She's Back

[TruthHurts]

Yes my favorite little after hours customer reared her ugly head. Since the incident from this thread I've seen her a couple of times and she never mentioned me not letting her in.

A couple of nights ago she comes in, stinking drunk. She staggered down the aisle crashing the cart into just about everything. Luckily nothing was destroyed and thankfully did not attempt to buy booze.

I am bagging her things when she just starts staring at me

SC: I know you, you wouldn't let me in.
Me: We were closed ma'am
SC: The other lady always lets me in. I only needed one thing.
Me: Sorry once the register's off I can't take any more customers
SC: I'm really busy sometimes I can't make it on time.

Our store is open for twelve freaking hours and she simply can't make it on time? So she demands my name I give it to her.

SC: Well Truthhurts, I better not have anymore trouble with you. Your other co-worker treats customers with respect, you'd better start if you know what's good for you.

She staggered off. I love how she thinks she'll actually get me in trouble. And if she really thinks I'm gonna let her in after closing she's sadly mistaken.

[Teefies2]

We have one of these. She doesn't come in drunk or high, but she's just a little off, yanno? She normally shows up about 30 minutes before closing. She then proceeds to walk down EVERY aisle, picking stuff up, putting it in her cart, taking it back out and examining it CLOSELY. Sometimes she puts it back on the shelf it came from, othertimes not so much.

She comes in Every. F'in. Night. Two days ago, she came in right as we were closing. Oohed and aahed about all the Christmas 50% off stuff. I'll spare you the details of her conversation that she had with HERSELF about it.

Anyway, we've already been closed for 10 minutes and we're *gently* heading her towards the register, when NO. She veers off to look at the Christmas stuff again. "Ooooo this is half off!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need this and this and this and I want to get this and this and this." Finally, I had enough. I said, it will STILL be half off tomorrow. Luckily for me, one of the other CWs offered to put it aside for her. Great! She'll be in tomorrow FIRST THING to get it.

"Tomorrow" (aka yesterday) comes and goes, we see no sign of her. Tonight she comes in .... a full TWO HOURS before closing. And, yes you guessed it, she spends TWO HOURS going up and down every aisle, examining, putting in the cart, taking it back out, etc. As we are making the closing announcements, she saunters up to the register. "Where's my stuff?"

Fortunately, I didn't have to be the one to tell her. Our store policy is we will hold things for you for 24 hours, after that it goes back on the shelf. Oh NOEESSSSS! Well, she just CAN'T check out NOW!!!!!!!!!! And it begins again....... down the aisles, examining, etc. Store manager (who is doing his one night per week closing) asks me what her deal is, and I tell him IN DETAIL. He manages to persuade her, in his gentle professional "I'm throwing you out but you won't realize it" way, to get her to leave.

ARrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh h

[XCashier]

TH, does your manager know about this repeat offender? If she tries to slander you, I hope your manager stands up for you.

I recently found out that my Nemesis has been abusing some of my other coworkers, including an assistant manager. I've told others about her and hope the word gets around. Perhaps someday she'll be banned.

[emax4]

What would happen if you were to make the closing announcement, but then add, "...and to the lady wearing (whatever she is wearing when she comes in the store), you need to be in line in the next minute or the authorities will be called in for your removal from the store."?

[TruthHurts]

We are a small store we don't make closing announcements. The general rule of late comers is that anyone who comes in before closing has a 15 min grace period before we can ask them to go. If however the doors are locked we can refuse service.

Our main problem with her is that she'll get 40 dollars worth of stuff when she only has 20. Then it's the long arduous task of her deciding what she wants, which is hindered when she keeps adding stuff to the pile. Even though she tends to leave during the grace period we have to put back the stuff which takes us longer to close.

Understandably when she showed up outside our locked door that Saturday, I was not going to let her in. As for my manager I told her in advance and she has had her own problems with that lady so she'll have my back.

[emax4]

I understand the circumstance. However, with the amount of business you may be getting, doesn't your business reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? I can see your manager still giving her a chance or two, but until she's doing the work herself AND having to stay later to take care of all the go-backs, she may not see it from your point of view. Why not take care of the problem (customer) before it escalates?

[taxguykarl]

SC: The other lady always lets me in. I only needed one thing....
SC: Well Truthhurts, I better not have anymore trouble with you. Your other co-worker treats customers with respect, you'd better start if you know what's good for you.

OK, is this CW real or a voice in her alcohol-soaked head?

[TruthHurts]

No I am pretty sure the co-worker does exist. We have one co-worker who is a softy and lets people in a little after closing. Leaving the rest of us to explain why we don't give them the same allowance.

emax4, Our manager is quite aware of this lady's M.O., she closes a couple times a week. As for her being refused, all I can say is, we're a small store and she's a regular customer. The only authority I have is not letting her in once the door is locked. As long as she obeys the grace period, I can't do anything.

I'm really just venting here.

[PepperElf]

surveillance cameras?
that way you can punish the people who let people in after closing? assuming it's against the rules of course.

cos letting people in after closing is also a good way to get robbed

[emax4]

A trick I recommended to someone earlier with a similar situation:

When this happens, don't flee the suck; EMBRACE the suck. When she's ready to check out, go very slowly, taking great effort in ensuring that each item makes it safely on to the belt or plate. Why not go a step further and pack each item in the bag after you scan it? If something else needs to go to the bottom after you've already filled it, I think re-bagging things might be going too far, but that's your call.

Basically, if she feels no remorse holding you up, then she's proving that her time is not as valuable enough to the point where she has no issues waiting.

Comebacks:
SC: "..You don't have to go so slow"
You: I really just want to ensure that the groceries for our valued customers are safely packed..

SC: "I'M IN A HURRY!!!"
You:M'am, we've made our closing announcements three times over the store's public address system, yet that didn't stop you from continuing shopping and holding us up from closing the store.