Stores closing earlier than advertised time

Middy

To those people that work in retail - do you notice its the same customers week in, week out that decide to pop in the store 10 mins before closing on Sundays? Obviously the weekly moans from the store workers telling them the store closed doesn't spur them on to do their shopping earlier on Sundays or another day of the week where shopping at 4pm isn't an issue with closing of the shop.

On the Sundays that I have booked off work and not on holiday or traveling to go on holiday, if I need to visit a supermarket, I get to the store at the browsing time and one of the first customers to be served or use self scan. Plus, there is no issue of things that have sold out during the day.

meritaten

In retail - its rare that you work beyond the closing time as they make sure customers know that the store is closing. OK - it may take five minutes to clear the store (which staff dont get paid for btw). Its worse with pubs - bar staff are usually only paid until closing time or for fifteen minutes after in the most generous pubs! and customers wonder why staff are eager to get rid of them! why? because they are not paid to stay after closing time thats why! and they want to get home cos they are knackered!

Gillyx

On a closing I was frequently 15-30 minutes late at the end of my shift, which I didn't get paid for, if I done say 2 lates a week, that's 30-60 minutes a week I'm not being paid, on a 4 weekly pay (like I was) that could be between 2 and 4 hours a month I'm not being paid for? Because people can't get to the shop on time.

As a shopper I would never dream of going into a shop now as late as some people do. Especially at Christmas when hours are extended usually and some people are working 13/14 hour shifts.

Yes Middy, it was the same faces every night, I do believe some people get a kick out of it and as a supervisor have had people complain to me about feeling "rushed" didn't get much sympathy from me. Especially now when most people have a 24 hour store within a small distance, I don't understand it.

Middy

At the store where I work, every day, there are colleagues that finish when the store closes and some where they stay on for another half hour. Normally, one of the colleagues that finishes later goes onto a till 5 mins before closing so the ones finishing earlier can finish on time.

geordie_joe

Demba wrote: »

Shops should not open on Sundays, why should people who work in retail miss out on a Sunday with their families?

I agree with that completely. However, I should point out that when I started working in a shop a few months ago I was given the option to opt out of Sunday working. In fact, the way the form was written I actually had to opt in.

Someone who started after me opted out of Sunday working and he hasn't had any problems.

sheldonb14

I've worked in an eight floor department store, and trying to get customers to understand that the place is closed (despite many tannoy messages) was always a big problem. Christmas week was a nightmare, we'd be open for 84 hours, yet still at 30 minutes past closing time people would be browsing, and amazed and disgusted when told that they would have to go up 4 floors to pay at the only till remaining open. Around 1200 staff, all pretty exhausted from the busiest week of the year, just want to get home for a few hours family time before they're back for the madness of the boxing day sale. We could all save a lot of money and stress if we took the attitude that if we havent got it by midday on Christmas Eve, we dont really need it, I've seen so much money wasted by people grabbing last minute rubbish which will be 80% off in 36 hours time.


Regarding Sunday working, it remains the right of all retails workers (expet those employed to work only Sundays) to give 3 months notice to opt out of Sunday working. I understand this, along with the Sunday trading restrictions, is currently being reviewed by the government.

chopps

Overseas visitors find it curious that shops are open when customers can't do shopping because they're at work.

Evenings and weekends when they could be doing a lot more business than weekday mornings, well that's when they're closed...

sheldonb14

Middy wrote: »

About 6 years ago, me and my ex returned from holiday on Sunday. We did some shopping at Asda and left the store at 3:55pm. We don't normally shop on Sundays as he worked most Sundays There was a security guard turning away customers. One customer I can recall was pushing a large empty trolley saying 'I just want a pint of milk' - erm why was he pushing a large trolley?

Also, why can't supermarkets have a small chiller at the front of the store for milk?

That sounds like a great idea, particularly in large stores, they could have an "essentials" shelf near the entrance containing Milk, Eggs, tea bags etc so that you can just dash in and out. Probably unlikely to ever happen as its not actually about the customer, its about their cash and so the supermarkets want you to trawl the store and impulse buy.

geordie_joe

chopps wrote: »

Overseas visitors find it curious that shops are open when customers can't do shopping because they're at work.

No they don't, I live in a town full of them and they think it's normal.

chopps wrote: »

Evenings and weekends when they could be doing a lot more business than weekday mornings, well that's when they're closed...

No they aren't, they are open. No just open, but doing less business in the evening and sundays than they do during the week.

Try going into my local tesco, morrisons, co-op, homebase etc on a sunday or during a weekday evening, they are almost empty.

[Deleted User]

sheldonb14 wrote: »

That sounds like a great idea, particularly in large stores, they could have an "essentials" shelf near the entrance containing Milk, Eggs, tea bags etc so that you can just dash in and out. Probably unlikely to ever happen as its not actually about the customer, its about their cash and so the supermarkets want you to trawl the store and impulse buy.

Does no one have a "local shop" near them these days?

If I run out of milk at 3.55pm on a Sunday I go round to the local Asian shop to get some. It is only a 2 minute walk.

Some people think the supermarkets are the be all and end all.