I CANNOT help you, I am off the clock.

[Dreamstalker]

During orientation the importance of working one's scheduled shift and only scheduled shift (unless something came up and swapping shifts/times was okayed by a manager) was drilled into our heads. Part of that is no working off the clock--which I believe is actually part of the labor laws. Once you clock out you are not supposed/allowed to help customers (if someone catches me right as I'm punching out I'll direct them to a general location of an item because I'm nice that way, but I won't actually lead them to it).

So, to yesterday:

At the end of my shift I race up front, punch out, take off my uniform shirt (wearing it over a longsleeve shirt) and start to make my way to the break room way across the store to grab my stuff from the fridge. I'm in the candy-cookies just on the other side of the registers when an SC pounces.

SC: "Plain amaretti cookies! I need some, show me where you have them!"
Me: "I don't work here."
Usually that tack works when I'm not wearing the shirt, but SC must either recognize me or she was watching me at the timeclock. "Yes you do! I saw you behind the register! I want plain amaretti cookies!"
Me: "I can't help you, I'm not working now. Find someone in a brown shirt."
SC: "You have a brown shirt!"
Me: "I cannot help you, I'm off the clock. I am not working."
The front end manager must have been watching this, as he's appeared from seemingly thin air.
FEM: "Ma'am, she legally cannot help you. You could get in trouble for asking an employee to work off the clock."
SC starts to say something, but FEM is staring her down; I mouth "thank you" to him and make my escape.

This is part of the reason myself and others have been lobbying for there to be a time clock out back by the breakroom/warehouse. It can be a royal PITA--depending on the time of day/crowds and where one is in the store--to fight your way up front, punch out at guest services by the main registers, and get to the locker room/break room without being grabbed by an SC. When it gets warmer out, people might not be wearing another layer so can't change right away...and if you're scheduled for exactly 40 hours, even one minute over gets a raised eyebrow.

There are timeclocks at the restaurants--one of which is much closer to the back--but only restaurant staff are supposed to use those during the day. Punching in/out way up front also wastes time; depending on how crowded the store is you may have to cut your break short by a few minutes just to make sure you can punch in time--and if an SC catches you after you've punched out for break and won't take no for an answer you can lose more time.

[Food Lady]

I DREAM of having a confrontation like this because I just want to tell off one of these people.

[Dreamstalker]

I'd love to actually tell them off, but this time I let a manager do it (SC is far more likely to actually listen to a manager, also since he was right there...).

Although I was fully prepared to deliver the smackdown on SCs at my old place, I never got a chance because this rule was never enforced--if you wound up staying late all the managers assumed another one asked you to stay; also I was scraping for whatever hours I could. Now I know I'm getting the maximum allowable, so sticking to scheduled hours isn't a problem.

[EricKei]

Part of that is no working off the clock--which I believe is actually part of the labor laws

In the US -- Yes, you are correct. It's Federal Labor Law. The company can even get into trouble for allowing you to work off the clock (presumably because a store could just force someone to do so and then claim it was by choice).

[Pixelated]

This is something that's being seriously enforced by our NM: "Punch IN and OUT ON TIME. If she's there and it hits 4:00 and you're off at 4:00 she will point-blank TELL you: "Check out."

TBH, I'm not sure what the procedure is if you're in the middle of a sale and your punch-out time hits ...

I never worried about punching out right on the dot before, partly because (lucky for us) store management never abused that. But, aside from economic matters (suddenly the company owes you more than it should) I can see why it's no longer acceptable.

[Shyla]

I agree the time clock should be in the back, out of sight of customers. Maybe you could present it as more customer friendly since that situation would not occur as frequently. You don't have to believe it to say it and maybe they'll buy it.

[RealUnimportant]

Presumably the risk of being sidetracked at the end of your break is just as bad, and that would lead to you clocking back on late. I can understand that they want to prevent people from hanging around the back waiting for the clock to tick, but there has to be a better compromise.

[Trixie]

Our breakroom and time clock are on opposite ends of the store so when I return from lunch I do my best to avoid customers and if I can't certainly don't make eye contact and always keeps moving. At the most if I do get stopped I can get away with pointing someone in the right direction and it's good. When it's time to leave for the day, it's a straight shoot from the office to the front door. I'm usually moving too fast for anyone to stop me for anything.

[Lovecats]

When I worked at the bullseye our time clock was up front by the lockers in the employee only area.

[WishfulSpirit]

At Jeers the time clock was across the store from the break room. Never really understood that one. At my current place of employment it's right outside the break room in an very clear employees only area. That helps a lot.

[roxtar]

do not miss being hourly in the slightest. then again, I don't get overtime as a result.

[Dreamstalker]

Presumably the risk of being sidetracked at the end of your break is just as bad, and that would lead to you clocking back on late. I can understand that they want to prevent people from hanging around the back waiting for the clock to tick, but there has to be a better compromise.

This is exactly why some of us end up getting X minutes over scheduled hours some pay periods; get back from break 2 minutes late because of some jerk, stay 2 minutes late--which sometimes turns into more because of people needing help with complicated stuff--on the other end to even it out. Although I can't help thinking that break times are tracked as well, and if X is seen as consistently taking 'longer' breaks than they should...

I have been in lines to punch at the timeclock up front, and I would think that looks worse from a customer standpoint (why are all those people hanging out and not helping meeee...). The restaurant clocks can be a hassle to get to, because while they are easily accessible they are bordering the main traffic aisles--basically across from the cheese counter which gets a ton of people standing in slack-jawed confuddlement--and if the restaurants are in operation at the time forget it.

I have mentioned this to my manager and the GM many times, I'm just not sure who's listening or if it's getting to the right person. The breakroom is wired for Ethernet, so installation shouldn't be a problem (hell, I could probably do it in 5 minutes).

[Sulhythal]

My parents don't even understand this. As a concept, the idea that someone in retail cannot help them if they're off the clock, they think that being directed to what they're looking for isn't "work" it's just "being nice". My mom said had positions been reversed she would have happily helped the customer find what they wanted, out of just being a polite person. (Not that this has ever happened, this came up in a hypothetical discussion after I got scolded by a guest for not taking them to a product while I was on my way out the store. A guest who then went and complained to the front desk too...)

I have my doubts that after 10 hours of being on their feet, having tasks to do that need a certain amount of time, not being given the whole amount of time to do them, and constantly losing time by having people demand the location of sundry items, that they would still happily help someone who pulls them away from finally being able to get HOME again...

[EricKei]

Although I can't help thinking that break times are tracked as well, and if X is seen as consistently taking 'longer' breaks than they should...

This could be part of it. Back at BoutiqueGrocery, they had it up front, right next to the (elevated) cash office, so that the manglement could monitor clockins/-outs directly. Also, thie made it easier for them they could hassle workers who were scheduled to leave at, say, 4PM who wanted to wait the extra 60 seconds to clock out until the machine actually SAID "4PM" before clocking out so they wouldn't lose out on time (because the clocks were set to send either 15 or 7.5 minute chunks to Payroll, rather than the precise number of minutes), -- i.e., "Just go ahead and clock out already, man."

TBH, I'm not sure what the procedure is if you're in the middle of a sale and your punch-out time hits ...

Everywhere I've worked, if this pushes you far enough into the next 15 minute (or 7.5 minute) "time chunk," they simply made sure to send us home early on the next shift to balance it out.

[MadMike]

My parents don't even understand this. As a concept, the idea that someone in retail cannot help them if they're off the clock, they think that being directed to what they're looking for isn't "work" it's just "being nice".

My dad did that to me once, when we were picking up some building supplies at the home improvements store where I was working at the time. Another customer ask him if he happened to know where something was, and my dad said he didn't, but that I worked there, and could help him. I just told the guy that I didn't know off the top of my head, and suggested he talk to someone who was actually working. After the guy was out of earshot, I told my dad not to ever do that to me again.

I'm not sure he understood why I got bent out of shape about it. Maybe it would have taken a second to tell him where it was (had I actually known), but there's a good chance that it wouldn't have ended there, especially if other people found out I worked there. I have better things to do on my day off than play 20 Questions with customers.