Nope, you never engage. Never ever engage. That flaming asshole who’s too self centered and ignorant to read the hours posed on the door they’re banging on and refuses to accept that the store is closed for EVERYONE including them, isn’t going to be polite, honest, or responsible. If you engage, they will immediately punish you for it. Don’t ever make that mistake.
You don’t work for the customer, you work for the store. It’s not always a crime to go along with a customer, but it’s always a negative when they want to push you to violate policy, change prices, complain about Mike in sporting goods for having a mustache, or ‘‘I’ll be real quick I sware’’ shopping when the store is closed. They will always punish you.
I eventually figured out that when a customer gets shitty, more than half the time if I say ''I work for the store and I’m responsible for [the dumbass shit you want me to do], if I violate store policy I’ll be fired" they suddenly realize this isn’t a game, and stop acting like a can of smashed assholes.
I get it, but I’d also like to share an experience I had a couple years ago. I looked up the closing time online for a Taco Bell, or some such fast food place, that I don’t frequent. I then order online and head to the store to pick it up. I get there less than 10 minutes later. The store appears to be closed but there are people inside.
I was left confused because I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Also, I’m at the drive-thru which does not have posted hours. And to make it even better, they charged me for the order so I’m left having to deal with getting the money back on my own.
Yeah that’s not on you. New systems sometimes never really come online and customers just wise up and stop trying. It’s frustrating for workers too, because the only thing worse than a terrible customer, is losing a sale over nothing.
I think you shouldn’t just prejudge and categorize someone without knowing their thought process. Just because someone knocks on the door after the store is closed, it doesn’t mean they’re a “flaming asshole”. E.g. I also also knocked at a store at such a point because I lost my wallet inside the store. (Luckily, the people there were really nice and opened it so I could search for it.) Most customers are just… people. Maybe that’s a cultural difference (I’m not from the US), but as I customer, I always see a store worker as a human and engage respectfully, and at least most people I know do the same. Doing something like pushing them to do something they can’t do is awful behaviour, but I don’t see why you would expect that from a customer or think every customer is an asshole like that.
And about the original comment, I thought they weren’t aware that the store is closed and just confused, and then it doesn’t hurt to clarify. Of course if they wanted to be served after hours, this would be pretty ridiculous.
(And I personally also had situations where I was confused because a store closed an hour earlier than it said on the door and online.)
“but as I customer, I always see a store worker as a human and engage respectfully, and at least most people I know do the same”
Yeah, that’s a HUGE problem in US culture, people are fucking awful to anyone in customer service. They look down on you like there’s some class system and they are the lords and service people are the lowest peasant. I developed a nasty habit working in service of ‘‘never falling for their bullshit’’. Never show weakness, never give them an opportunity to fuck with you. It’s actually a terrible approch to social interactions, most of normal social interactions are built on mutual trust or understanding, if you never allow either to manifest, it’s a big communication breakdown.
Nope, you never engage. Never ever engage. That flaming asshole who’s too self centered and ignorant to read the hours posed on the door they’re banging on and refuses to accept that the store is closed for EVERYONE including them, isn’t going to be polite, honest, or responsible. If you engage, they will immediately punish you for it. Don’t ever make that mistake.
You don’t work for the customer, you work for the store. It’s not always a crime to go along with a customer, but it’s always a negative when they want to push you to violate policy, change prices, complain about Mike in sporting goods for having a mustache, or ‘‘I’ll be real quick I sware’’ shopping when the store is closed. They will always punish you.
I eventually figured out that when a customer gets shitty, more than half the time if I say ''I work for the store and I’m responsible for [the dumbass shit you want me to do], if I violate store policy I’ll be fired" they suddenly realize this isn’t a game, and stop acting like a can of smashed assholes.
I get it, but I’d also like to share an experience I had a couple years ago. I looked up the closing time online for a Taco Bell, or some such fast food place, that I don’t frequent. I then order online and head to the store to pick it up. I get there less than 10 minutes later. The store appears to be closed but there are people inside.
I was left confused because I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Also, I’m at the drive-thru which does not have posted hours. And to make it even better, they charged me for the order so I’m left having to deal with getting the money back on my own.
That’s on the employees. If you order the food before they close then they should still just give it to you out the door or something.
Yeah that’s not on you. New systems sometimes never really come online and customers just wise up and stop trying. It’s frustrating for workers too, because the only thing worse than a terrible customer, is losing a sale over nothing.
I can’t find that on ebay! Why are you mentioning that if i can’t find it on ebay?!
I demand to speak to the manager!
I think you shouldn’t just prejudge and categorize someone without knowing their thought process. Just because someone knocks on the door after the store is closed, it doesn’t mean they’re a “flaming asshole”. E.g. I also also knocked at a store at such a point because I lost my wallet inside the store. (Luckily, the people there were really nice and opened it so I could search for it.) Most customers are just… people. Maybe that’s a cultural difference (I’m not from the US), but as I customer, I always see a store worker as a human and engage respectfully, and at least most people I know do the same. Doing something like pushing them to do something they can’t do is awful behaviour, but I don’t see why you would expect that from a customer or think every customer is an asshole like that.
And about the original comment, I thought they weren’t aware that the store is closed and just confused, and then it doesn’t hurt to clarify. Of course if they wanted to be served after hours, this would be pretty ridiculous.
(And I personally also had situations where I was confused because a store closed an hour earlier than it said on the door and online.)
“but as I customer, I always see a store worker as a human and engage respectfully, and at least most people I know do the same”
Yeah, that’s a HUGE problem in US culture, people are fucking awful to anyone in customer service. They look down on you like there’s some class system and they are the lords and service people are the lowest peasant. I developed a nasty habit working in service of ‘‘never falling for their bullshit’’. Never show weakness, never give them an opportunity to fuck with you. It’s actually a terrible approch to social interactions, most of normal social interactions are built on mutual trust or understanding, if you never allow either to manifest, it’s a big communication breakdown.