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I can't believe you risked your lives to be here!
On Monday, my particular state got hit with Sandy. 8AM that morning the state was actually in a state of emergency and speed limits were lowered on the highway. But our mall was still open because it had to follow suit with the other malls in the area, and if our largest retailers were open, we were. I couldn't believe the number of elderly 'mall walkers' that made it in that morning, since roads were actually being closed, buses canceled, and umbrellas being blown inside-out! Throughout the day, stores began getting instructed by their corporate offices to close. One of our biggest retailers held-out till about 1:30PM before closing (Originally we were going to be closing at 5pm and had posted signs stating this), which meant we were now closing the entire mall. I had to make the rounds to the remaining stores to spread the news and inform customers on the way. Let's put it this way; weather conditions have to be EXTREME when a 24 hour Mart of Wal closes! (Poor store had a wiped-out camping section, which I fully expect will be restocked with all the returns they get after the storm blows through!)
Cue relieved employees and pissed-off Customers.
One family gave me a hell of a hard time, saying snottily "Well, the SIGN says the mall closes at 5!" I explained due to weather we were closing at 2. They argued "No, your sign says 5!" I snapped and said "Well we're closing NOW!"
Another guy that I turned-away as I was locking the doors complained that this was 'f-ing rediculous!' and that it was just a little rain! I told him we'd rather be safe than sorry and that some areas were worse than ours and we had employees that needed to get home. He continued cussing back to his car.
It amused me all the people who parked at the curb to run into the mall, while wearing summer-style clothing, no hats, rain coats, etc. and then bitched about 'how wet it is!' Um, we humans invented rain coats and boots and hats for a reason! USE THEM!!!!'
So we got it at both ends. Employees AND Customers (?) pissed that we had opened in the first place, and then Customers pissed that we had the audacity to close early! Some apparently had driven to all the other malls in the area, found them closed, and came to ours. They might not value their lives, but I wanted to be able to see my mall's employees alive the next day!
By 4PM I barely made it home myself; I know my vehicle's abilities, but I was worried about all the nuts out there driving without headlights, getting blown about by tractor trailers (who were supposed to be banned from the highways anyway!) and cars riding my ass despite the reduced speed of 45mph.
Gah.
Cue relieved employees and pissed-off Customers.
One family gave me a hell of a hard time, saying snottily "Well, the SIGN says the mall closes at 5!" I explained due to weather we were closing at 2. They argued "No, your sign says 5!" I snapped and said "Well we're closing NOW!"
Another guy that I turned-away as I was locking the doors complained that this was 'f-ing rediculous!' and that it was just a little rain! I told him we'd rather be safe than sorry and that some areas were worse than ours and we had employees that needed to get home. He continued cussing back to his car.
It amused me all the people who parked at the curb to run into the mall, while wearing summer-style clothing, no hats, rain coats, etc. and then bitched about 'how wet it is!' Um, we humans invented rain coats and boots and hats for a reason! USE THEM!!!!'
So we got it at both ends. Employees AND Customers (?) pissed that we had opened in the first place, and then Customers pissed that we had the audacity to close early! Some apparently had driven to all the other malls in the area, found them closed, and came to ours. They might not value their lives, but I wanted to be able to see my mall's employees alive the next day!
By 4PM I barely made it home myself; I know my vehicle's abilities, but I was worried about all the nuts out there driving without headlights, getting blown about by tractor trailers (who were supposed to be banned from the highways anyway!) and cars riding my ass despite the reduced speed of 45mph.
Gah.
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