Customers are annoying me already! (new job)

[Evannah]

I started a new job and now work in a clothing/home and furnishing store set within a large garden centre. My first day was the day before yesterday. We had all the stuff delivered in a huge truck early on wednesday morning, so there were boxes EVERYWHERE. We had all the fixtures and fittings come at the same time too. We had builders working away. Things were everywhere. It was pure chaos.

Now, there's an exit where our shop is (for the garden centre), which has just recently been blocked off (we're using it atm because it's convenient for us). But customers, rather than use the new exit that is right NEXT to the tills in the garden centre, decided to use the one that has been blocked off. To get to that door, they had to climb over boxes and drills and other things, oblivious to us (there were at least 15 of us working in the home furnishing part of the shop) telling them to use the other exit. Jesus Christ.

Then there were the customers who just came waltzing into the store and looking through all the stuff we'd half-placed onto the shelves, while we were trying to merchandise it all. Bear in mind, there were still builders, cardboard boxes, heaps of items such as bedlinen and curtains that hadn't got places, and you could tell that the shop wasn't open for business. Most customers understood, but some were entitled. One woman, when asked to please leave, turned round and said, "Well I'm here now, and I'm going to browse!" We tried to tell her it was dangerous and was still under construction, but she said "I'll leave when I want to!" I don't know what happened after that because I was called to do another job, but when I looked about five minutes later, she'd gone.

Then yesterday there was this woman and, I assume a friend, trying to use the blocked off exit today. Granted, everything had been mostly finished, but you still couldn't get out! And the shop was STILL under construction. Anyway, her car was apparently JUST outside that door and it's so UNFAIR that we're making them walk ALL the way to that other exit. She was moaning to everyone she clapped eyes on, including me, that this was bad service (haha we've all 'committed bad service' and we weren't even open yet. ROFL) and then kept moaning as she and her friend walked to the other exit.

It's opened today and my first actual shift is in 4 hours time. I am sure there will be a few customers who grate on my nerves in the future haha.

[Latekin]

Ah, the combination of obliviousness and entitlement. Add one good dose of stupidity and BOOM! Sucky customers all over the place.

[MoonCat]

Wow, the place isn't even open yet and already it's attracting SC's? The mind boggles, it really does.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Wow, the place isn't even open yet and already it's attracting SC's? The mind boggles, it really does.

Not surprising in the least.

Hell, even businesses that are closed can attract the totally oblivious.

Case in point: it was May, 2004 and the WD grocery chain had announced a few weeks prior that it would be closing down x number of "underperforming" stores, which ended up including the location I was working at.

Our last day of business was on a Wednesday during the last week of May. That Friday, us full time employees had shown up to deal with closing inventory, pack up what little merchandise was left, load it onto a trailer parked at our dock and shut it down for good.

Inventory had already been done, inventory crew was long gone. As was the remaining merchandise (which was condensed down to maybe 3 aisles in the store.) We'd all turned in our paperwork (company offered a separation agreement for those of us who couldn't get another position within the remaining stores in the area, which not only gave us a severance package but also qaualfied us for Unemployment benefits since this was a job loss due to company downsizing).)

Maintenance guy was there taking down the signage out front. The buggy corrals outside had been dismantled and lying down inside in what was once our produce department. The lettering had been taking off the awning out front. Plyboard was being put over the front windows.

Inside, the store manager and office person were emptying out the office. I was waiting around for my ride, as I was already done and spending a little time walking around looking (in hindisight I should've had my camera, but didn't think about it at the time) to make sure everything was cleared out in the back and the interior of the store.

I went outside with a coworker for a smoke and two people pulled up in a car and one had the nerve to ask "Are you taking applications?"

Coworker and I looked at each other, looked back at this person and said "Nope. We're closed." They left and we just looked at each other like "Did that just happen??? Really???"

Nevermind that the news of the store closing had made the local news and we'd had signs up for about 4 weeks (since the official announcement of the store closing.)

Nevermind that we had plyboard over our windows and other entrance by this time and the sign out at the road was being taken down as well as the lettering over our awning.

Nevermind that you don't see but maybe 6 cars in the parking lot on a Friday, right after lunchtime but yet you still feel compelled to ask if the store is taking applications????

Here's your sign.

So yes, Virginia, people ARE that dumb and blind.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Working on a new Timmies once, no windows yet, bricking and roof being worked on, parking not poured or even very flat, and a big sign on the gate to the temporary construction fence saying 'Coming Soon, Tim Hortons'. Went out to the truck for something, honking at the gate. Go talk to the driver and she wants to know how we got in, where is the opening, she really wants a coffee. I was stunned that she managed to miss all 387 clues that the store was not open, but decided to chalk it up to lack of caffeine.

[katzklaw]

reminds me of a story i read about a woman who drove up to a CLOSED fast food place, driving over a cone that was blocking the driveway in the process, and proceeded to yell an order at the (non-existent) speaker (not installed yet) for a type of food that the up-coming restaurant didn't even serve (i think she was trying to order something like hamburgers and hotdogs from a donut shop or something). when the construction workers told her she couldn't do that, at first she changed her order (still to something that restaurant probably wouldn't carry), then she ranted at the construction workers (they were on lunch, where did they get their food? they must be lying to her) and then she drove away, dragging the cone with her... making a godawful racket, which she was, of course, oblivious to

[XCashier]

BTDT. Not long ago, we closed the old location of the fabric store to open a new one. I was working the old store, preparing it for liquidation, we had huge signs everywhere -- seriously, the signs were as big as I am! -- and people just Did Not See Them. They'd heard we were closing, of course, and constantly asked us about it, even though all the info was on the freaking huge signs all over the store!

Some of my coworkers who were working on the new store reported clueless customers trying to come in and shop while the shelves were still being assembled and no merchandise had been stocked.

Yes Virginia, there really are clueless, oblivious people out there!

[otakuneko]

she really wants a coffee. I was stunned that she managed to miss all 387 clues that the store was not open, but decided to chalk it up to lack of caffeine.

Shit, that's not a want right there. That there's a NEED. Like, honey maybe you shouldn't be driving til you've had some kinda need.

[Marmalady]

It's opened today and my first actual shift is in 4 hours time. I am sure there will be a few customers who grate on my nerves in the future haha.

And before this first day is over, the immortal words will have been uttered;

"But I've been shopping here for YEARS!!! "

[MoonCat]

Working on a new Timmies once, no windows yet, bricking and roof being worked on, parking not poured or even very flat, and a big sign on the gate to the temporary construction fence saying 'Coming Soon, Tim Hortons'. Went out to the truck for something, honking at the gate. Go talk to the driver and she wants to know how we got in, where is the opening, she really wants a coffee. I was stunned that she managed to miss all 387 clues that the store was not open, but decided to chalk it up to lack of caffeine.

I swear that happened in my town!

Oh, well, I supposed it's happened everywhere!

[siskaren]

reminds me of a story i read about a woman who drove up to a CLOSED fast food place...

Found it for you:

http://notalwaysright.com/hard-hats-vs-hard-heads/21030

[wolfie]

Working on a new Timmies once, no windows yet, bricking and roof being worked on, parking not poured or even very flat, and a big sign on the gate to the temporary construction fence saying 'Coming Soon, Tim Hortons'. Went out to the truck for something, honking at the gate.

I've read that when "Maximum Overdrive" was being filmed (movie was set in a truck stop), they had problems with truckers mistaking the set for a real truck stop.

[XCashier]

Found it for you:

http://notalwaysright.com/hard-hats-vs-hard-heads/21030

That one was headache-inducing. Further proof that people do not listen to others or pay attention to the world around them. Can't we just round up these Oblivious Ones and dump them on some island somewhere?!

[cindybubbles]

Almost happened to me. I walked towards what seemed to be an open Dairy Queen. I argued with my mother, saying that it was open, but mom said that it was closed.

Upon further inspection, turns out that mom was right. It wasn't even just closed; it hadn't opened at all (construction and everything)!

I ended up getting my ice cream at the local Mac's Milk instead.

[Monterey Jack]

I've read that when "Maximum Overdrive" was being filmed (movie was set in a truck stop), they had problems with truckers mistaking the set for a real truck stop.

Same thing with the movie Looper, where they constructed a faux-diner for several scenes with Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and Bruce Willis to interact, and locals would keep driving up while it was still under construction and ask when it would open to the public. In fact, it's still there...they never tore it down, so the shell of the building still stands.