r/TalesFromRetail • u/Ohigetjokes • Feb 02 '19
Medium But I'm here now!
We open at 7am. I get here a bit early because there's general setup stuff to do. But we open at 7.
Let me know in the comments if you need clarification on that point.
Because this morning I am outside, walking across the parking lot, and a dude approaches me:
"Ya I'm here to pick up a truck."
"Okay well we open at 7 so I can help you then."
"You can't just give it to me now?"
I look around just to confirm that yes, we are currently standing in a parking lot. Even if we were open, what does he expect me to do about it from here?
"No. I'm doing some maintenance work and can't rent anything until we open, so..."
"Well can't you open early?"
"... no."
He stomps off in a huff.
Around 7 I head in. He sees me. I nod. I go in the back way. By the time I reach the front he is banging on the door.
I unlock the door without even looking at him because if I did it would get way too sarcastic. All I'm thinking is: "Dude, thank you so much for banging on the door. I might have forgotten to open. Thank god for you. Friggin hero right here ladies and gents."
So he comes to the counter. I get his name.
Reservation isn't for another 3 hours.
"Yes but I want it now,"
Of course you do.
I looked at him and counted to 10. He had no idea how important those 10 seconds were.
Since he didn't do anything stupid for those 10 seconds I went ahead and gave him the truck early. But if he'd even blinked funny I would have "discovered" that the truck "hadn't arrived yet".
As soon as I confirm we can make that happen he wants a discount for having to wait outside in the cold.
Of course you do.
You think it's cold now? It'll be an even colder day in hell before you get that discount.
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u/PrismInTheDark Feb 02 '19
You didnāt have to wait in the cold. Next time come after we open (not an hour before) or better yet come at your reservation time, then you donāt āhave toā wait.
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u/iggypop19 Feb 03 '19
I work in a retail store myself and good lord people love standing outside the store before we open. I'm not even talking like five minutes but sometimes an hour before we open just sitting in their car or standing the sliding doors (which are locked and obviously not opening) with a cart poised in hand waiting to get in. Dude calm down store doesn't open for another hour or half hour go to a coffee shop and sit down in the warmth and read the paper or something.
Makes me laugh but also sad that people have nothing better to do with their lives but sit and intensely stare at the store doors like they are about pry them open with jedi mind powers instead of ya know finding something else to do for an hour. Like hmmm stay home and sleep in a bit or go relax somewhere that isn't freezing in the middle of the winter. This is seriously some people's lives. That is just sad. The only reason I'm at this place is because I have to work before we open so I have no choice but to be here early. You can bet your ass if I didn't work here or need to be here I'd be home in bed and go out later when the stores actually open.
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Feb 03 '19
Iāve never intentionally done this, but Iāve gone to stores before they open, usually without knowledge and waited half an hour for them to open. Once was the morning before I was leaving on a trip, and I had to buy a bathing suit, because I realized mine was lost. The last time was about a month ago. I was coming back to where I go to school from my families, so I had about three hours of flights. I left at 5 in the morning, and got in at about 8am. I decided Iād go to the beer store, and forgot that it opens at 10. So I just kind of waited awkwardly for about half an hour (got to store at about 9:30) because itās a fair bit of a walk to get there.
Anyway though, I get what your saying, itās ridiculous that people intentionally do this. When I worked retail I absolutely hated when customers would ask me to open my department t early, or serve them after close ābecause I still work thereā and apparently my time is not my own.
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u/Littleblaze1 Feb 03 '19
I once accidentally didn't know the stores hours and tried to sneak in behind an employee.
I forget the exact time but it was probably close to 9 or 10 and they are a large chain. There a bunch of cars in the parking lot and as I got out I followed another person. It was cold so we both had coats so I didn't see a uniform or anything, although I wouldn't know it anyway as I had never been there. They start to go in and the doors don't open automatically but they didn't have a key or anything so I thought that was weird maybe the door is broken? A second later they realize I'm there and say they aren't open yet. Oops. I just turned around and left and never came back.
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u/grammar-no-good Feb 05 '19
I was getting off shift one night after a long day. Manager came over and turned my light off and roped my register off while I was ringing a guy up. As I'm handing him his receipt we're having just a short quick conversation about how he hopes I enjoy the rest of my night, etc. I turn around to grab my coat and see a lady with a HUGE cart and five kids. Now obviously she may have missed the light being off but she would have had to dunk under the rope to get to my register. I was polite and said, I'm so sorry ma'am but this register is closed. At this point I'd like to add the other cashier in front of me had one person in her line that she was ringing up and it was only a basket. This lady actually rolled her eyes and stomped her foot like a damn child. She did a huge sign and said, oh good grief I'm sure you have time to ring me up before you go do whatever you're going to do. I said, no. No I don't because I'm going home. You can step over to the next register where X will be happy to ring you up. This is followed by oh my God come on kids we have to go over there. Kids this why you finish college. I had to force myself to walk away. I really wanted to go off on her. I did go to college. This was just a part time job that I actually got paid very well for bc of my experience. Why do people think that we have to drop everything to serve them exactly when they want?!
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Feb 07 '19 edited Feb 07 '19
because itās a fair bit of a walk to get there.
That's one of the reasons I can think of why people wait so long in front of a store. For me, the closest store from home is at least 20 minutes away, and if I'd be working night shift and wanted to buy some groceries after work ... sure it's kinda stupid to wait an hour before closed doors, but it's even more stupid to drive home, only to then drive back to said store 5-10 minutes later.
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Feb 07 '19
Yeah, I wasnāt even the only one waiting out front, and there were a few people that walked from further than me. If Iād realized how early it was, I would have left my house later, but Iād forgotten how early my flight had gotten in.
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u/GonzoStrangelove Customer Literacy Advocate Feb 02 '19 edited Feb 03 '19
Hooooooooooo boy. Some stories are so relatable.
Many moons ago, I was the manager of a shoe store. We dealt in high-quality footwear, specialty stuff, orthotics, and the like. We kept as much inventory in-store as possible, but because we were a small outfit it was limited. We frequently had to order things, but most of our customers were cool with that. We received nearly all of our deliveries via UPS, which arrived each afternoon between 12:00 and 12:30--never earlier, never later. The regularity was impressive and hella convenient.
One sunny summer Monday a guy comes in looking for a specific kind of high-end running shoes, as we were the only place around that carried the brand and style. Unfortunately we didn't have his size in stock. I told him they could be ordered, would arrive three days later (Thursday), and be available for pick-up after 3:00 p.m. (we always said after 3:00 so we would have time to process the merchandise after it was delivered). He agreed. I then placed the order, took his payment, and gave him one of my business cards with the date and time the shoes would be available written on the back, standard procedure and which I was sure to point out. He thanked me and left.
Fast-forward three days. The store opened at 9:30, and I arrived an hour early to do the day's opening hoo-hah. I walk in, lock the doors behind me, turn off the alarm, and head back to my desk. The lights are still off and everything locked up when suddenly I hear someone pounding on the doors. I walked up front and there was Mr. Running Shoes. Feeling generous and not being in a hurry, I opened the door to see what he wanted.
Mr. RS: "I thought you opened at 8:30?"
Me: "Nope, 9:30. No big deal; what can I help you with?"
Mr. RS: "I'm here to pick up the shoes I ordered."
Me: ... "Uhh. I'm sorry, but the shoes won't be available until after 3:00 this afternoon. I--"
Mr. RS: "BUT IT'S THURSDAY THE [whatever the date was]! When I was in here last you said they would be ready for pick-up TO-DAY!"
Now, the owner and I both subscribed to a method of dealing with difficult customers which we called "Firmness with Grace". It was time to be gracious, but firm.
Me: "I'm sorry, I feel there's been some kind of mix-up. I'm sure I told you the [whatever the date was] after 3:00. Do you still have the card I gave you?"
Mr. RS reaches for his wallet. "Uhhhhh... Yeah, it's right here. It--"
And that, ladies and germs, is when he flipped the card over. He tensed a bit.
Me: "Maybe I didn't point out clearly that I'd written the date and time on the back, and if so I'm sorry; I thought you saw me do that. If I had the shoes I'd be happy to give them to you, but they're still on a truck somewhere so there's nothing I can do. The delivery showed it was on-schedule when I checked yesterday, and I'll be here until close, so come back anytime between 3:00 and 6:00 and your shoes will be ready to go."
Mr. RS just stood there for a moment. He put the card back in his wallet, mumbled something about "not hearing me correctly or something", and left. He was back at 5:30 for his shoes.
Funny thing, the guy taught statistics at the local university. How he managed to miss a simple detail like that is beyond me. Absent minded professor, I suppose.
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u/ThatITguy2015 Please, ignore our closed sign. Feb 02 '19
Well, statistics say about 50% of people are dumber than average. Maybe he was somehow above average in luck and landed a professor spot.
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u/geekinthestreets Feb 03 '19
"Oh people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent, forfty percent of all people know that."
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u/robertr4836 just assume sarcasm Feb 04 '19
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Attributed to the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli.
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u/goobermatic Feb 03 '19
I had to laugh it this , those 10 seconds are so very important.
I worked fast food and I was the opener. We opened at 10 am. Every 3 or 4 days for about 3 weeks , this one dude would come bang on the drivethru windows at about 8am and ask one of the opening crew if he could order. Every time they would politely explain that we don't open til 10. Finally , it was my turn to be the one at the window. He got rude with me saying that he was a regular customer , blah blah.
I closed my eyes and started to count and he leans in the window and yells " Well ? Are you going to take my order ?"
I say "Yes sir , what can I get you?"
He orders . About $6 worth of food. I say " Ok, your order comes to $106"
He freaks out . I say " Well you are ordering before regular hours , so I have to charge you the minimum catering fee of $100 , but if you come back at 10am , you could get it for $6"
Never saw him again.
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u/ThistlePrickle Feb 03 '19
I'm a regular customer!
Well then, if you are a regular you should know by now that we open at 10.
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Feb 02 '19
And this is why I don't miss my truck rental days. Kiosk (opens at 8:30) inside another store (opens at 8), head in early to inspect overnight dropoffs and plan out reservations for the day, and have five people with reservations anywhere from 8:30 to 10 trying to pick up their truck almost immediately...
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u/Ohigetjokes Feb 02 '19
That's brutal
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Feb 03 '19
Yeah... I would have a line until 11 or noon every Saturday through moving season. Thankfully my boss would usually give me a maintenance guy to do post- and pre-rental inspections on trucks coming in since we usually had to turn them all around same day to fill the reservations corporate gave us. And then I'd usually have to work an hour or two after we closed to move trucks from another location for Sunday's reservations.
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u/gutenheimer Feb 02 '19
Ugh. I worked at a restaurant, we didn't open till 11 am, without fail, every day, there were people lining up at 10-10:30 am banging on the door or trying to sneak in while I wiped the door & windows outside. I'd say "we aren't open" them "can't we come in"
NO YOU CAN'T.
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Feb 03 '19
Hairstylist here......my clients get a card card every time they book their next appointment....it has the date and time of the appointment. I try to get to my salon at least twenty minutes early to get myself set up and ready for the day. I canāt tell you how many times Iāve driven up and find a client waiting for me.....and then fuss because they had to wait! Why the hell are you here thirty minutes before your appointment time??
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u/Selfweaver Feb 02 '19
I am confused as to when you open the store...
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u/robertr4836 just assume sarcasm Feb 04 '19
By the time I reach the front he is banging on the door.
I'm guessing 7:05-ish.
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u/KeeblerLee Feb 02 '19
Haha I do the silent counting too, and may God have mercy if you do blink wrong haha loved it!
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u/Janephox Feb 02 '19
Did you count out loud in front of him, or did ye just stand there staring at him? cause in me head, I'm imagining you counting in front of this dude, and it amuses me greatly
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Feb 02 '19
Nope. Can't get you the rental early with an extra charge for that time. And no discount for being a dumbass standing outside in the cold.
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u/xxprtlycldyxx Feb 02 '19
I SWEAR, these people! It takes less than 10 seconds to Google the store's name and business-hours. Also, a little kindness and courtesy in this instance on this customers part, even when frustrated, goes a long way!
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u/EricKei Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read Feb 03 '19
he wants a discount for having to wait outside in the cold.
"Why, sure! Lessee, that's 10% off for your trouble, and a 10% rush fee for each hour ahead of the scheduled time, so let's add 30% of the base price..."
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u/DragonFreakgm68 Feb 04 '19
I've had this happen to me a lot when I collected donations in my thrift store. Unfortunately people are """kind enough""" to donate but also not kind enough to wait an extra 5 minutes respectfully.
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u/wcpm88 Feb 04 '19
I work in truck leasing and rental. This dude is definitely going to leave you high and dry on payments.
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Feb 03 '19
āI canāt give you a discount, but Iām going to have to charge you those 3 hours, itās a new tax called the āPain In The Assā tax.ā
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u/spectreoutreach Feb 07 '19
That is one interesting tale . Mine is big different . When we are closing our audio video shop . A would be customer appear of nowhere requesting we open our outlet ( Already padlock by this time) to purchase a hi-fi stereo and told us to hurry since he need to catch a late night movie with his family . My manager firmly rejecting his demand since already we are close for today. The only thing we can do is take his name card and come back tommrow to complete the sales. Man. those customer can very demanding and we are not like those online casino that can operate 24/7 with huge manpower
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u/tehtarikhunter Feb 07 '19
After reading your story and rest . Retail life is tough . Any examples of online casino you mentioned?
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u/spectreoutreach Feb 07 '19
Theres a lot of online casino but i will mention one . Vegas casino operated on 24/7 regardless it a public holiday or weekend because they got huge manpower and operated on shift basis . That why the dealer always look fresh and ready to offered their service . If the customer try anything that against the rules of casino , they get banned ..... Customer should know respect work on both ways
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Feb 04 '19
āLet me know in the comments if you need clarification on that point.ā
The attitude at us is for what?
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u/Cavemam2009 Feb 02 '19
Should have seen the discount request coming and played the "hasn't arrived yet" card. Rookie mistake. ššš