Sorry, I'm not sympathetic.

[CSR Kim]

BG: I work in a jewelry kiosk that does ear piercings.

Last night, at 5:55 (mall closes at 6), had a couple of women and a little girl come up and ask if I was closed. I wasn't, completely. Asked them what they needed, and the younger woman says she wants to get her daughter's ears pierced. I apologize and tell her I generally stop doing ear piercings about a half hour before the mall closes. Then the younger woman says, "But I live all the way in Virginia! Can't you just do it? We're leaving tonight." I tell her no, the time it takes to fill out the paperwrok, ring up the sale, and do the actual piercing (especially that of a child)...I'd be there until 7. Fuck no.

They hem haw around for a bit (the clock steadily ticking toward 6), and discuss whether to go to Claire's or wherever. I tell them we have stores all over the country, and the younger woman says that she knows, she just wanted to get them done while they were in town. Then asks me again if I'll do them. HELLO! WE WERE EVEN OPEN ON THE 4th! WHERE WERE YOU?!? All damn weekend, and you decide to come up here 5 minutes before closing on a Sunday??

Anyway, they left, thank goodness. I guess they could've been suckier (like the woman who called me a fat bitch on Mother's day. Heh.) I just am so sick of people not realizing that it is not my job to make accommodations for them. I have a life outside of my work. Lights go off, gates start closing, and I want to get the fuck out of there and back home as soon as possible.

[Tuxian]

To say nothing of the fact that a lot of malls tend to have fines they can impose on the businesses that occupy their space for not opening or closing according to the hours the mall management has set as operating times. I know my local mall isn't shy about passing out the fines for not being open when the store is supposed to be open. The security guards give them about 15 minutes past opening before they write up the report.

[tropicsgoddess]

I've never heard of malls fining stores that don't close the same time the mall does. When I worked at H & R Block last year (as a receptionist), they weren't allowed to be open earlier or later than the Sears and the mall they were in. I once had the displeasure of working at 5-7-9 at the mall. I hated it, especially when last minute customers would come in when we're closing (grr).

[blas]

I don't understand why the girl couldn't wait until she got home to have her ears pierced. What, was she going to DIE without it?

Lordy, I've had to wait until I had extra cash for tattoos. I wish I could just waltz into the tattoo parlor right before closing and declare "I NEED to get this done before I go home! I want the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on my back, and I want it NOW!"

Ok, I really wouldn't do that.....but it's along the same lines of epic ridonkulosity.

[Tito]

I feel your pain! Back in my retail days, few things used to irritate me more than some last minute idiot coming in the store right before closing, and then get all upset that I was not absolutely thrilled to see them. Sometimes, I think that they are more annoying than SCs.

[rerant]

Have these people never heard of a tattoo shop? They're usually open later and are more well equipped for piercings. Not to say that you don't know what you're doing, but I, personally, would go to a tattoo shop even for ear lobe piercings. I mean it is what they do for a living, after all.

I guess the mother wouldn't have wanted her little precious exposed to all the criminals in a place like that, though.

[Apathy]

Back in my retail days, few things used to irritate me more than some last minute idiot coming in the store right before closing, and then get all upset that I was not absolutely thrilled to see them.

But you're there to serve them! That's your life, isn't it?

[aurelemsrealm]

It's just as bad when dealing with the "BUT I'M IN A HURRY" or "BUT I'M RUNNING LATE" customers in a 24/7 convenience store during shift changes.

1. Shift changes have to be done because someone is running out of scheduled hours, and reports still have to get done in a timely fashion. Just like their have their own agendas, so do we. That's just life, get over it.

2. Customers in such a big hurry came to the wrong place. We may be expected to provide fast and friendly service, but we can only go as fast as our machines and our slowest customers. As for the machines, when they fail, there's little we can do about it until we get a chance to fix it. Standing there moaning because it's not working doesn't help get it fixed any faster. Something I've noticed is that the ones who bitch the loudest about being in a hurry while they are waiting are the same ones who take the longest to get their bullshit and get out the door.

3. If a customer is running late, that's the customer's own damned fault! I don't want to hear it. It's not my problem. There is no such thing as priority status. We're not the post office, even though I would be willing to stuff said customers into a box and ship them elsewhere.

[sixums]

Have these people never heard of a tattoo shop? They're usually open later and are more well equipped for piercings. Not to say that you don't know what you're doing, but I, personally, would go to a tattoo shop even for ear lobe piercings. I mean it is what they do for a living, after all.

I guess the mother wouldn't have wanted her little precious exposed to all the criminals in a place like that, though.

Thank you. Gun piercings are hands down the worst thing that has ever happened to the piercing world. Why go to a sterile, knowledgeable piercing shop when you can go to the mall and get it done with a too short, dull stud for $7? People would rather take their children to a kiosk where people have had a short training video and look "normal" rather than go to a person who's been doing it for years, has a wall full of certificates stating they are licensed and have disease awareness training but is covered in tattoos. My piercer is scary looking, I admit, but he's also the sweetest man in the world.

I'm really not trying to knock your job, CSR Kim, but... gun piercings are so. bad. for you. I every time I see someone get one.

[xaenon]

3. If a customer is running late, that's the customer's own damned fault! I don't want to hear it. It's not my problem.

AMEN! TELL 'EM AGAIN!

[IT Grunt]

To say nothing of the fact that a lot of malls tend to have fines they can impose on the businesses that occupy their space for not opening or closing according to the hours the mall management has set as operating times.

This explains something I was curious about. At my local mall, the mall itself opens to allow people to come and walk early, but the stores usually don't open until 10 (12 on Sundays). One day we were in there just before noon on Sunday, and the book store raised their gate about 5 till. Me and a couple others were about to walk in when he stopped us. "Sorry folks, not open yet. When the overhead lights in the mall come on, we can open." If the mall could actually fine them for opening early, that actually explains his insistence.

[CSR Kim]

I'm really not trying to knock your job, CSR Kim, but... gun piercings are so. bad. for you. I every time I see someone get one.

Haven't read the rest of the replies, but had to respond to this.

Regardless, it's my job. Personally, I will not get pierced with a gun. I much prefer body piercers. But I get paid to provide a service to customers, it's not for me to tell them to go get done with a needle (most probably wouldn't listen to my advice anyway.) Although I have, in certain circumstances, advised customers that they would be better served by going to a body piercer.

For anyone in this thread (not directing at anyone in particular), please don't assume that because I work in a place that pierces with a gun that I am ignorant of why getting pierced with a gunis bad for you. I try to bring as much professionalism and knowledge of the correct care of piercings to my job as I possibly can, since most people think "AH! Body piercer! Ah! Tattoo shop!" and run for the hills.

Referring back to the original post, the mom from last night called my store this morning. Apparently they did go to Claire's and got the girl's ears pierced. One ear is pierced crooked and she wanted to know how long to wait after taking it out before she could get it repierced. I guess it was actually the grandma that was in town from Virginia, and SHE was the one who had to leave last night. So, at least Grandma got to see her little grandbaby get pierced before she left, even though it was done incorrectly.

[CSR Kim]

This explains something I was curious about. At my local mall, the mall itself opens to allow people to come and walk early, but the stores usually don't open until 10 (12 on Sundays). One day we were in there just before noon on Sunday, and the book store raised their gate about 5 till. Me and a couple others were about to walk in when he stopped us. "Sorry folks, not open yet. When the overhead lights in the mall come on, we can open." If the mall could actually fine them for opening early, that actually explains his insistence.

We get fined for opening late. If we have to stay after closing, say, for a meeting or whatever, we have to notify mall security. However, I don't know if we get fined for staying late without notice.

It sucks being in a kiosk, because we don't have a gate to hide behind. I can't count the number of times people come up when my lights are off and half my jewelry is still in the safe, who want to return something, or ask me something, or see something, etc. It drives me crazy.

[Kheldarson]

Just curious, why is getting your ears pierced with one of the guns a bad thing? That's how I got mine done and it went all right.

[depechemodefan]

My grandma pierced my ears. With a needle she sterilized by holding it over a candle flame, or some type of flame. Luckily I was 2 months old. And my holes look perfect. But I'm not planning on any other piercings.

I don't get why people come in 5 min. till closing. Did dinner take that long to eat? Maybe they should have came before dinner.