One Response

1. Jeff

   December 11th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

   1

   Why Do Stores Close Earlier than Posted?

   Have you ever walked into a store and been given the evil eye by employees just because it’s ten minutes to closing? Have you ever entered a supermarket with 30 minutes to closing and find that a lot of items have already been packed up for the night?
   Last I checked, a business has posted hours of operation that implies that they are opened for business and offering their goods and services to the general public between those hours.

   Because cheap ass employers don’t want to have to pay their employees overtime. Like when Wal-Mart forces their employees to work off the clock if it would mean they have to pay them overtime. I’m so glad that a customer’s whim to buy needless crap 10 minutes before closing is deemed so important that companies will break the law to serve them.

   A Business is Operated to Make Money

   Seeing how all businesses operate to make money, why would a business cease its operations for the night when there are still customers who wish to buy their merchandise? If I owned & operated a store and there was enough demand, I would open 24 hours a day like 7-Eleven and all the fast food joints. Just as long as I break even or make money, I will open and cater to the public. This is what blows my mind when I see shops refuse service to paying customers just because they want to go home early.

   The possible reasons are:

   The demand may be high enough to warrent keeping a store open 24/7 but will the amount of money they bring in support that?
   Everyone that works there, including the manager and owner, have a life outside of work that requires attention?

   The Customer is Always Right

   I went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch on the weekend and the waiter refused to take our order until it was exactly twelve o’clock noon. From 11:50am to noon, he was in the front cash till just chatting away with the other workers. Successful restaurants rely on quick turnover of customers to make their profits. If my order was taken at 11:50am instead of 12:00pm, I could have eaten and paid ten minutes earlier and there would have been an extra table free for other customers. I was surprised this happened at a Chinese restaurant because they are always in a hurry to rush out customers to free up a table. Chinese restaurants are the only ones that open on Christmas day and New Years to make money. I love it that fact because I love Chinese food, it’s my second favorite cuisine, only behind Japanese food.

   “Last I checked, a business has posted hours of operation that implies that they are opened for business and offering their goods and services to the general public between those hours.”

   What was the restaurant’s posted hours?

   You are Paid for Scheduled Work

   Yes, I know that workers in retail and restaurant settings usually make minimum wage but that’s not the point here. If you are paid to work from 2 in the afternoon until 9 at night, then you shouldn’t leave at 8:55pm, especially if there are customers still shopping! Even if you are an a-hole outside of work, you should be the nicest clerk when you are on the clock. When you work in the customer service industry, your main job is to the serve the customer even if he may be retarded in his questions and / or demands.

   Have you ever left work early for any reason?
   Perhaps they clocked in five minutes early.
   Perhaps their employer doesn’t want to or can’t pay overtime and clocking out at 9 pm would put them into overtime.
   Employees are paid to provide the customer with a product or service, however, they are not paid to endure rude or abusive customers.

   I clock in three minutes early and I clock out three minute early every single day, including Monday, which is my day off (I work it for the overtime).

   Rules for Customers

   1. You are not always right.
   2. You are entitled to respect in proportion to the amount of respect that you show.
   3. Your money only buys the product or service; NOT the right to be rude or abusive.
   4. As much as we would like to treat you like you’re the only person that matters; we can’t because it isn’t true. Our other customers matter as do our employees.
   5. Maintain your composure at all times.

   Rules for Employees

   1. The customer is not always wrong.
   2. You are entitled to respect in proportion to the amount of respect that you show.
   3. The customer’s money buys the product or service; make sure they get the appropriate level of service.
   4. Maintain your composure at all times no matter how rude or abusive a customer may become; unless they physically attack you, in which case you are premitted to defend yourself.

   Rules for Employers

   1. Sometimes the customer is right and sometimes the customer is wrong.
   2. When the customer is right then support your customer.
   3. When the customer is wrong then support your employee.
   4. Some repeat business just isn’t worth the trouble.