No you can't come in before we open!

[raudf]

The repair center had an opening time of 7:30am. Techs had to be there by 6:30am to get their routes and parts. I can name only a handful of times where we had someone haunting our door wanting in the moment one of us tried to enter.

Dad: Look, see this sign on the door. What does it say?

Stupid: Umm.. Open 7:30am-5:30pm.

Dad: Glad you can read. So, now I'll explain what it means. It means this door isn't opening for customers until 7:30am.

Stupid: But I got a product that I need to drop off for a repair and I need to be at work by 7:30!

Dad: Well, you'll be late either way, because our main computer system doesn't like dealing with customers before 7:30. (In fact, our register system LOATHED transactions made before the store opened at 10am! This is also the machine that printed our tags.. so.. yeah.)

Stupid: Well, I'll just follow in the next person to come up.

Dad: And then you go from being a potential customer to being a trespasser. We also have a state boy who loves to come out and chat with us right as we open. Do you really want that to make you even MORE late to work?

The guy got the hint. He went back out to his car and sat quietly, probably wishing there was some place online that he could bitch to while he was waiting, but fortunately for us, this was before cell phones could do much more than make and receive calls.

[WishfulSpirit]

Does offering them an alternative help at all? Back in my lifeguard days, telling people what they COULD do ("there's a smoking area just over there") seemed to work. Maybe tell them flat out "there's a cafe right over there, they don't mind if you sit in there" could work, or at least let all their Old Coot friends see how stupid they all are to be standing there when they could sit down.

[Dreamstalker]

There is a small pack of oldsters who loves lurking outside the door--no employee entrance. On my overnight shifts I've had to beat back some who tried sneaking in with the produce manager at 6:30. On occasion I'll be making my final rounds at 6:55/killing time and see some lady with a cart. I'm not in uniform for that shift so don't have a problem with telling them off if an SC barks orders at me...yes, I am on the clock, but the store isn't open (therefore I'm under no obligation to help anyone I'm not working with).

IMO nobody except employees should be let in or out before the posted opening time, but someone has convinced SM that the early birds are 'business' (no, they're a liability--if I trip on a box no big deal, but if an SC decides to it's our fault because someone let them in).

[greensinestro]

Does offering them an alternative help at all? Back in my lifeguard days, telling people what they COULD do ("there's a smoking area just over there") seemed to work. Maybe tell them flat out "there's a cafe right over there, they don't mind if you sit in there" could work, or at least let all their Old Coot friends see how stupid they all are to be standing there when they could sit down.

There's a good chance they know this as it sounds like they've had this same conversation before, but pretend like they have amnesia.

[eltf177]

IMO nobody except employees should be let in or out before the posted opening time, but someone has convinced SM that the early birds are 'business' (no, they're a liability--if I trip on a box no big deal, but if an SC decides to it's our fault because someone let them in).

This exactly!

[XCashier]

but someone has convinced SM that the early birds are 'business' (no, they're a liability--if I trip on a box no big deal, but if an SC decides to it's our fault because someone let them in).

I bet your store's insurance wouldn't cover any injured customers if they were in the store before it opened. And if the insurance won't cover the customer, they'll just turn around and sue the store itself. Perhaps the SM needs to be reminded of that.

[drjonah]

Used to get this all the time at Awful-mart. And it was ALWAYS the old people. They would either follow the workers in before the automatic doors closed, or they would open them up themselves. The ones that would sneak in unseen, would then throw a hissy fit because no registers were open. DUH, that's because the store isn't open yet.

It was always the worst on mondays because that was the day the deli gave away free coffee for seniors.

[eltf177]

I bet your store's insurance wouldn't cover any injured customers if they were in the store before it opened. And if the insurance won't cover the customer, they'll just turn around and sue the store itself. Perhaps the SM needs to be reminded of that.

This is a very good point and should be hammered home, with a railroad spike!

[mjr]

They will arrive up to half an hour before doors open and camp there, trying to get your attention by glaring imperiously through the glass doors, tapping on the Windows and grumbling whilst gesturing at the locked door.

That's when you gesture at the hours on the door.

Another favourite tactic of these SC's is to ambush staff as they arrive and attempt to force their way in as the manager arrives to let the staff in. This is precisely what they did to me today.

Does your cinema have an "employees only" entrance? Many of these places will have a "side" door or an alternate entrance for employees, precisely to prevent what you've described.

"You're ten minutes late!"

And that, madam, is the fault of you and your group of friends.

[WishfulSpirit]

I had to look up what pick n mix was. Over here its called bulk candy. Oldsters do like their hard candy tho. I remember my grandma's candy bowl well.

[greensinestro]

Does your cinema have an "employees only" entrance? Many of these places will have a "side" door or an alternate entrance for employees, precisely to prevent what you've described.

The problem with this is, groups of old bags like this will soon camp out there, too.

[April]

The only store I will wait outside of is the Halloween store, the day after Halloween LOL. Even this past year, when there was about 10 other people waiting, we all stood and chatted about what we were hoping to get. Despite having hundreds of sucky customers here, everyone was really nice that time.

The only really bad time I remember from my days as a cashier was black Friday. Trying to get into the store to get ready for work was actually scary on those days

[Jay 2K Winger]

I didn't work opening shifts when I worked at the movie theater, and fortunately we didn't have sucktomers camping at the employee entrance.

I did once have a co-irker who refused to use the employee entrance one day. I was FDLP that morning and was moving some stuff into our vestibule as I prepped for opening when he saw me.

CI: (thru door) "Hey, Jay, lemme in!"
J2K: "You working today?"
CI: "Yeah, lemme in!"
J2K: "You can't come in this way, man. You gotta go in through the back door!"
CI: "What!? C'mon, man, just lemme in here!"
J2K: "I can't open this door until 8am, man, you know that."
CI: "F**k this, then, I'll wait."
J2K: "You'll be late."
CI: "I'll tell 'em it's your fault. You wouldn't let me in."

I just walked away at that point. I'm sure it would have made for an interesting discussion had he tried to blame me. ("Jay wouldn't let me in!" "You wanted him to break the rules for you?")

[XCashier]

The only really bad time I remember from my days as a cashier was black Friday. Trying to get into the store to get ready for work was actually scary on those days

Oh yes, when there's a whole big crowd of people outside your doors and there's no employee entrance so you have to go in the main one. Double points if you're carrying food for the employee potluck.

Really, all stores should have an employees-only entrance/exit. Keep the early birds at bay until your good and ready to open!

[KellyHabersham]

The worst experience I had with this was when I worked at the church office - two of our problematic "food pantry regulars" were waiting outside the building, so I had to use a different door to go in and get things set up before "officially" opening the office.