Don't take it out on the check out girl/boy

hbloomers

username wrote: »

At the end of the day, the view I take is that I don't get paid, so it is therefore not in my interest to spend additional time hanging around, dealing with work-related issues when I could be cashing up and out the door at 10 past.

The thing I don't get is why people feel the need to come at about 2 minutes to 9 when the store closes at 9 and come in and dawdle about, taking their own sweet time, instead of realising that the store closes at 9, get what they want quickly and leave.

The store has been open for around 10 hours all day for Christ sake!!! I always lock the door at 5 to the hour and it is strictly exit only.
Perhaps if the company were to improve its conditions and pay me for staying on, then I'd be more willing.

I think you'll find I am not alone in my views in this.

Thats how I feel, except that my shop has been open for 12 hours, and how often is it that you need a pair of shoes at 8.58pm that can't wait until the next day?

We had an interesting moment on Sunday... A lady came in looking to exchange a pair of shoes as the stitching had come out. Fair enough you'd think. But she told us that she'd bought the shoes in March 2008. Yes the shoes were 16 months old, were about to fall apart they'd be worn so much, and to top it all off she came back with the wrong receipt. When this was pointed out to her, and the shoes the receipt were for were pointed out to her on the shelf (matching item codes) she still tried to claim it was the right receipt. Needless to say, she did not get a refund.

GrammarGirl

Thinking about it, staying late to do aspects of the job isn't exclusive to retail or customer facing jobs.

I work in an office and I'll often have a pile of work land on my desk at 5.20pm, to be done before I leave. The difference is, I can't tell the pile of work I'm closing in 10 minutes, or to hurry up so I can go. It takes as long as it takes.

I'm not really making a point or directing this at anyone, it's really just an observation.

Cerenia

vyle wrote: »

Sounds like good times. Was it an indy store?

Nope, it was a GAME store.

hbloomers

Good point GrammarGirl, and I'm not suggesting thats its exclusive to retail. But I am assuming that you actually get paid a decent salary. I'm on minimum wage. If I was paid more than that, I would be more willing to stay behind. As I'm not, I feel that the company is taking advantage of me, simple as. I'm doing up to four hours work for 3 1/2 hours salary... thus paying me under the minimum wage for the work I do, taking everything into account.

adouglasmhor

GrammarGirl wrote: »

Thinking about it, staying late to do aspects of the job isn't exclusive to retail or customer facing jobs.

I work in an office and I'll often have a pile of work land on my desk at 5.20pm, to be done before I leave. The difference is, I can't tell the pile of work I'm closing in 10 minutes, or to hurry up so I can go. It takes as long as it takes.

I'm not really making a point or directing this at anyone, it's really just an observation.

I work in an office now too and while this happens now and again, I have a good working relationship with the person who has given me the pile of work, I may have to get on with it there and then, but I will get the time back and I also get some slack if I need to leave early another day for some reason. A customer or more often a time waster is not going to be able to do that for a shop worker.

Takoda

adouglasmhor wrote: »

I am not getting paid = I will not be working. My work wants me to stay late means they give me time of in lieu or pay me.It's exceptionally rude to come into a premises at closing time and expect staff to be at your beck and call.

I hope you weren't so slapdash about time while enforcing the licensing laws as a copper BTW.

Doug - You are obviously trying to bait me with the copper comment so that adds you to my ignore list immediately.

To everyone else.....you really don't know what happened to that person that day. There might be a really good reason why they arrived late into your shop. But you don't care about that because you are only interested in the money in your pocket.

I guess what it boils down to is that if a person cares about doing a good job then they will willingly go the extra mile to help someone out. But obviously a lot of retail people don't feel that way especially on this thread.

I don't get paid for lunch hour. So I dismiss my class and all of them go except one. The one who needs some help with some aspect of their lives - bullying, loneliness, a bereavement. Or maybe they just discovered something and want to share it. Or maybe they enjoyed the topic we just studied and have a question about it. Or maybe they want to use the computer to find something out (they can't stay in alone). By your reckoning I should tell that kid to Foxtrot Oscar! Get lost kid I'm not being paid for this - go ask someone who cares!

I have always gone that extra mile in whatever job I've done. Paid or voluntary. But that's they way I live my life and it won't suit some of you wage slaves. When I look back on my working life so far I feel happy that I did my best.

This thread depresses me - it signifies a lot that is wrong with Britain today. Grumpy, selfish, clockwatching people who have no empathy with others and don'tcare.

I don't plan to come back to this thread for all the reasons above.

In the words of the Dragons "I'm out!"

beth464

Takoda wrote: »

Doug - You are obviously trying to bait me with the copper comment so that adds you to my ignore list immediately.

To everyone else.....you really don't know what happened to that person that day. There might be a really good reason why they arrived late into your shop. But you don't care about that because you are only interested in the money in your pocket.

I guess what it boils down to is that if a person cares about doing a good job then they will willingly go the extra mile to help someone out. But obviously a lot of retail people don't feel that way especially on this thread.

I don't get paid for lunch hour. So I dismiss my class and all of them go except one. The one who needs some help with some aspect of their lives - bullying, loneliness, a bereavement. Or maybe they just discovered something and want to share it. Or maybe they enjoyed the topic we just studied and have a question about it. Or maybe they want to use the computer to find something out (they can't stay in alone). By your reckoning I should tell that kid to Foxtrot Oscar! Get lost kid I'm not being paid for this - go ask someone who cares!

I have always gone that extra mile in whatever job I've done. Paid or voluntary. But that's they way I live my life and it won't suit some of you wage slaves. When I look back on my working life so far I feel happy that I did my best.

This thread depresses me - it signifies a lot that is wrong with Britain today. Grumpy, selfish, clockwatching people who have no empathy with others and don'tcare.

I don't plan to come back to this thread for all the reasons above.

In the words of the Dragons "I'm out!"

It's great that you feel you can be so happy in work, but some of us aren't so lucky. To me, the selfish people are those who go into a supermarket after closing time and get a whole trolley load of stuff. That's not on, the shop is CLOSED. It's not about "doing a good job".
I'm assuming you're a teacher. You say you don't get paid for working in your lunch hour but that's part of what comes with being a teacher. It's expected. You're also not on minimum wage.
You really need to stop judging people and acting like some kind of saint. If people have kids at home waiting for them, should they really stay an extra 20 mins when the managers have gone home just so a customer can buy their shopping which they should've bought when the shop was OPEN?
I don't think so.
I'll probably go on your ignore list now for disagreeing but it had to be said. You don't seem to like anyone who is young or works in retail.

Esqui

I will stay late if there are still customers around and I can do so (I sometimes have to run to get buses). But generally, the only ones that really cause us to stay late are customers who have come in half an hour before and something has gone wrong. There's only been a couple of times people have come in very late and I've had to leave them.

Also, I believe on Sundays, we'd be breaking the law by selling you something after 4pm (we open at 10).

beth464 wrote: »

I'll probably go on your ignore list now for disagreeing but it had to be said. You don't seem to like anyone who is young or works in retail.

I wouldn't worry, everyone else is. When he clicks this thread all he sees is a list of his own posts now.

adouglasmhor

Takoda wrote: »

This thread depresses me - it signifies a lot that is wrong with Britain today. Grumpy, selfish, clockwatching people who have no empathy with others and don'tcare.

I would really like to see you try and shop at 1 minute to closing time in a German or Swedish store. Some countries expect you to be able to manage time.

I also can't be convinced that people need computer or Hi Fi equipment, games or shoes as an emergency that can't wait, it is more my opinion thta they think the world revolves around them and have never given a seconds thought to anyone else.

mrcol1000

beth464 wrote: »

It's great that you feel you can be so happy in work, but some of us aren't so lucky. To me, the selfish people are those who go into a supermarket after closing time and get a whole trolley load of stuff. That's not on, the shop is CLOSED. It's not about "doing a good job".
.

But then its up to the supermarket to come up with some kind of policy or arrangement so that it can deal with people who do that or to stop people from doing it. Its not up to the customer to know how much shopping they are allowed depending on how close to closing time it is.