But you work here!

[Leztwerp]

I work at a little convenience store, we have one small back office so when we have a store meeting we take over the seating area and have people from another store cover us for an hour or so.

Well today was my "day off" and I had to go in for a store meeting. The standard uniform is kahki pants, and a white polo. This does not resemble a plaid button down and jeans in anyway.

Were all sitting around waiting for the manager to get her things together when this lady with two kids in tow comes up to me and complains that the girl at the deli is taking too long and that i should go help her.

Granted I usually work deli, but I'm obviously not on the clock. I had to actually explain to this lady that i was not working that day. To which she replied "But you work here! and you're here! So you should be able to help me!!"

Just cause I'm in my store. Does not mean i will make your sandwich. Sorry no.

[marasbaras]

What an idiot. You're supposed to help her OFF the clock? Yeah, that's right ... take a walk, honey.

[ArcticChicken]

I keep waiting for somebody to recognize that I work at the grocery store while I'm shopping, and demand that I open a register for them. Luckily, most of the people who look at me, not the uniform, are actually sensible, and not SCs. So far, at least.

[tropicsgoddess]

If that was me, sans uniform and off the clock and some SC demands that I work I would tell them where to go and take it.
There's no way in hell I'd EVER work off the clock for anybody. I don't care who they are.

[Apathy]

If that was me, sans uniform and off the clock and some SC demands that I work I would tell them where to go and take it.
There's no way in hell I'd EVER work off the clock for anybody. I don't care who they are.

/agree

What the hell lady? Would like like to do your job off the clock? Screw off.

[imakemistakestoo]

I worked at a pet store a few years back and I still can slap my manger for this.
I went in to pick up my check. The uniforms were kaki pants with a forest green shirt. Now what I wore to get my check did not in any way resemble the uniform.
I was getting ready to leave the store after talking to a coworker and I had someone stop me and ask me about something or another. I politely told them I was off the clock and to please ask some one that's behind the register.
The next day I go into work and my manager starts to tell me how I'm supposed to help customers when they ask for help. I told her that I was off the clock, it was my day off and I was not wearing a uniform so no I didn't have to help the person. She told me that from now on if a customer asks for help on your day off and you are at the store you are to help them. Her excuse was it would make for good customer relations.
Let's just say I said a few colorful words and told her straight out I don't work for nothing and if she was willing to pay me to do that then it would be a whole nuther ball game. When it was my turn to work with the two coworkers that were on the clock that day I made sure I let them know that I would not in any way help any customer on my day off. They did say it was pretty busy and it would of helped them a lot if I did help. I asked them if they would help me if it was busy and it was their day off and they said no. I screamed CASE CLOSED.

[pssorens]

I've helped a guest, went off the clock, changed clothes completely , and the guest still decided that I needed to check the back room for more post halloween clearence candy.

[d962831]

OMG, I hate this sort of thing. I've actually been asked to stay an hour late to help stock, AND that'd I'd have to do it off the clock. I was like o_O WTF? I still don't understand why that manager got mad at me for it. No pay=no work in my book.

[Fenrus]

I've had this happen to me... I went in one day on my school lunch break to pickup my check and deposit it, I go in, and since it's the high school lunch time, it's pretty busy. I sneak my butt in the back, grab my check, as my manager wheels around and tells me that if I want my check, i'll have to pack a few orders. I told him to shove it, took my check in hand, and left. I went in later on my scheduled shift, got told that I was getting written up for not helping earlier.... so i gave my two weeks then and there. There was no way I would get written up for not helping when I wasn't on the clock.

Funny story... the week after I left, he tried to do the same to the -then- co-manager. He quit too.

[South Texan]

Only twice have I had a manager demand that I help out or do work while I was not on duty. Both times I told them that I would be right back as I needed to wash my hands or put something down first. I then went and clocked in. When the work was finished, I clocked back out. Both times, the managers had hissy fits when they saw what I had done, but I just gave them an innocent look and said that I did not want them or the company to get into trouble with federal fair labor practices law for requiring hourly employees to work, but not paying them for it. The managers fumed about it, but shut up after that - and neither ever pulled that stunt on me (or anyone who heard what I said) again.

I know. That was really passive/aggressive on my part, but it made my point.

[Kyree]

I thought it was illegal to make you work, or have you be punished for not working off the clock?

[South Texan]

I thought it was illegal to make you work, or have you be punished for not working off the clock?

You are correct. It is illegal in the U.S. to require hourly wage employees to work without compensation.

[powerboy]

Once, when I was working for Walmart, they wanted me to work off the clock. I asked if I would get paid for it, they said no. And that is the same answer I told them. Fuck them. I was already pushing carts 9 hours aday and without a lunch that day.

[Victoria J]

I don't have a huge problem while in my place of employment - if I'm there I'm working, sometimes we aren't available to help the public but then my manager would expect me to say so. People do argue and try and get me to answer questions quickly I now just point out that when I give advice formally we keep a written record and have multi-million pound insurance if I get it wrong. You ask me on the door you're not covered. This works surprisingly well and seems to impress people.

I do however try to keep quiet where I work - otherwise people ask for advice all the time. I outted myself in the shop down from my office the other day. I was in there buying a can of coke when an elderly lady came in and asked where the advice centre was, the shopkeeper said it was just down the road but she wanted him to be more specific. I went over and told her, and also told her the opening times and that we we're closed. She asked me if I could point it out to her for when she returned on an open time so I stepped out of the shop and pointed.

So - I'm happy to be mildly helpful on my lunch break! I reckoned it was much quicker and simpler than letting her wander down and start trying to get into the building - and a colleague having to deal with her over the intercom. She was fine and didn't try and get advice from me. All good - right ?

I stepped back into the shop and the shopkeeper said "My brother has an immigration problem" and stuffed a whole bunch of immigration papers in my hand...



(His brother had more of an immigration impossibility - I did explain this, and did point out he could get a second opinion from a solicitor. 2 days later I was in the main office when the cleaner - who cleans the building we're in but not our offices - was there. She'd been asked by the same man to bring in his brother's documents and ask us ! She was not pleased he'd already asked. I sent her back with a list of solicitors).

I've been avoiding the shop - but the other shop charges 5p extra per can.

When I trained I was a volunteer for an advice centre in a small town - and you'd be recognised by customers all the time. (Volunteering is fine when that's clearly arranged, when you work for a charity, when you can take time off whenever you choose etc.) My favourite was signing on for unemployment benefit and being stopped for advice at the JobCentre

My mother always asks me to advise her friends - she seems to think she's doing me a favour by drumming up business Up to now I've quite enjoyed it - a lot of the advice was for honourary aunts and uncles who were really nice to me when I was unemployed, and things weren't going well. It's been great to give something back and get to show off my new skills. Better still I advised my mother and got her around £3000 (her union told her not to negotiate when she was made redundant!) and myself a very nice silver necklace (She said I could choose anything in the shop - I fell in love with something that seemed far to expensive, and she bought it for me anyway).

However she recently asked me to advise a friend who became a mad stalker. She phoned at 9am on Sunday and the Bank Holiday, and at 11pm on work nights. If I don't answer my phone she assumes not that I'm not there but that something terrible has happened and rings my mother hundreds of times. She got me on the phone and wouldn't go - and I ended up having dinner at 11pm, I was nearly crying as I kept saying "I'm tired, I have to go, I haven't even eaten, I've been working all day...". Then she called just as I was going to bed and didn't go until 12.30+ (again kept saying "I must go. i have to go to bed...")

I know I was weak to let her do this - but I'm used to people taking a hint ! And caring at least a bit about other's around them. I cut her off - she can now phone me only if she makes an arrangement by email (I'm only giving advice still because her employers behaviour outrages me slightly more than her own). Thankfully my mother is reasonable (about this at least) and said as far as she was concerned I could "tell her to *%$* off", and that she'd back me up.

Sorry didn't mean to rant - or hijack the thread. I didn't realise how annoyed I was until I started typing. Grrrr.

Victoria J

[tropicsgoddess]

OMG, I hate this sort of thing. I've actually been asked to stay an hour late to help stock, AND that'd I'd have to do it off the clock. I was like o_O WTF? I still don't understand why that manager got mad at me for it. No pay=no work in my book.

That's really has to be illegal. No way in hell would I do that. I get paid for a reason and that reason is to work. If they want me to stay later or add more responsibilities to my job, then they must pay me accordingly. Otherwise, it's a no for me. As for powerboy, I don't blame you for your response to Wally World to stay late after 9 hours of work with no lunch. That also has to be very illegal as well since (dunno if it varies in your state) but in Florida you must have a lunch break (at least 30 minutes or more) if your working 6+ hours on your shifts.