The Suck of a Beer Store

[mymaskofsanity]

I've been reading here for a long time, finally deciding to post.

A little background.

I work for a major brewery here in Canada, I manage the on site retail location.
( a glorified beer store )

In Ontario there is a small variety of options where you can buy beer.

"the beer store" the major chain where all brands are sold
the "LCBO" (liquor control board of Ontario)......they sell mainly small size packaging and liquor

in rural areas these 2 stores can be found attached to convience stores

AND your last option!!!.................. a brewery store, inhabited by the likes of a jaded, sarchastic and down right crabby fellow. ; )

Heres a couple of my old gems to get me started..........


Our store is open 1 hour later than "the beer store" on sundays, and during that last hour we get all of the lazy derelict's and general scum of society.

Battles you just wont win.....

Me= you guessed it !
Sc= annoying woman on a bicycle


*during a rush at 530pm, customers meandering around slackjawed trying to decide which poison of the evening they wish to begin thier drunkening, this lady starts maneuvering her mountain bike up the ramp to our doors and then inside

me - Miss, you can't bring your bike inside, im sorry you'll have to leave it outside...
SC - Why?
me - It's store policy, we become liable if someone were to trip over it....( my usual BS answer , plus they get in the way, it's a small store, and once someone threw a bike at a staff member )
SC - WELL WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ??? Leave it outside to get stolen???
me - (thinking her powers of deduction are remarkable ) yes please do....
SC - The other beer stores dont have a problem with me bringing it inside, your just being an @$$hole
me - ( fed up with this now seeing as how I never give in or change my mind )...Well we aren't a beer store this is the "happy go drunky beer store" and you dont like the policies your more than welcome to take your business to the other beer store, and if you choose to continue argruing with me I'll have to ask you to leave.
SC - Well this is ridiculous !!!!! you should just have a sign, it would be less confusing
me - (left thinking , if i had a sign you wouldnt read it, and also WTF difference is it whether i tell you , or a sign tells you?)...........

I also know that there is no other beer store open in the entire city at this point. So what choice do you have?

This woman actually called head office to complain about be, but since my boss used to manage the store and generally understands the ignorance I deal with she promptly backed me up and wrote this woman an email, reinstating policy and told her I followed all procedure. She also forwarded the email to me so : ) i <3 her

one more story.....

why do I assume?


ME=ME
SC = poor excuse for a man

Usual line up happening in ringing people threw, this regular who always buys the cheapest thing possible to get drunk, and always brings back empty bottles by the truckload(well actually the back of his bike) storms in and right up to the front of the line. Him, his stench and all 7 of his teeth.

SC- I wanna talk to 'da managa
ME- I'm the manager, and I'm busy with other customers at the moment , you'll have to wait a minute.
......
......
I'm still ringing people in as I work alone for long stretches of time I finally acknowledge his meagre existence again.
ME- what seems to be the problem sir?
SC- YA ! I was in the other day and I bought a six pack of "@@@@" and brought back a buncha empties and the guy workin' RIPPED ME OFF !
I called the head office and they told me to come down here and get my money
ME- ( I now know this is a lie since they promptly call me/leave a message regarding any complaints and I also know the woman who answers those calls and had already talked to her that day) Well sir, I havent recieved any notice from head office regarding any compensation for you, so my best advice is to come back on friday when the employee you say ripped you off is working , maybe he made a mistake.
SC- THIS IS BULLSH!T !!! I AINT LEAVING HERE UNTIL I GET MY 40 CENTS !!!!!!!
ME- /facepalm I cant help but openly laugh at this guys utter outrage over 40 cents, I reach into my pocket and pull out 2 quarters slap them on the counter and tell him to GTFO,


stupid me for assuming it was actually a substantial amount of money that I couldnt give outta the till like 10 bucks or something......

guess i learned a lesson at least lol

many more to come. ive thought of another 10 or so just typing these 2 lol

[BookstoreEscapee]

SC - WELL WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ??? Leave it outside to get stolen???

Well, they make these nifty things nowadays called bike locks. They might be hard to find...might hafta try like, a sporting goods store, or the sports aisle at Walmart, but it might be worth the investment...

SC - Well this is ridiculous !!!!! you should just have a sign, it would be less confusing

Well, most reasonable people don't think to bring their bike into the store...especially a small store that is (presumably) filled with glass bottles...

stupid me for assuming

Well, you know what happens when you ASSuME! (I the Odd Couple).


BTW, to the boards!

[mariamousie1]

Hi, welcome! I know about the beer store, I live in London, where the birthplace of Guy Lombardo is now, you guessed it, a beer store. The one thing about your post that really stuck out at me is that you said someone once threw a bicycle at someone in your store? I hope no one was hurt!

[Spiffy McMoron]

Well, most reasonable people don't think to bring their bike into the store...especially a small store that is (presumably) filled with glass bottles...

Yeah, but most reasonable people would have bought a lock to lock the bike with. Since she didn't, we can therefore logically conclude that this lady is not reasonable.

Who said there's no logic in retail?

[sms001]

Welcome!

SC - Well this is ridiculous !!!!! you should just have a sign, it would be less confusing

Geez. If you start putting up signs to tell people not to bring four foot long three foot high cumbersome metal contraptions into small aisled stores, where will it end. Next you'll have to put labels on frozen pizza telling people to cook them before eating.

oh.

utter outrage over 40 cents, I reach into my pocket and pull out 2 quarters slap them on the counter and tell him to GTFO,

I've done this in line at a store on multiple occasions. It's pretty satisfying really.

[Acolyte]

Heh, I think I know the store you speak of (Grew up near London as well-well, St. Thomas, but same thing). Never made it there, as I moved away just before I turned 19, but I'm planning to trek up there next time I'm back in London.

[mariamousie1]

That's cool. My parents lived in St. Thomas before I was born. I've been there to see the Jumbo the elephant statue.

[Imogene]

jaded, sarchastic and down right crabby fellow.

Hmmm... just what we need for the board. Yet another sarcastic liquor guy.

I keed, Jester.

Hey, do you by chance do magic, too?

[ThePhoneGoddess]

and once someone threw a bike at a staff member )

I really wanna hear this story!

[Boozy]

Our store is open 1 hour later than "the beer store" on sundays, and during that last hour we get all of the lazy derelict's and general scum of society.

I am sympathetic.

I work for an winery-owned wine store, and we are also open one hour later than the LCBO on Sundays.

It is without doubt the single worst hour to have to work at my store.

[mymaskofsanity]

sadly i do not know the bike throwing story, my boss mentioned it but didnt elaborate, i'll try and get it out of her one day =P

[The Gatekeeper]

Hmm, I'm also in Ontario, and we have a local brewery beer store, and it's also in a really nasty area of the city....hmmm....It wouldn't be the one who's name breaks into "a large body of fresh water" and "a place where ships come in"?

It's Hammer time....only makes sense if you know the nickname for my city.

[Andara Bledin]

Speaking of your city, GK, I had a new customer some time back who happened to have their place of business in your city.

I ended up thinking of you when I had to Google Maps the address to get their postal code because they were too stupid to think to include it on their order form. Nah, it's not that important that we have your postal code for when we ship this item from southern California up to some small city in British Columbia...

^-.-^

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

So, this Beer Store isn't located in Chilly Beach, by any chance, eh? Hein?

[The Gatekeeper]

Speaking of your city, GK, I had a new customer some time back who happened to have their place of business in your city.

I ended up thinking of you when I had to Google Maps the address to get their postal code because they were too stupid to think to include it on their order form. Nah, it's not that important that we have your postal code for when we ship this item from southern California up to some small city in British Columbia...

^-.-^

I guess I should correct myself. This is not "my" city. I was not born here, I did not grow up here. I only moved here less than 10 years ago. So when people ask me, "Oh are you from The Hammer?" I say "No, I live in the Hammer, I am from nameoftownthatisntfullofinbredmouthbreathingwealfa recheats " Hmm I suppose it would be shorter to say, "No I just live there"

The area code here isn't 867, but in some parts of the city, it might as well be. At least we don't have to order hats and pants from Gravekeeper. There is always Giant Tiger.