We are not a locker service!!

[Hon'ya-chan]

So tonight it was me and a couple of other folks, plus LP stuck behind to do some paperwork.

LP is doing his rounds when he sees a number of shopping bags behind one of our disused Cashier terminals. He tells me about them and after some talk with the staff and a quick inspection to see what they were (For all we know, it could've been a bomb), we determine someone is trying to partake of our space. We pile the bags into a manageable pile so that it takes the person sometime to retrieve them/rummage thru them, and we both keep an eye out for the person to come back so we can give the person a stern talking too.

Nobody comes to claim the bags or walk off with them come closing time. Lock the doors, and i'm up at front with the others trying to cash out and LP is doing one final sweep of the store when we all hear a knock at the front door.

Lady: Excuse me, I need to get my stuff!!

LP approaches the door and yells out that we're closed, come back tomorrow. Oh no, Lady nonchalantly admits she has left her shopping bags and wants to retrieve them.

LP and I look at her with a stern angry look. I order the others to keep on cashing out while I walk to the door and confront the woman with LP.

Me: Excuse me, but I do not appreciate you using company property to store your stuff without authorization. I could've disposed of them without warning!!
Lady: But I need my shopping!!
LP: Do you understand what we're trying to say to you? Your storing items on private property without permission. Mall Security will have to be called for this incident.
Lady: (says something more about her shopping)
Me: Are you even listening what we're trying to say?

So after a few minutes of trying to get Dingbat woman to actually comprehend what she's done, LP and I make the woman go to the back entrance and get her bags under our supervision. She just collects her bags without showing any remorse, guilt, or even an apology and scuttles off into the night.

[tropicsgoddess]

What an idiot. She was lucky that your store kept her things and even let her get it when you were closed instead of having her come back the next day or chucking them out . Hopefully she won't be so lucky next time that happens.

[Hon'ya-chan]

What an idiot. She was lucky that your store kept her things and even let her get it when you were closed instead of having her come back the next day or chucking them out . Hopefully she won't be so lucky next time that happens.

LP and I have agreed to "share the bounty" to the staff working that night should it happen again. We're hoping some moron dumps a few Notebook PC's in the disused area.

[Golden Phoenix]

Next time call the police for a controlled detonation and get her arrested for wasting police time.

Ok, so that may be a bit over the top but it'd definitely get the message across.

[Hyndis]

She was incredibly lucky.

If there are strange, unclaimed items at the store I work at, we hold onto them for a brief period of time, such as 30 minutes. If no one has claimed them in that time, the items are disposed of. If its items the store sells and they're still in sellable condition, they go back on the shelf. Otherwise, its the garbage or they go home with various employees.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Has there ever been an incident in North America where someone left a bomb in a store? I suppose there could be, but I'm not aware of it.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

We would not have even let her in. Who knows if she's not just setting us up for a robbery?

[rerant]

Has there ever been an incident in North America where someone left a bomb in a store? I suppose there could be, but I'm not aware of it.

There was a bomb threat at a sister store of my previous employer. I don't know if the alleged "bomb" was fictional or factual, but someone thought it necessary to threaten to blow the place to smithereens.


On topic of this SC I would have told her that there were no bags left in the store and the final sweep had been done so you were sure of this, then chucked them in the trash.
Teach her a nice little lesson.

[eltf177]

We would not have even let her in. Who knows if she's not just setting us up for a robbery?

100% agree. I would have told her she would have to come back tomorrow during working hours and would have to speak to a manager _before_ anything was handed over.

And no 'thank you' or 'sorry'? Really nice of you, you bat!

[Cyphr]

Has there ever been an incident in North America where someone left a bomb in a store? I suppose there could be, but I'm not aware of it.

well I've contemplated detonations in the cream corn section but aside from that...

[king4aday]

I personally would have told her that she could come back when we open tomorrow (we get a lot of tourists in the mall where I work because its the tourist capital of WI). This would REALLY tick people off, but it would be fun....awwww....so you are going to be late getting to the waterparks.....oh well...

[Arm]

edit- this was in response to the question about whether or not any bombs have been left at stores in North America.

Dunno about them leaving bombs in stores, but kids do try to blow up their schools every so often.

It certainly wouldn't be inconceivable that they might try to blow up a store that they thought had wronged them in some way. Or just because they like fire, I mean, arson happens. Incendiary devices are just bombs by another name, frequently.

And since you don't know *what* the item is, you're safest to assume that it's whatever the worst thing you can think of is, and act accordingly. Sure, it could just be drugs or shoplifted merchandise. It could also be a box of severed baby hands. That explode.

[Hon'ya-chan]

I personally would have told her that she could come back when we open tomorrow .

It was tempting, but it was late, and we really didn't want to hassle with Mall Security or the Cops.

[rerant]

It was tempting, but it was late, and we really didn't want to hassle with Mall Security or the Cops.

Which is probably why she did what she did.
Chances are she was banking on employees being tired and annoyed enough that they'd just want to go home, and therefore not put up much of a fuss.

[depechemodefan]

I would hate to think that she left the bags at your store for, say, 6 hours. What was she doing for those 6 hours? Watching 3 movies at the Cineplex? Trying on every single shoe at 9 West?