Stores closing earlier than advertised time

maman

geordie_joe wrote: »

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?

Don't want to get into an argument (Happy New year to you geordie joe:)) but I just wanted to point out that not everyone's job is sort of hourly paid in that way.

You are right, there is exploitation. There's an understanding that if you're a 'professional' you'll put in the hours to get the job done regardless of how long it takes. That's not just hours at the workplace but in preparation, reading etc. Time was that this was compensated by a higher salary level but no longer. Words like 'vocation' and 'job satisfaction' are ringing a bit hollow.

anatomical

maman wrote: »

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".

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.[/QUOTE]

Maman, working in retail is not classed as a profession. I am currently studying to become a healthcare professional and when working in a hospital I have and am happy to work above and beyond what is expected, whether this is in terms of doing more than expected, missing breaks or working longer hours than I am supposed to. I will happily do this as this effort will help patients, my colleagues and as a bonus my education.

I am not happy to continue working longer than I should in the retail environment simply because people cannot stick to opening times, ignore the announcements asking them to go to tills and pay and have absolutely no consideration for people working there. During my time in retail I have had people throw money at me, refuse to speak to me when I am processing their transaction, shout at me they don't want to sign up for anything when I am giving them a free voucher, become extremely rude when they cannot have a refund when they have no receipt and talk down to me simply because I am working in a shop. I would accept and understand any type of behaviour which could be considered rude when working in the hospital as people are often under great pressure and highly emotional. However, 99% of the time people are lovely to deal with and grateful for the service you provide. Why should I accept rude, bullying behaviour from customers all day, people who have chosen to come shopping and are under no obligation to be there, and be expected to stay until they have decided they have finished shopping?

I believe my customer service to be quite good, I myself have experienced bad customer service several times. I believe customer service is about being kind, helpful and pleasant to customers. Customer service is not about catering to people who wait till closing time to come and shop for non-essential items and using my own time to serve them. Sales assistants receive no recognition or thanks for staying late as they have to be there. The extra time we stay every night does not achieve anything extra, only the same things are done which could have been completed earlier on. You, however much you might like to say otherwise, are choosing to put in extra hours most days and so get something out of it.

maman

Sorry anatomical, I must not have read all the previous posts properly. I hadn't realise it was a discussion confined to retail, I thought it was about attitude to jobs/timekeeping in general.

I'm glad you're looking forward to your job in Health with such optimism. I hope your sense of commitment to patients will see you through when you're being shatfted by government ministers and the like! Good Luck!

anatomical

Maman I simply refer you to the original post discussing shop closing times.

Thank you, I know it will.

aliaslotte

Someone asked if it is usually the same customers turning up at the last minute.... In my experience, it is. One family in particular used to turn up at around 10.50pm [we close at 11pm] and then they would do a full trolley shop. Every single Thursday night. They usually didn't get to the till until around 11.10pm - at the earliest- and then you've got to put everything through the till. They also used to bring things back every single week and thus want you to process returns at that time. However, in our store, staff levels between 10pm and 11pm drop to an absolute minimum, so often there was no one there who could process the returns. It was so frustrating - every Thursday we would hold our breath hoping they would come in earlier or not at all, but around 10.50pm all hopes would be dashed. Madness really lol.

In terms of working extra hours... As a shop assistant, I've never felt respected enough by management or the public, or paid enough, to justify all the extra time you end up putting in. When you are on the minimum wage, doing a job that is often looked down upon and can often lack the sense of satisfaction you can get from other jobs, working longer than you are paid is hard to justify.

duchy

I think in any job that has "customers" you'll encounter those who will treat staff decently and politely and those with an inflated opinion of their own position in the universe.

I've worked every day since Christmas Eve (including Christmas day) in a customer service enviroment and I've had some lovely customers and some ridiculously obnoxious ones (a minority). I'm really looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

I try not to go out on Christmas Eve as a rule (except an early morning bakery visit for bread) but a few Christmas Eves ago I had a couple of bulbs blow Christmas Eve afternoon and decided to walk to my local Tesco superstore to pick up replacements-as much to get some fresh air as anything else. I got there at 4.45 and the store was due to close at 5 (I was half expecting to be denied entry but the bulbs weren't essential so it wouldn't have been a big deal). I was gobsmacked to see families still going in with trollies-sometimes two per family obviously doing their Christmas shop. I simply couldn't understand it -Firstly it was inconsiderate to the staff -and secondly why would you risk leaving shopping so late? What if you couldn't get everything-or worse -got delayed in traffic and arrived too late ? I suspect some people just don't think !

geordie_joe

maman wrote: »

but I just wanted to point out that not everyone's job is sort of hourly paid in that way

I know that, I've worked in offices, for a salary for decades. It's only the last few months I have been working for an hourly wage.

When you are on a salary you work late if needed, but a blind eye is turned when you arrive late, it's called give and take. Sometimes it's formalised and called flexitime.

But when you are paid an hourly rate it is different. Clock in 1 minute late and you lose 15 minutes pay, stay back and work an extra 30 minutes and you get nothing for it, it's called "the company takes and takes".

maman wrote: »

You are right, there is exploitation. There's an understanding that if you're a 'professional' you'll put in the hours to get the job done regardless of how long it takes. That's not just hours at the workplace but in preparation, reading etc. Time was that this was compensated by a higher salary level but no longer. Words like 'vocation' and 'job satisfaction' are ringing a bit hollow.

Yes, you may work more, but can also work less and nothing is said, or taken from you.

It's completely different when you have to clock in and are paid hourly. If you clock out for lunch 1 minute early you lose 15 minutes pay, if you clock back in after lunch 1 minute late you lose another 15 minutes pay.

In an 8 hour shift I get 2 breaks and a lunch, it would be possible for me to
clock in 1 minute late
clock out for break 1 minute early
clock back in 1 minute late
clock our for luch 1 minute early
clock back in 1 minute late
clock out for break 1 minute early
clock back in 1 minute late
clock out at end of shift 1 minute early

If that happend I would not be working for 8 minutes, but would lose 2 hours pay.

Equally I could start work 30 minutes early, work through my lunch break, work and extra 30 minutes at the end of the shift and get nothing for it.

When this happens to you, you don't really feel like giving the company an extra 30 minutes of work for free just to serve people who wait until the last minute to go shopping.

Ada_Doom

My husband work 40 hours a week in Sainsburys for £800 odd quid. He was at work today. He will be at work tomorrow. He works every weekend. People talk to him like he is thick whilst he scans their shopping, and sometimes they call the lad with learning difficulties that works with him "!!!!!!" cos he asks to see their id. I can imagine a day when he will have to work Christmas Day, and spend a day he should spend with our two little kids serving people with so little imagination that all they can think to do with thier free time is shop for stuff they don't need with money they could do so much more with.

Hooray for shops not letting in customers for 15 minutes before closing on Xmas eve so there employees can finish work on time.

split_second

the shops are supposed to only be allowed to open for a certain number of hours especially on sundays and bank holidays, if i want milk etc and its close to closing time i wont go, i have been the guy closing the store, thats why we have the open all hours corner shop, lets face it they need the money more than tesco etc

chopps

IMHO it would be better to have and to clearly state a consistent policy for all stores such as trading stops at 5pm, last entry 4.45pm.