Well if you want to specifically search for my user name on that thread and the, let's say, "interaction" I had with another FM, that'll give you an idea of the tone of it I think and it'll probably be clearer why it was, to quote the mods, McClosed
It seems that even the mods love to humor us at times! Did you get told off by the mods for the "interaction" you had with another member?
This happened to us yesterday. We wanted to grab a coffee on the way home and prefer Costas to any of the other coffee shops. Got there with about 10 minutes to spare and the door was locked. I knocked, tapped my watch, and they opened up shamefaced
There is a Tesco Express that is near where I live that is notorious for closing early. I went there for about 15 minutes before they were supposed to close but there was a security guard at the door turning people away. I was not bothered because I live centrally where there are other convenient stores. I just used there cashpoint outside and listened to the excuses he was giving the other people wanting to go in.
The thing is that the store is situated right next to one of the main railway stations, so I would have thought they would close later for the extra business.
From reading some of the comments on here, it's no surprise the UK isn't leading the World in customer service rankings.
Customer service is disingenuous bullshit that has resulted in people thinking they can treat retail staff like the shit on the bottom of their shoe.
People should just be civil and courteous to each other, fortunately most of us can manage this but some people insist on sneeringly acting like shop workers should grovel for the privilege of putting their items through a till.
Shop workers, like everyone else, have bad days. I'm not smilingly chirpy and pleasant to everyone I meet during the day so why should I expect other people to be? If I see someone looking grumpy on a shop floor I just feel sorry for them because they don't even have the option of hiding behind a computer when they're having an off day,and as if that weren't enough they have to deal with idiot members of the public and get paid minimum wage for the privilege.
From reading some of the comments on here, it's no surprise the UK isn't leading the World in customer service rankings.
Or just shows the world that the UK is a me me me culture, selfish to the core and doesn't think about anyone else except themselves. I am referring to those people that leave things to the last minute.
From reading some of the comments on here, it's no surprise the UK isn't leading the World in customer service rankings.[/QUOTE]
>>>>>
When the same lady turns up time after time at 5 minutes before closing time expecting us to remain open for her to complete an hour of photocopying - then 'Customer service ranking' tends to go out of the window
The example in the OP wouldn't bother me in the slightest. The one that has annoyed me on more than one occasion is our vets. Their posted closing time is 5pm on a Saturday. Two or three times I've had to nick in to pick up prescription dog food at between 4 and 4:15pm to find them totally shut and locked up.
When I've asked them about it the response is usually along the lines of "well we didn't have any appointments booked so decided to close early".
When I worked in a wine place some years back it was always exit only and lights dimmed at five to (to hurry any dawdlers) and the doors were locked on the dot.
Any time after closing I never got paid, so it was in my interests to be closed and out asap, and not to chivvy dawdling browsers out of the door past closing time.
It works in every other industry; planes close their boarding well before take off, trains stop people boarding sixty seconds before, so why shouldn't a shop close its doors or restrict entry before the prescribed closing time.
It's up to the business what time they open and close if they want to open late and close early its to them, and it's not breaking any trading law is it'
The example in the OP wouldn't bother me in the slightest. The one that has annoyed me on more than one occasion is our vets. Their posted closing time is 5pm on a Saturday. Two or three times I've had to nick in to pick up prescription dog food at between 4 and 4:15pm to find them totally shut and locked up.
When I've asked them about it the response is usually along the lines of "well we didn't have any appointments booked so decided to close early".
To be fair to vets, if it's an emergency they will re-open. In quite a few vets, even though they may be closed at 5pm, they can have several more hours of work ahead of them as they tend to do the surgical procedures then. Considering that some ops may be a couple of hours long, and then they need to check to see the animal hasn't had any complications due to the anaesthetic, they may not be finished for quite some time.
Went into nationwide on Friday...was desperate to get a telegraphic transfer over to my solicotrs... the closing time was 4.30, and we left work at 4.00 to try and get there in time....got there at about 4.25. There was someone on the door about to lock it - so I just went in and she said "we're about to close"... I just smiled and ignored her and went over to the cashier and carried on. She also made a couple of digs....but I still left at 4.29
I understand they want to leave 'on time' but the fact is your opening hours are till 4.30 - so you should let anyone in up to that point!!
You know, with banks and building societies, they have to vary their closing times from the published ones a little - which is why they occasionally close 5, 10 or 15 minutes early.
This is because they are most at risk of a raid at closing time, so if they close at slightly different times every so often, there is no pattern for potential watching armed robbers to follow.
You delaying them so that you can complete your transfer may just jeopardize the safety of the entire bank staff...:o
In Debenhams we actually made the "This store is now closed" announcement at 5 to so that customers would get out quicker. Having said that it still didn't stop people trying to come in, I witnessed someone walking up the stopped escalator despite having been told that we had closed.
In Debenhams we actually made the "This store is now closed" announcement at 5 to so that customers would get out quicker. Having said that it still didn't stop people trying to come in, I witnessed someone walking up the stopped escalator despite having been told that we had closed.
Some people are so rude thinking people at work in retail do not have a life
I don't actually work in retail any more but I still get the same instances with my current job. Seriously, phoning at 5.58pm because you want to know something it would take you 2 seconds to check on the Internet?
There were a couple of posts earlier in the thread that I think get 'closing time' confused with going home time. In the two retail jobs I've had (both part time during Uni, a bar and a museum) you don't just go home when the place closes. You have to cash up, tidy up, clean, get stuff prepped for the next day etc. I think only a few staff actually leave at closing time though it may be more common in big shops with lots of staff.
The problem is always going to be that whenever people arrive they may stick around after you've closed for new customers and you sometimes have to ask them to leave. However I wish we'd take a leaf out of a more relaxed way of life. Last year I wandered in to a cafe in a village in Queensland, Australia. The owner was closing down, I immediately apologised and went to leave. He instantly stopped and told me to stay, that he'd happily serve me, I could stay for as long as I pleased, and he really didn't mind. He went off to get me some freshly baked banana bread. To my dismay I went to pay and only had a $50 note and he had no change. He just told me to come back another day and pay my dues. He'd never met me before and I was struck by his kindness. Of course that would never happen here and it's impractical in a busy place.
I do agree that we have bad customer service in this country but we also have a lot of unreasonable members of public. And we all moan far too much about how inconvenienced we all are.
.. about two geniuses who went to a McDonalds at 11:50pm, 10 minutes before it closed, and expected to be served.
The thing is if they close at midnight then they should still be serving at 11.50, ok you start to wind down but you are still open. If you mean you want customers out by midnight then you should maybe advertise your closing time as 11.30
In our hotels we serve breakfast until 10am and that means the last orders are 10am we don't stop at 9.30 and throw everyone out at 10.
I think it's funny reading both sides of the story. I work in retail, and it's so irritating when people come in 2 mins before closing and think they can take their time browsing around. They soon get the hint when we turn the music off, the henry hoover comes out and I'm stood at the door with my keys in my hand.
I get the words "Oh, are you closing?".. "Yes! Like EVERY other shop in the town centre!"
To the person who tapped his watch, I doubt I'd have even opened the door, people do that at the start of the day where I work wanting to be let in. I'd happily open the door early but once someone taps their watch I'll wait to the clock strikes bang on open time.
You might call it bad customer service, I personally like to think I give some of the best customer service, and my mystery shopping score (highest in the country for our company by the way ) shows that I do, but when you've been abused all day, called a liar, threatened with physical violence and been told that someone is gonna come back with "20 ni***rs and smash the sh*t out of the shop" the last thing you want when you think you can finally relax is someone who you know isn't going to buy anything anyway walk in to the shop 30 seconds before closing!
Oh and the threats we recieve aren't because of poor service before anyone wanders, it's just the scum that a 2nd hand shop seems to attract who need to pawn an item they believe is worth far more than it is.
How would you feel if you got to a business 10 minutes before their stated closing time and it was closed? For the purpose of this, imagine a small, owner-operated business like a computer repair shop.
If it had a sign along the lines of "Owner is sick", I wouldn't mind, but if there was no explanation, I wouldn't be very happy.
Just wait until the 24th December and theres a desperate last minute shopper.....every last second counts then.
Comments
How depressing.
The thing is that the store is situated right next to one of the main railway stations, so I would have thought they would close later for the extra business.
Customer service is disingenuous bullshit that has resulted in people thinking they can treat retail staff like the shit on the bottom of their shoe.
People should just be civil and courteous to each other, fortunately most of us can manage this but some people insist on sneeringly acting like shop workers should grovel for the privilege of putting their items through a till.
Shop workers, like everyone else, have bad days. I'm not smilingly chirpy and pleasant to everyone I meet during the day so why should I expect other people to be? If I see someone looking grumpy on a shop floor I just feel sorry for them because they don't even have the option of hiding behind a computer when they're having an off day,and as if that weren't enough they have to deal with idiot members of the public and get paid minimum wage for the privilege.
Or just shows the world that the UK is a me me me culture, selfish to the core and doesn't think about anyone else except themselves. I am referring to those people that leave things to the last minute.
From reading some of the comments on here, it's no surprise the UK isn't leading the World in customer service rankings.[/QUOTE]
>>>>>
When the same lady turns up time after time at 5 minutes before closing time expecting us to remain open for her to complete an hour of photocopying - then 'Customer service ranking' tends to go out of the window
When I've asked them about it the response is usually along the lines of "well we didn't have any appointments booked so decided to close early".
Any time after closing I never got paid, so it was in my interests to be closed and out asap, and not to chivvy dawdling browsers out of the door past closing time.
It works in every other industry; planes close their boarding well before take off, trains stop people boarding sixty seconds before, so why shouldn't a shop close its doors or restrict entry before the prescribed closing time.
Oh no, the mods didn't say anything to me - I imagine it was because even though it was a bit of a row, it was an on-topic row
You know, with banks and building societies, they have to vary their closing times from the published ones a little - which is why they occasionally close 5, 10 or 15 minutes early.
This is because they are most at risk of a raid at closing time, so if they close at slightly different times every so often, there is no pattern for potential watching armed robbers to follow.
You delaying them so that you can complete your transfer may just jeopardize the safety of the entire bank staff...:o
Some people are so rude thinking people at work in retail do not have a life
The problem is always going to be that whenever people arrive they may stick around after you've closed for new customers and you sometimes have to ask them to leave. However I wish we'd take a leaf out of a more relaxed way of life. Last year I wandered in to a cafe in a village in Queensland, Australia. The owner was closing down, I immediately apologised and went to leave. He instantly stopped and told me to stay, that he'd happily serve me, I could stay for as long as I pleased, and he really didn't mind. He went off to get me some freshly baked banana bread. To my dismay I went to pay and only had a $50 note and he had no change. He just told me to come back another day and pay my dues. He'd never met me before and I was struck by his kindness. Of course that would never happen here and it's impractical in a busy place.
I do agree that we have bad customer service in this country but we also have a lot of unreasonable members of public. And we all moan far too much about how inconvenienced we all are.
I had a job once were I had to finish dead on 18.00 for a 10 min walk to the 18.20 last bus of day home,
so I had to stop working no matter what was going on in the shop
If I'm due to finish at 4 on a Sunday, I am off that till at 4 or before. I don't get paid for extra, so there's no way I'm staying.
The thing is if they close at midnight then they should still be serving at 11.50, ok you start to wind down but you are still open. If you mean you want customers out by midnight then you should maybe advertise your closing time as 11.30
In our hotels we serve breakfast until 10am and that means the last orders are 10am we don't stop at 9.30 and throw everyone out at 10.
I get the words "Oh, are you closing?".. "Yes! Like EVERY other shop in the town centre!"
To the person who tapped his watch, I doubt I'd have even opened the door, people do that at the start of the day where I work wanting to be let in. I'd happily open the door early but once someone taps their watch I'll wait to the clock strikes bang on open time.
You might call it bad customer service, I personally like to think I give some of the best customer service, and my mystery shopping score (highest in the country for our company by the way
Oh and the threats we recieve aren't because of poor service before anyone wanders, it's just the scum that a 2nd hand shop seems to attract who need to pawn an item they believe is worth far more than it is.
What winds me up is when a shop leaves a note on the door saying something like "Back in 30 minutes".
Erm... 30 minutes from when ?! Good way to alienate both existing and potential customers, guys... :rolleyes:
Just wait until the 24th December and theres a desperate last minute shopper.....every last second counts then.