Customers Suck, Customers Suck, Customers REALLY Suck!!!!

[vegasmatt]

The following happened approx. 3 hours ago

BOR

I work in the deli department in a well known Super Market.
I've been there approx 5 years and the job is hard enough without
the customers.

So anyway tomorrow we have some coporate pricks coming in tomorrow
for a store inspection for the holiday. I worked the closing shift tonight. Which
I hate because I have a very large deli to wait on customers, clean, stock, cook and close at the same time. I find most customers are fine but there's plenty enough of the other kind to make me feel miserable and DEPRESSED.

Anyway my deli closes at @ 10. The closer is off at 10. Because of the coporate
people coming tomorrow my boss had some extra stuff he wanted me to do. I still have a ton of work but now I have maybe an hour of extra work. Clock hits 10 I'm not done I still have lots of work but I have to clock out(no overtime is allowed). The deli is closed all the lights are out and you'd have to be from another planet to not comprehend that fact. I keep working off the clock. When to my surprise my night supervisor calls me and tells me she sent back a customer to pick up a turkey dinner. I tell the supervisor I'm off trying to get my close done and I'm not helping customers on my time.

Customer is a women that wants to pick up two turkey dinners. I explain to her that I'm off the clock and I don't have time to get her stuff. She very assertive and has no problem giving me grief while I'm on my own time. People suck(Am I a SLAVE)? Any way I finally convince her to leave me alone. So she goes up front and the supervisor try's to help her get her dinners. Turns out that another guy I work with promoiced this women a two 14lb bird's and all out turkeys are 10 to 12lbs. So My supervisor is trying to find the heavyest for this pain in the ass woman.

So I find out from the cheker that checked her out that she's pissed at me and is coming back tomorrow to complain about me. I'M OFF THE CLOCK AND THIS WOMEN THINKS I SHOULD HELP HER.

HUMANS SUCK!

btw - I've been on this job 5 years and am still making poverty wages.

EOR

[barainga]

I would never ever work off the clock no matter what. If they aren't paying me, then Im not doing it.
But I see her suckiness as well as that of the supervisor.

[depechemodefan]

There's so much suck. Your cw promising the woman turkeys you don't have, the supervisor for sending her to you when your closed, the woman who gave you grief-she should have gone back to the supervisor once you told her you were closed. The Deli supervisor for making you work off the clock. I hope you have a chance the corp people know you worked off the clock. The most evil thing is you are working off the clock. Bet the corporate people are having nice Christmas bonuses.

[XCashier]

My question is: What the heck are you doing working off the clock in the first place? Yes, there is stuff to be done - but you are NOT being paid for it. In a case like that, if they aren't paying you to work past 10, then you leave. End of story.

If you are off the clock you really should NOT be doing any work at all. Seriously. If your boss is going to be a dick about it toss OSHA information at them - if you get injured at work, off the clock, you get shafted even further. If your boss knew that this extra work could not get finished by one person then there should have been another person scheduled.

THIS! It is illegal for an employer to make you work off the clock. If you have a union, contact them. OSHA would be a good call, too.

Too many employees do not know their rights. It's a good idea to look into them in your state.

[Kittish]

Hell, far as I understand the laws, it's highly, highly illegal for an employee to work off the clock whether it's of their own volition or their employer making them do it. There are soooooo many things that could go wrong with this situation, and in case of any injury, you are NOT covered by workman's comp, your employer's insurance or anything else. Report em to the labor board, to OSHA, to your union if you have one.... and don't, please don't, work off the clock. Your boss wants your workload completed, he needs to schedule the hours for you to be able to complete it. Period.

ETA: Another damn good reason not to work off the clock, if it's your own idea to do so- you could quite easily be fired for doing so, as it can cause so much trouble for your employer if any official notice is taken by the parent company or any governmental agency.

[smfrazier]

I can under stand the customer being upset. I think this is more a suck on the part of the supervisor than the customer.

[raudf]

Working off the clock aside, because everyone else has brought it up, this is a multi-layer suck. Co-irker shouldn't have sold the meals given that the deli closes at a certain time. The sup shouldn't have sent her to you, given that the deli closes at a certain time every day. It's not a one off closing... this is a fixed closing time and everyone in the store should know it, especially Sups.

The customer should not have expected miracles after closing time.. and shouldn't expect them during open hours. She's a complete entitlement whore and if the sup had any common sense, he/she would have refunded SC's money and told her to go elsewhere that's got a 24/7 deli (is there such a place?!). But apparently, this company doesn't issue spines to it's higher-ups.

[Seraph]

Seriously, I have to agree with the others. Working off the clock? And yet they STILL gave you that grief? Time to call Corporate/HR.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

It's kind of hard to convince customers you're off the clock when they can see you working.

Off the clock = no further work being done. Let the deli fail its inspection. Working off the clock will get you fired faster than the deli not being exactly ship-shape.

[Food Lady]

My first thought is that if you get injured in a major way, like with the meat slicer, you're not covered. I hope you don't get in trouble because the company gets in trouble when she complains.

[violiavampyr]

Also most majors grocery store chains are union, and really aren't happy when someone works off the clock.

[MoonCat]

Also most majors grocery store chains are union, and really aren't happy when someone works off the clock.

Generally true, although sometimes the union isn't that good, unfortunately. My brother was in one when he worked at supermarkets, and they weren't all that useful. And a guy we used to live next door to worked for a supermarket chain that had a union, and he still got shafted regularly. I don't know if it was the same union my brother belonged to.

Still, if you're in one, it's worth letting them know you're being expected to complete too much work in too little time. If nothing else, they may get you the overtime pay if you have to work past your regular closing.

And I understand the woman being upset, too, but at the same time, who comes in AFTER 10 PM to pick up something like that? Wouldn't you check the store's closing times? And a pox on the co-worker for promising her something your store didn't have.

[PepperElf]

So I find out from the cheker that checked her out that she's pissed at me and is coming back tomorrow to complain about me. I'M OFF THE CLOCK AND THIS WOMEN THINKS I SHOULD HELP HER.
.....
People suck(Am I a SLAVE)?

Your anger is justified - but not at the customer. She has every right to expect an employee working is still on the clock. If an employee told me, "I'm off the clock!" while they're clearly still working I'd be furious too. Not at the employee, but at the company for forcing people to work without pay.


So as to your question about "am I a slave" ... apparently your supermarket thinks you are, if you're not allowed to collect pay for all of the work you're required to do.

[BroSCFischer]

What they said.

No, seriously. If you are working off the clock you are essentially "volunteering". If they don't want to pay you overtime, then they should factor your closing duties into your schedule. If they don't, it's time to find another place of employment.

Wal*Mart just a few years ago got into a hell of a lot of trouble for doing what your employers are doing.

If you are in the states, you might want to see what the Labor Board has to say.

SC

[Bright_Star]

There's no reason to be working off the clock!!