Usually I Have Great Customers

[aurelemsrealm]

If I'd have thrown a temper tantrum like that kid in public, I'd have gotten swatted right then and there. My parents didn't tolerate that kind of behavior. Also, if we had other kids visiting, they would get treated the same for misbehavior. If those kids' parents had a problem with their child being disciplined, they were told not to come back until they learned to behave.

As for the change customers, I don't mind counting excess change if I don't have a big line waiting. The end of shift is a bad time for excess change, too. Unless you've already pumped gas, you can pretty much figure on being turned away until after shift change because I will flat out tell you that my drawer is already counted down to minimal change in preparation for shift change. Also, excess change customers can expect to wait while I count the money myself. Don't expect me to take your word for it just so you can drop it and run. It doesn't work that way. If you don't like waiting, then learn to plan ahead. It's not my fault that you were already running late for whatever plans when you decided to stop here. Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency, so don't push your luck. Also, if you think your going to just go ahead and grab your merchandise and run before I'm done counting, think again. I put it on my side of the counter and bag it after I'm done cashing out your order for my own reasons. Trying to reach behind my counter for anything is a good way to get your hand smacked.

[Dips]

it does it with an old spare modem at, you guessed it, 14.4.

[OT]

I mentioned 14.4 kb to my father and he told me he still has the 300 baud cradle modem he used in the mid-70s. I've described on here before.

300 baud=0.3 kb (That's not a typo. The speed was less than a third of a kb).

I'm guessing the data had to go uphill both ways too.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I would say that if you have over five dollars in small change, closing time is NOT the time to clean out your coin purse.

I would say that a retail store is not the PLACE to clean out your coin purse. Go to the bank. Not that I could refuse it when people did it to me . If it was my kid I'd teach them how to count it out at home and take it to the bank (or a Coinstar machine or some such) to trade for paper money (and maybe even make a donation as Coinstar allows you to do and teach them a little charity while we're at it!). You can make that piggy bank into a much bigger lesson than just count it out and buy stuff.

and the occasional one who would apparently fall over dead if they removed the phone from their ear,

Hehe, this line made me

[Shengirl]

I refuse to take that much small change. I will send them right over to the coinstar machine; they do not need to hold up my line with that sort of thing. After about 20 coins is when I say no.

[Boozy]

First has a few items for herself, nothing for her kids, and pays with $12 in change, only $1.25 which was quarters. Second group, which included today’s second bratty child who even at the age of around 10 couldn’t bear to be parted from her toy long enough to let me read the damned price, has to count out 82 pennies to avoid getting back any change except a straight $10.

You know, on the rare occasions that I've ended up in a store right at closing time, I always ask the clerk "What payment method is easiest for you right now?" So if they've already counted their cash, they can take my debit card. Or if they've maybe closed off the debit machine, I can pay cash.

I don't expect every customer to do this (and sometimes they only have one payment method) but I would say that if you have over five dollars in small change, closing time is NOT the time to clean out your coin purse. If that's all they had, they should have been at the register well before closing time. Very rude of them.

[Bright_Star]

IF when I was 4 & acted like that brat I would have had my ass handed to me by my mom who didn't tolerate that kind of nonsense. This was back in the day you could hit your kids in public & NOBODY would dare say anything cause they knew damn well that you were being disciplined.
About Tracfone cards...it's far easier to just go to the website & order what you need from there.

[sms001]

I had heard this kid whining all over the store. I HATE whining, I do not tolerate it at my house.

Mother and son enter c-store. Inside the door is a card rack, which mom apparently wants to peruse. About ten seconds go by and my jaw hits the floor as I hear this in the most nasally, highpitched voice you can imagine coming from a fifty pounds overweight ten year old boy: "Mooooooooooommm, you're WASTING my tiiiiiiiiiiiime! I'm hungry, let's goooooo......." Wow. Just wow. I couldn't even meet her eyes when they checked out I was so embarrassed for her. Sad part is, it is hard to fault kids for engaging in behavior that WORKS. Despite our aspirations to outhink the animal kingdom, Pavlovian conditioning works just fine on us humans and rewarded behavior WILL be repeated......

P.S. I think of your licensing horror story from a previous post every time I check in on my home server's mail update process - I'm short a NIC card, so it does it with an old spare modem at, you guessed it, 14.4. Can't IMAGINE trying to do productive, real time work at that speed anymore. My hat's off to you sir.

[Gravekeeper]

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14?

Oh wow. If I did that I wouldn't have come out of the coma till I was 5. -.-

My mom doesn't put up with whining either. I also quickly learned to never complain that I was bored ( As she would find something for me to do pretty quick. )

She ran a sort of in home daycare ( Only around 5-7 kids at any given time ) up till about a month ago when she finally retired. I've heard all sorts of horror stories from her, but she won't tolerate whining, lack of manners, etc. You *will* be swatted. Nanny state be damned. Oh, and no, none of the moms have ever complained about their little spawnlings being smucked and timed out for acting like brats. My mom won't put up with it from the parents either, hehe. She'll tell them exactly what she thinks then tell them they can find someone else to look after little Damien as she's not going to tolerate it.

Funny part was she use to lament to me about how I was so well behaved she was completely unprepared for the horror that was other people's kids. <smirk>

[Jacen]

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14? Personally, my kids would have been picking themselves up off the ground. Of course, they knew this and would never have even considered it, and still wouldn't.

Trouble is, there is no legal way to punish kids anymore.

Our customers are, overall, fantastic.

Where do you work and are there any positions free?

[Ducky Dew]

To be honest, I’m very lucky. Our customers are, overall, fantastic. There are always a few sour puss types, and the occasional one who would apparently fall over dead if they removed the phone from their ear, but there are irritations, not really sucky in my book. By and large our customers are at least polite and mostly very friendly. Children tend to be well behaved, with the occasional exception that is to be expected now days, but here it’s not really the norm. Today, however, blew that mold.

It started when I was spelling E at the register while she was at lunch. I had heard this kid whining all over the store. I HATE whining, I do not tolerate it at my house. My own kids learned at an early age that is exactly the way to NOT get what you want. Finally they make their way to the front and I find out exactly what the whine-fest has been about. Kid wanted a pocket watch. He’s maybe 4 or 5 years old, and a skinny small child with the look of perpetual brat.

Mom tells him, again, that she’s not getting the watch. Full out tantrum, on the floor kicking and screaming. Mom just mumbles about his “not feeling very well today.” I wonder silently why she’s out shopping then, since none of what she bought could have in any way been something she had to have right then. Finally she pays out and tells the kid, “I’m leaving, I guess I’ll leave you here and she’ll put you to work.”

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14? Personally, my kids would have been picking themselves up off the ground. Of course, they knew this and would never have even considered it, and still wouldn't.

Then had the lady who had to argue with me about TracPhone cards. I don't know why we don't have the $9.99 card any longer. I asked, I never got a full answer, I doubt Bossman knows or cares. lt could be Corp. dropped it, we don't make squat on the damn things anyway. Could be Trac stopped selling them, I honestly don't know. Bottom line, it won't print out on our terminal even if we tried so I can't sell it.

Thankfully the rest of the afternoon went fairly smooth and quick after E got off, N and I taking turns checking out customers while we work on setting up Halloween displays and try to figure out what the freak we’re going to do with all this Christmas merchandise. But then at 15 till closing, WHAM.

They weren’t actually all sucky, but included three fishing licenses, on a slow as Hades 14.4 dial up connection when we’re trying to prep for close, not fun. One was from out of state, which meant entering everything from scratch. One lives here locally now, I know him from the area, but hasn’t bothered to get a TX license, only has CA. I figure out how to still get him his residence license, and again everything has to be entered from scratch. Third, thankfully, was local and already in the system, so that one went as quick as it can, which really isn’t very quick at all. They were all nice and patient and joked around with me while we waited for the screens to do the eternal load thing.

So that’s finally finished and it’s 10 after closing. N has locked the doors, but we still have two women w/ kids wandering around, even though she’s told them twice we’re closing. I told her, “Bossmas used to turn half the lights out on them, he still do that?” “Yep, and I’m glad you agree,” she replies, and off to the back she goes. So finally they drag their brood up front and proceed to check out. Separately, of course, and of course we’re down to only one register. First has a few items for herself, nothing for her kids, and pays with $12 in change, only $1.25 which was quarters. Second group, which included today’s second bratty child who even at the age of around 10 couldn’t bear to be parted from her toy long enough to let me read the damned price, has to count out 82 pennies to avoid getting back any change except a straight $10.

I know we’re lucky, I really do. That’s probably more suck that I get in a regular week. And Lord, I hope they don’t all come in one day again.