10 Minutes Before Closing

[RetailActress]

In the last few weeks I've been working - spanning the weekends - I've been observing something that happens in the late afternoon through evening.

No matter how dead it's been all day long, within 10 minutes of the top of any late-day hour, i.e., 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm, 7pm, 8 pm (when we close), CUSTOMERS ARRIVE like clockwork.

You know how annoying it is when you get these last-minute people, the ones who ignore your posted hours, take their sweet time aimlessly browsing around, act all entitled, and are totally oblivious to hints like vacuuming, music turned off, doors being locked, and you politely informing them "I'm afraid we'll be closing in five minutes."

Well, I was thinking, instead of at 8 pm, what if we closed at 4 pm? 5 pm? 6 pm? 7pm? We'd have the same influx of lingering hangers-on, no matter what the closing hour!

What diabolical instinct of SC behavior causes this??

[blas]

Wanna hear a funny conspiracy theory?

When I was at the gas station, it worked like clockwork. When I was fully stocked, fully ready to handle ANYTHING.....no one would stop. It would be like one of those movies in the desert with a tumbleweed blowing by.

The SECOND that I had to pee, wanted a cigarette, or had to clean something up.....MAGIC! Everyone coming down the road would stop in.

They just know. They just know.

[garth1]

Wanna hear a funny conspiracy theory?

When I was at the gas station, it worked like clockwork. When I was fully stocked, fully ready to handle ANYTHING.....no one would stop. It would be like one of those movies in the desert with a tumbleweed blowing by.

The SECOND that I had to pee, wanted a cigarette, or had to clean something up.....MAGIC! Everyone coming down the road would stop in.

They just know. They just know.

I thought that every time I started to mop the floor, or ran out of coffee, they would come in.

[RetailActress]

Yep.

One day recently, we had horrible weather - sleet, freezing rain, snow, slush, you name it. Nasty stuff. We should have closed the store but we were already there and figured we may as well wait until they salted/sanded the roads anyway.

Not one customer all day long, which was certainly no surprise. The manager decided to close at 5 pm instead of our usual 8 pm.

WOULDN'T YOU KNOW - at 4:53 pm, this woman walks in. "Wow, you're brave to venture out in this weather!" I remarked. She sez: "Oh, I just had to go someplace while my snowplow guy cleared out my driveway."

Did she actually buy anything, after browsing around until 5:15 pm? Of course not.

[Listerfiend]

Works the same way for changeover or when staff goes on lunch/break. It could be 2:00, 3:00, 5:00--as soon as there's a missing cashier all hell breaks loose. It's definitely a conspiracy.

[ArenaBoy]

I hate that phenomenon. Hate it hate it hate it hate it hate it! As soon as I started counting or organizing my passes 10 cars would start coming.

[Dave1982]

She sez: "Oh, I just had to go someplace while my snowplow guy cleared out my driveway."

It takes all of about 5 minutes to plow a driveway. I know because I've seen it. And unless her car was already in the street, then how did she get out prior to the driveway being plowed?


I'd also like to add that the people who come in right before close - especially toward the end of the week - invariably want a page 1 sale item that sold out in the first two days and then raise hell when you tell them this. Or they buy a computer with no attachments.

[ktopmil]

On register the second I get my line down ten more people would show up. God Forbid the second I step away I would hear "Now, Don't run away now!" Ugh...*Sigh*

[aurelemsrealm]

I've worked all three shifts in my store, but have only done shift changes for day shift and second shift. It never fails that you get a crowd during change from day shift to second shift or from second shift to graveyard shift. The manager usually takes care of overseeing the shift from graveyard shift to day shift since she also gathers daily reports from all machines and other such daily reports. I know how to do most of those procedures myself, but the coffee rush is on for the day change and I simply don't have time to do it myself. It's just easier for the manager to do it.

It just never fails, no matter what time you actually try to do shift or day change, the crowd comes in full force. Of course, they're all "in a hurry," according to many of them as they do the hoofstamp dance because it's a pain for them to wait.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Today it was generally very slow for carryouts.

Then right after I went on my lunch break DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Two carryouts, one right after the other, each consisting of a kitchen table and 4 chairs.

I didn't personally have to get them, but my co-workers who I asked to listen for calls while I was gone did.

[Kat33auS]

I remember one afternoon, a woman wanders in looking at all the earings. I had started pulling the racks in a little early that day, so I told her to take her time.
Big mistake.

Racks are in, doors closed and she's still looking. The boss/owner wanders in to find out what's taking so long and he spots the lady.
He tells her that we are open the next day at 9am and to come back then, and heads back for the main shop.

The lady then says to me, 'He's a bit pushy, isn't he?'
I go on to say that the boss just wants us packed up and gone since he doesn't pay overtime and it's getting late.

She makes her purchase, one $5 pair of earings, and leaves.
I lock up and rejoin the boss in the main shop.

After explaining the lady's purchase, the boss has a mini rant about her and late-arriving customers.
He finishes by saying, 'The customer is never right!'

Best workday ever.

[Hon'ya-chan]

Reminds me of a story I heard once from the other stores.

During the Holidays, the resident hair Cutting Places were "forced" to open till the ungodly 10PM close time. Trouble is, from 6PM on, many were completely empty. To put it bluntly, the hairdressers ran out of things to clean.

One story I heard was one of the shops had prepped to close. It was 9:55PM. The two lone hairdressers decide to "Close early" and lock the door.

At 10PM, theirs a KNOCK KNOCK!! and a guy pleading to get his hair cut. Yes, a guy wanting a 10PM haircut.

[hotelnpa]

We are open 24 hours, but alot of things tend to happen 5-10 minutes before the shift ends OR it will be real slow and the moment you head to the restroom a crowd comes in.

I work mostly night audit (11pm-7am) which is the slowest time at the hotel. Most of the time I am balancing the accounts and correcting errors (if any) done earlier in the day. I then prepare the computer system for the next business day. Without fail, someone will come (after not seeing a soul for hours) during audit when the computer is resetting or the credit cards are going through. Or right before a shift change (6:50-7:00) the phone rings off the hook and a line forms as everyone decides to checkout. Then the manager gets upset because I couldn't leave exactly at 7:00.

[powerboy]

It could be dead all day. The second we start to close, they all come in. The second both of us are busy doing the paperwork that needs to be done, they all come in. And plus the phones start to ring off the hook, while we are all helping customers.

BTW, I have a new job that I am starting on Thursday.

[roguesqd]

so am I mean in that I get a perverse pleasure when i am getting the carts in after we are closed and get to tell the late arrivals who want to shop "Sorry we are closed"

But yeah within 15-20 minutes of closing people just seem to pour in...and the hardware store doesn't do closing announcements(It may rush ppl) so getting ppl out is not fun