, and maybe she didn't, she's a great-big selfish idiot.

And I say again, not even a thank-you or apology for coming in and asking for these thing when we were obviously closed and I was obviously headed home!!!

Actually, when I ask for 1lb of roast beef at $9 per and the guy slices a pound and a quarter I simply say "no, I wanted one pound" and let him figure it out. Funny how the store is willing to let me pay for the employees mistake (training actually) but won't give me the .25 lb for free... hmmm.....

Oh, and Trekker, as long as the lady isn't verbally abusing you, you are indeed a working class person obligated to cater to her shopping needs. That's the nature of the service industry.

 

[Misfit Toy]

I will say this, working retail has turned me into a better customer. Being on the retail side of it, i never realized just how mean people can be. What i really hated was guests who would come into the store and pick something up and walk around the whole store and at the end, decide not to buy it, so now it's the other side of the store and of course, it's part of our job to clean it up. Working retail has made me very polite and sympathetic to those that work retail and food.

At the very least I wish they'd deposit the item in something similiar to where they found it.

Example: If you got a box of ice-cream bars out of the freezer door, don't stick them on a grocery shelf or in a refrigerated case. Why? Because by the time the box is found the bars likely will have melted.

If you buy a meat or other perishable item do not deposit that item on a grocery shelf. Why? Because it will SPOIL!

nd you can't tell me that the deli clerks aren't all TAUGHT to go over on the requested weight if the deli meat!!!

Well we're certainly not taught how to guess and judge precise measurments of stuff!

If they go over and you don't want that much over what can you do about? Hmmmm. This is a tough one. Might not be a solution.... Oh! You could simply ask the guy to take the excess off!!!

doubleoh[/i] the point isn't that people come in at the last minute, the point is that they come in at the last minute and expect things to operate the same as they do in the middle of the day. As the OP said, he could've found and activated phone earlier in the day but since it was past/at closing he couldn't do anything to help the customer. This is about common human-deceny, as well. To walk into a store minutes before closing (and didn't Flux say he was locking the door when the guy came in?) and to dally around and take your sweet-assed time is being an asshole. This is simply about treating your fellow human beings with an ounce or two of respect.

Sure, if someone comes in when I'm closing I'll try and help them as best as I can -as you say, that's my job- but that doesn't absolve the customer from being a selfish-jerk for coming in at the last possbile moment and using up what should be *my* time (or in some cases time set aside to take care of other closing-tasks done when the doors are locked.) This is just about extending the same courtesy to the person working in the store as he would extend to you.

That lady I mentioned telling me "sorry" for making me dirty equipment and make her special orders PAST the point of us being closed would've gone a LONG way. But, no, she was a smug-bitch who didn't care about *my* time she was using up because she came in when we were closed. She got helped, yes, that's my job. But, sorry, I've the right to think she's an idiot for not coming in much sooner when it would've been less of a hassle to help her.

This is about extending a level of courtesy to your fellow human beings. They don't want to stay any longer after work than you do. Coming in and using up their time when they're locking the door, or -as was in my case- heading OUT the door is just being a selfish asshole.

When I was done helping that lady and getting off of work nearly a full-hour late should I have been all happy and filled with joy saying to myself, "Gee! I'm so glad I could help her! I really am doing good things here!" I don't think so. I have the right to be pissed that I was treated as a working-class piece of shit who was there to do her bidding. She SAW that I was making things dirty, one would assume she knew that I'd have to clean it, I also pressume she knew from the lights being off and me walking out with my coat on and tie undone that the shop was closed. She HAD to know that I was heading home. If not, and maybe she didn't, she's a great-big selfish idiot.

And I say again, not even a thank-you or apology for coming in and asking for these thing when we were obviously closed and I was obviously headed home!!!

Actually, when I ask for 1lb of roast beef at $9 per and the guy slices a pound and a quarter I simply say "no, I wanted one pound" and let him figure it out. Funny how the store is willing to let me pay for the employees mistake (training actually) but won't give me the .25 lb for free... hmmm.....

Oh, and Trekker, as long as the lady isn't verbally abusing you, you are indeed a working class person obligated to cater to her shopping needs. That's the nature of the service industry.

And if she is verbally abusing him, he should just "take it", according to your stated belief that the cusotmer is ALWAYS right.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

At the very least I wish they'd deposit the item in something similiar to where they found it.

Example: If you got a box of ice-cream bars out of the freezer door, don't stick them on a grocery shelf or in a refrigerated case. Why? Because by the time the box is found the bars likely will have melted.

If you buy a meat or other perishable item do not deposit that item on a grocery shelf. Why? Because it will SPOIL!



Well we're certainly not taught how to guess and judge precise measurments of stuff!

If they go over and you don't want that much over what can you do about? Hmmmm. This is a tough one. Might not be a solution.... Oh! You could simply ask the guy to take the excess off!!!

doubleoh[/i] the point isn't that people come in at the last minute, the point is that they come in at the last minute and expect things to operate the same as they do in the middle of the day. As the OP said, he could've found and activated phone earlier in the day but since it was past/at closing he couldn't do anything to help the customer. This is about common human-deceny, as well. To walk into a store minutes before closing (and didn't Flux say he was locking the door when the guy came in?) and to dally around and take your sweet-assed time is being an asshole. This is simply about treating your fellow human beings with an ounce or two of respect.

Sure, if someone comes in when I'm closing I'll try and help them as best as I can -as you say, that's my job- but that doesn't absolve the customer from being a selfish-jerk for coming in at the last possbile moment and using up what should be *my* time (or in some cases time set aside to take care of other closing-tasks done when the doors are locked.) This is just about extending the same courtesy to the person working in the store as he would extend to you.

That lady I mentioned telling me "sorry" for making me dirty equipment and make her special orders PAST the point of us being closed would've gone a LONG way. But, no, she was a smug-bitch who didn't care about *my* time she was using up because she came in when we were closed. She got helped, yes, that's my job. But, sorry, I've the right to think she's an idiot for not coming in much sooner when it would've been less of a hassle to help her.

This is about extending a level of courtesy to your fellow human beings. They don't want to stay any longer after work than you do. Coming in and using up their time when they're locking the door, or -as was in my case- heading OUT the door is just being a selfish asshole.

When I was done helping that lady and getting off of work nearly a full-hour late should I have been all happy and filled with joy saying to myself, "Gee! I'm so glad I could help her! I really am doing good things here!" I don't think so. I have the right to be pissed that I was treated as a working-class piece of shit who was there to do her bidding. She SAW that I was making things dirty, one would assume she knew that I'd have to clean it, I also pressume she knew from the lights being off and me walking out with my coat on and tie undone that the shop was closed. She HAD to know that I was heading home. If not, and maybe she didn't, she's a great-big selfish idiot.

And I say again, not even a thank-you or apology for coming in and asking for these thing when we were obviously closed and I was obviously headed home!!!

Actually, when I ask for 1lb of roast beef at $9 per and the guy slices a pound and a quarter I simply say "no, I wanted one pound" and let him figure it out. Funny how the store is willing to let me pay for the employees mistake (training actually) but won't give me the .25 lb for free... hmmm.....

Oh, and Trekker, as long as the lady isn't verbally abusing you, you are indeed a working class person obligated to cater to her shopping needs. That's the nature of the service industry.

And if she is verbally abusing him, he should just "take it", according to your stated belief that the cusotmer is ALWAYS right.

I would think most people would be able to grasp that the concept of "the customer is always right" doesn't mean they can verbally abuse the employee. I see I am mistaken. it means you are there for the customer. It is why the clerk is a retail worker is it not?

I remember when I was a young guy and had to work retail. I worked at Marshall's and Bradlee's. Making sure the customer received top notch service no matter what time they strolled in the door was expected or you were fired. As it should be.

 

[Misfit Toy]

[I would think most people would be able to grasp that the concept of "the customer is always right" doesn't mean they can verbally abuse the employee. I see I am mistaken.

What you aren't grasping is that most of the customers being discussed in this thread are the ones who are taking your theory to the extreme. That's why many reputable management consultants don't bother with advocating that silly platitude.

Customers deserve respect, as do retail workers. Believing that the store is always out to cheat you, or the attitude that retail work isn't a real job is liable to lead a cutomer into exhibiting the kind of behavior shown by customers in this thread.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

[I would think most people would be able to grasp that the concept of "the customer is always right" doesn't mean they can verbally abuse the employee. I see I am mistaken.

What you aren't grasping is that most of the customers being discussed in this thread are the ones who are taking your theory to the extreme. That's why many reputable management consultants don't bother with advocating that silly platitude.

Customers deserve respect, as do retail workers. Believing that the store is always out to cheat you, or the attitude that retail work isn't a real job is liable to lead a cutomer into exhibiting the kind of behavior shown by customers in this thread.

Asking a store to process ANY transaction that begins during normal business hours is not disrespectful to any clerk and should be processed. Retail clerks may have other plans but that's what they agree to do when they, umm, accepted the job.