Stores closing earlier than advertised time

MrsShawToBe

chopps wrote: »

but I do notice the customer is being expected to do more and more.

Thats because its THEIR shopping. I would never expect someone else to pack my bags, mainly because I like packing my own so I know where everything is.
People who work there are there to put the stuff through the till and take the money. Thats their job.

I wouldn't care if I had to scan all my shopping myself. I need that shopping and I choose to go get it. If I need to put the stuff through myself, I would.

If you're too lazy to pack your own bags etc, then just buy online... They even bring it to your doorstep!

I_luv_cats

I worked in an Independant DIY and Electrical store and we were suppose to leave at 5.30pm but late customers would keep me there until 6pm on a Saturday.

As a retail manager I would be spot checked by the Area Manager to make sure I didn't close early! Customers would sneak in at 5.29pm and stop us cashing up and going home!!

It happens though with buses/trains/shops/banks/airlines/coaches/cinema/theatre people @ the last minute!!!

juno

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.

No, that's a ridiculous idea. Who is going to decide what an "essential" is? Tampons could be, or condoms, and if you've ever needed an egg for a recipe you've included half the shop!

Once you have got your short list off essentials what are you going to do with it? Are you having all teabags or just one kind? Loads of people only buy PG Tips, but the Yorkshire Tea people won't swap and won't like being told they're not essential.

lightisfading

The simple solution is to have a TINY LITTLE BIT of consideration for other people and plan your life out so you don't HAVE to go to the shops 5 minutes before closing. All those people who work in tesco managed to arrange to do their shopping (including presents etc) before closing time on christmas eve, why can't you?

I've worked in various retail/customer service roles... at an electronics store we had to put up with people coming in 2 minutes before closing in order to browse for a new expensive toy... try them all out, get advice... oh yeah, and then ask for a 'buy now pay later' .. essentially a loan agreement which funnily enough takes time. Absolutely no consideration for the minimum of two members of staff who will have to do an hour unpaid overtime for their selfishness.

So occasionally there may be a few minutes of unpaid overtime involved ......

No, it's not a 'few minutes occasionally' .. it's a big chunk of time EVERY day. And considering the crap pay and how retailers are very careful not to let you get away with ooh, being ill, or being 5 minutes late because you miss a bus? Why should they be expected to work daily unpaid overtime?

Checkout operators working for Tesco here have it a lot easier than their colleagues in some of the Tesco stores overseas.

And? Children working in factories in the far east for pennies a day have it a lot easier than the kids trawling rubbish dumps - so that's okay then

Is this a deliberate policy to prepare us for having only self-service tills in future?? !!

These policies are what's allowing the supermarkets to a) sell you stuff at stupidly cheap prices (ie milk/meat below the cost of production for the farmer) and b) make ridiculous profits so they can open up stores on every street corner. If you don't like it you could always vote with your feet and go support local businesses who will give you lovely personal customer service with a smile?

This level of (non) service is becoming more like the way Aldi,Lidl and the other discounters operate. Salary is typically £6 per day.

Out of interest how much do you get paid, and for what?

chopps

No wonder retail outlets are struggling when some of them have forgotten what customer service is all about.
Customer is king etc. so if they come in to buy, as you say an expensive toy, then just because it's 2 minutes to your knocking-off time you're not interested in doing the sale?
It's no wonder internet sales are increasing at the expense of the high street retail outlets.

MrsShawToBe

I think we are forgetting that people who work in retail... ARE PEOPLE TOO! Like others have said, people who work Xmas Eve have managed to get their shopping done in plenty of time, they have families to go home to.

Sales assistants aren't slaves. They are their to do their job and go home. I don't expect to be treat like a celeb when I go shopping. They're human beings just like the customer are.

geordie_joe

chopps wrote: »

No wonder retail outlets are struggling when some of them have forgotten what customer service is all about.
Customer is king etc. so if they come in to buy, as you say an expensive toy, then just because it's 2 minutes to your knocking-off time you're not interested in doing the sale?

chopps wrote: »

You are completely missing the point, ity's not when people enter the store thats the problem, IT'S WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE TILL TO BE SERVED.

It's not the ones that rush in to buy one thing at the lst minute that we are complaining about, it's the ones who come in at the last minute then arrive at the checkout 10 minutes after the store has "closed" with a months shopping in their trolley!

It seems to me that it comes down to two opinions

Those that think Closing at 4.0pm means you can go into the store up until 4.0pm, take 15 minutes to get your shopping and still get served at 4.15pm

Or

Those that think closing at 4.00pm means "we stop serving, you can't buy anything from us after 4.0pm"

Me, I agree with the staff in my local post office. It doesn't matter how many people are in the queues waiting to be served, the shutter goes down at at 5.30pm on the dot, and the best you can hope for is a warning to move your hands and a polite, but firm "We stop getting paid at 5.30pm, so we stop working".

alyth

MrsShawToBe wrote: »

I think we are forgetting that people who work in retail... ARE PEOPLE TOO! Like others have said, people who work Xmas Eve have managed to get their shopping done in plenty of time, they have families to go home to.

Sales assistants aren't slaves. They are their to do their job and go home. I don't expect to be treat like a celeb when I go shopping. They're human beings just like the customer are.

I've been what my friends call a till tart for 18 months now, since I went to uni, and I could write a book on the outstanding and amazing and quite frankly unbelieveable things customers do or say! We are people, as mentioned in a previous post we have a list of things we have to say to customers - for sure it's not rocket science sitting on a till, but we are humans, we have feelings and just occasionally we go out of our way to help someone..... !

In my store, and I actually asked someone about this today as I had been thinking about this thread - we tannoy every 5 mins from half an hour before the store is due to close. We also have staff who due to scottish licensing laws (not sure about english laws) who at perhaps 9.50 who will do a trawl of the store to ensure that anyone with alcohol in the trolleys is directed to the till - just to get the alcohol through the tills. We will let people in right up until, say, two mins before the store is due to close, but we tell them that they have the two mins to get what they want.

My personal bugbear is a Sunday night - we close at 10pm - why would you go and do a massive shop, with small children, at that time of night? Don't forget that it's not only the check out person that has to stay past their shift time (if the store is closing) but also security and managers.

maman

QUOTE=chopps;49768511]
Me, I agree with the staff in my local post office. It doesn't matter how many people are in the queues waiting to be served, the shutter goes down at at 5.30pm on the dot, and the best you can hope for is a warning to move your hands and a polite, but firm "We stop getting paid at 5.30pm, so we stop working".[/QUOTE]

Isn't that attitude what gives 'customer service' a bad name. In my line of work, that would be completely unheard of. We're 'professionals' so have to put in the time however long it takes.

geordie_joe

chopps wrote: »

Me, I agree with the staff in my local post office. It doesn't matter how many people are in the queues waiting to be served, the shutter goes down at at 5.30pm on the dot, and the best you can hope for is a warning to move your hands and a polite, but firm "We stop getting paid at 5.30pm, so we stop working".

maman wrote: »

Isn't that attitude what gives 'customer service' a bad name.

No, most people understand, are agree with someone stopping work when they stop getting paid. It's only selfish people who expect others to work for nothing just because they can't be bothered to get to the shops earlier.

maman wrote: »

In my line of work, that would be completely unheard of.

So, what line is that?

maman wrote: »

We're 'professionals' so have to put in the time however long it takes.

Sounds like you only do it because you HAVE too, are you afraid of getting the sack if you don't allow yourself to be exploited?