No, we don't operate by CST here

[Lace Neil Singer]

CST, for those not in the know, stands for Customer Standard Time. This can mean any time that suits an SC; for example, they might insist that your store has to be open, cuz they say it's time; when in fact, you're not due to open for another ten minutes.

I had an SC operating on CST yesterday, at closing time. Now, the petrol station closes at 10pm. We were pretty much on the dot yesterday, cuz the manager had parked his car on the forecourt (not allowed, but guess managers can do what they want) and we thought that if we closed even a minute early, sod's law would dictate him coming to collect his car.

This guy ignored the cones blocking the entrance and came in the back way. After finding out that the pumps were locked, he then came and banged on the window with both fists, yelling, "It's not ten yet! It's five to!" Actually, it was nearing five past by the time Mr SC came round. I just ignored his ravings and eventually he went to his car and drove off.

Anyone else got any examples of a customer operating on CST?

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Back when I worked at Go Kart Place, we had adjusted hours for winter so they wouldn't have to pay a bunch of people to work 4 hours more than needed. This night we closed at 8. A party had finished several hours ago, but were NOT LEAVING! We all but finished cleaning until it was nearly an hour after we had closed, and they weren't even doing anything. Just sitting there talking.

I finally got on the intercome and announced that the park was closed so we could finish up and leave. Naturally, their table was a MESS!

[Bramblerose]

HA! I'll get at least one a week this summer.

either:

1) wanting to drop Precious Daughter off at noon. The parent always looks so confused/angry that we, the staff, are eating lunch.

2) wanting to pick up Precious Daughter as early as 9 AM. It's one thing if you've cleared this beforehand, but quite another if you just show up. Before lunch your Snowflake is in fact either cleaning/packing or taking her final swim test.

or

3) not showing up by 4 pm closing day to get child. Now we understand things like traffic (when I worked at a camp in Kansas City) or speeding tickets. Or even my CIT's adult who fell asleep and was seriously late (mostly because my CIT gave her a royal chewing-out). Everyone else can figure out about clocks and carpooling.

[hotelslave]

Gotta love CST. Every Sunday I am opening manager at my store. I arrive at 1130 to start the opening of store. Usually I will see at least 3 people pulling on door handle at 1115 while I am sitting in my car. They will repeatedly pull the handle while staring at the sign that says store opens on Sundays at 12. Then when I go to the door with my lunch and a coffee they will try to bumrush me as I try to close store door and lock it. Should be fun tomorrow.

[KhirasHY]

Heh, at my previous job...well, for 3 years, having drunk people forget the existence of clocks was my life.

"Room service closed at midnight."
"It's after midnight?"
"It's 4am..."
"Can they make me something before they leave?"

...they left...4...hours...ago...numbnuts...

[Red_Dazes]

Every fracking Sunday at Dress for Less.
There is always people out the door, when they see us walking around inside getting ready to open the store they start banging on the front doors and yanking them. When my managers go out to tell them we dont open till 11 they get pissed and usually end up calling them Fucking Assholes and using some comment along the lines of "You need to make your customers happy!"

I hate them.... also... I refuse to work Sundays anymore...

[SG15Z]

I hate them.... also... I refuse to work Sundays anymore...

Wish I could do that.....course I also wish we weren't open 24/7!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I get paid time and a half for Sundays, so I work them. At the garden centre, the place used to open at 11 and shut at 5. The staff however were required to turn up an hour beforehand in order to get all the little tasks done. Since the weekend girl assigned to help me out very rarely ever showed up on Sunday (there were several of these; they often jacked in the job for a supermarket job that paid more. Strange to say, I did this eventually. XD), I relished the chance to get all the pets fed and watered in peace.

However, there'd be a constant stream of customers walking in from ten onwards, and being told that the store wasn't open. There'd be roughly half using the excuse "But the door was open!" Yeah, it has to be; the staff can't teleport thru locked doors. The rest were operating on CST. There is nothing so irritating than having to explain for the ten billionth time about Sunday Trading Laws to someone who is operating on CST and insisting that it's already 11am when it is in fact 10:30. *headdesk*

[Gravekeeper]

CST, for those not in the know, stands for Customer Standard Time.

Ugh, I get this all the time. But in the format:

"I'm sorry, no one is in the office until 8am pacific time."
"But it's already 11am here!"

Yes...and why does that matter, exactly?

Also, I shall be borrowing the term CST and attempting to work it into a call next time this happens. -.-

[Lace Neil Singer]

Also, I shall be borrowing the term CST and attempting to work it into a call next time this happens. -.-

Finally, recognition from Gravekeeper! I am proud.

[Lots42]

When my managers go out to tell them we dont open till 11 they get pissed ...

Please ask your managers to stop endangering you. Opening the doors after close or before open to talk to customers is how employees get shot dead.

[SammyU]

I get customers like that all the time, usually when closing sundays because we're only open 9am-5pm and everyone tried to come back AT 5pm, or 5 after. We have a night drop, so it's not a big deal, but because we also have big glass doors people sit there looking in trying to spot us, and then banging on the door when they do. I have no problem going over, unlocking the door and just saying "we closed at 5, there's the night drop."
Of course some people try to argue this, I actually had such a bad argument one time that the other employee who was working with me had another store on the phone, on phone being on speaker, they could hear the other guy and me over the phone.
SC: "It's not passed 5 yet check your watch!"
ME: "I don't have a watch, it's past 5, we're closed!"
The other store on the phone heard that and started laughing so loudly the guy finally left.
At that store we've had to take the clock off the wall and press it up against the glass to get people to go away, usually it works, but not always.

[wagegoth]

Nordstrom had a policy when I was there that as long as someone was shopping in our department we could not close. We closed at 9 pm. One night, a customer wouldn't leave until 11 pm. There were several other late nights, but that was the worst.

It was an absolute waste, too, because then someone had to stay in Admin to take the bags and close out, at least one security person had to stay, and we couldn't shut down the lights.

[katie kaboom]

Nordstrom had a policy when I was there that as long as someone was shopping in our department we could not close. We closed at 9 pm. One night, a customer wouldn't leave until 11 pm.

Well that's the sign of a spineless management team. Or it's the sign of the drooling idiots that work in corporate, i'm not sure which anymore.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well that's the sign of a spineless management team. Or it's the sign of the drooling idiots that work in corporate, i'm not sure which anymore.

The latter. Remember, Nordstrom is the place that supposedly took back a set of tires they didn't even sell in the first place.

Basically, they sound like they're into customer service to the point of mind-mutilating stupidity, which is a good reason for me not to work there.