Get out of the store!

[Sammy7s7]

One night while I was closing, everything seemed to be going fine. I made the closing announcement at 8:45 as some SC came in. At 8:55 I made another announcement and the last one at 9:00. The SC was walking around shopping at 9:00 while the lights went out and several floor associates asked if they could help them. They said that they were just looking and then that they wanted us to leave them alone. They seemed to think that we would stay open for as long as they stayed in the store. I made more closing announcements at 9:05, 9:10, and 9:15. Finally, at 9:20 I made an announcement that said all the customers were gone and that if any associates wanted to buy anything they had five minutes. The SCs didn't show so I closed the last register. At about 9:25 all the associates started to head to the front of the store to leave because we are supposed to be out of the store by 9:30. The SC's show up and demand that I ring them up and I told them all the registers are closed because the store closed half an hour ago. They yelled, I smirked. The manager yelled at me in front of the SC's (trying to keep a straight face) but once they left he just smiled and shook his head.

[bainsidhe]

Errg, I hated that, since people never listen. At my previous store, we used to do closing announcements (always professional, even when people stayed well past closing), but later corporate decided to stop the announcements. See, they didn't want to "rush" anyone out the store, in the hopes customers would feel more comfortable and buy more. Anyone ever notice how people who stay late either don't buy anything or buy very little? Yeah, poor policy.

[xcaptainhowdyx]

unfortunately certain stores one does not immediately think of encourage this behavior...think big box home improvement stores...they are usually top 50 military friendly employers...so they hire in officers that haven't worked in the civilian world and expect them to adjust to the civilian world without letting them realize that yes they have a similar command, but this command is used to going home on schedule, not when the former officer thinks his underlings can go home...that's what I've seen recently and I'm not trying to military bash, just stating there's a difference between having a command that can't go home till the jobs done and having a command that is paid hourly and expects to go home by the time set by their schedule and company.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

At my previous store, we used to do closing announcements (always professional, even when people stayed well past closing), but later corporate decided to stop the announcements. See, they didn't want to "rush" anyone out the store, in the hopes customers would feel more comfortable and buy more. Anyone ever notice how people who stay late either don't buy anything or buy very little? Yeah, poor policy.

And that, I think, is why some stores don't do closing announcements--because they're chasing that "last big sale" of the day.

The big spenders generally come earlier in the day so they have time to make their selections. They don't rush in at the last minute.

[AirHostess]

Customers should leave the store at closing time. Simple. Why should employees with homes/famillies/lives outside work have to stay, often unpaid?

Sometimes at work we have to wait for the ground assistance people to come and collect wheelchair passengers. Again, slightly different as the poor passengers can't help being in a wheelchair, it's the fault of the stupid ground agency for being so useless! But at least we get paid for this and we are with passengers who have genuine need for us.

Selfish customers like this deserve this:

[AirHostess]

And that, I think, is why some stores don't do closing announcements--because they're chasing that "last big sale" of the day.

The big spenders generally come earlier in the day so they have time to make their selections. They don't rush in at the last minute.

Exactly, and due to this corporate greed this is why we are in a global recession.

[Auto]

You'd think that keeping employees on the clock longer because many closing activities can't take place with customers still in the store would be more expensive than whatever profit might be earned from some last sale to some last customer.

[BookstoreEscapee]

The manager yelled at you...why? Even if it was just a show for the "customer" it just encourages the "customer is always right" mentality that is so wrong in this case...

[Nashida]

The manager yelled at you...why? Even if it was just a show for the "customer" it just encourages the "customer is always right" mentality that is so wrong in this case...

That is excatly what I was thinking. It's like rewarding the wrong behavior.

No...it IS rewarding the wrong behavior.

[ShinyKitsune]

The manager yelled at you...why? Even if it was just a show for the "customer" it just encourages the "customer is always right" mentality that is so wrong in this case...

I was thinking the same thing...Maybe the Manger "yelled" in a sarcastic way? I.E.: "Oh, you closed the registers before they were done? Tsk, tsk!"

This is one thing I miss about my old store...Managers didn't mess around. They made the closing announcement, several more after closing, but if you stayed after 20 minutes, the MOD went straight to the customers and told them "We're closing the registers. You have to leave now." A few complained, but most apparently "didn't hear" any of the announcements.

[KellyHabersham]

We used to have this sort of problem all the time at the library - customers would wait until the last minute to sign up for library cards, argue about paying fines or lost/overdue items,.....etc. Sometimes those of us who don't handle that sort of thing were given permission to go ahead and leave, but most of the time, we have to stay and wait for the rest of the staff to finish up.....it's a general policy at my library for everyone to exit together.

[rts]

The manager yelled at you...why? Even if it was just a show for the "customer" it just encourages the "customer is always right" mentality that is so wrong in this case...

I agree! I have a major problem with that!!! The next time it will just encourage the bad behavior!

[Mike Taylor]

The manager yelled at you...why? Even if it was just a show for the "customer" it just encourages the "customer is always right" mentality that is so wrong in this case...

It seems to me he was mocking the customer and said customer was too thick to notice it.

We did a couple of similar things at the Honda dealership when "customers" were jerking us around.

[SG15Z]

And that, I think, is why some stores don't do closing announcements--because they're chasing that "last big sale" of the day.

The big spenders generally come earlier in the day so they have time to make their selections. They don't rush in at the last minute.

At least not all of them. I've had a couple of big spenders come in 10 minutes before we closed (at my old job). And we only make closing announcements when we closed earlier than normal. So we stood there waiting and waiting. Lights turned off but they kept shopping. That's why I miss working morning shifts.

[Hobbs]

Exactly, and due to this corporate greed this is why we are in a global recession.

Actually, it's much more complicated than that...but I'd need a pointer and an easel...


Also, by that time, we'd have already exchanged words that the customer needed to get out.