To complain about shop staff emptying my "abandoned" trolley...

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

Evening all,

I arrived at a large chain homeware store at about 7pm last night, going round with a trolley. I put quite a lot in so it was heavy and I parked it whilst I finished browsing. At about 7.50pm, a storeperson reminded me they were closing at 8 so I went to get my trolley to get it through the checkout but it has disappeared.

It transpired that the staff had emptied it and put everything back on the shelves! They quickly grabbed back a few of the items and rushed me through the checkout as they were clearly desperate to get me out and the shop closed. I couldn't remember everything I had put in and it was clear they weren't going to give me any time to think about what was missing.

Had I not been desperate for the mattress topper I originally went for, I would just have left but I had promised to pick it up for a friend of mine who has joint problems.

The staff were very rude when I complained saying it was my fault for "abandoning" my trolley and that they were just trying to get the shop tidied in time for closing. They said that no other customer had ever "abandoned" their trolley in this way and didn't I realise they closed at 8?!

They all stood around obviously waiting for me to leave because it was shock horror 8.02pm by the time they had deigned to allow me to pay £75 for the goods shoved back in my trolley.

I have now got home and realised I am without various items I had originally put in my trolley such as a laundry basket, lampshade and under-shelf storage trays and wardrobe organiser. Which is a pain because I travelled specifically to this store and spend time choosing items. Now I have to make another trip and try and locate the items again.

AIBU to think this is off and that you don't put back stock and close the store until, er, closing time? And AIBU to think they should have apologised? AIBU to think that even if you think your customers are a massive inconvenience to you clocking off at 8pm on the dot, that you try and conceal that fact from the aforementioned customers?!

Thanks in advance.

[pinktrufflechoc]

I think it is a bit unreasonable to expect them to do 'overtime' although it happens.

I think the best thing to do with these events is explain you've left your trolley for a bit. Otherwise they do empty it - used to happen a lot in Asda.

[HedgehogAtHome]

YABU.

A lot is expected from shop assistants in terms of customer facing skills, maths, flexible hours etc but a psychic ability to tell the difference between an abandoned trolley and one that has been 'parked' by a still browsing customer is not one of them, nor is an enthusiasm for working longer than one is being paid for.

[EeyoresTail]

How far away had you wandered from your trolley? How were they to know that it was yours if you had wandered off? Sorry I think YWBU

[lighteningirl]

Yabu

[FenellaFellorick]

How long did you leave the trolley for? It must have been a while for the staff to have seen it, waited a few minutes to see if someone came back, and actually emptied the stuff back out of it!

I think it's not unreasonable for them to want to tidy up and to finish on time.

I would probably have assumed a trolley left in the shop, with nobody around it, for some time, was one that they were not coming back to. It happens. People walk off.

Maybe they could have pulled it somewhere and hung on to it but then that means after closing time they are stuck for another what? 10 minutes on top of everything else (they can't just walk out of the store at 8pm. Yes, it's closing time, but it's not their finishing time in a lot of cases)

[98percentchocolate]

YABU. They have to tidy the store before they leave and are only paid until 8pm. Would you want to stay after your shift if you weren't being paid?

[freezation]

YABU. How did they know it was your trolley and you were coming back to it? And if the store shuts at 8pm then you should have completed your transaction before that. Doors locked at 8pm. Not 8.02/8.05 etc.

[Malenky]

No I'm sorry, you were rude and YWBU. Why should they stay longer than they're being paid for for your sake? And you were clearly taking ages with the trolley if they had time to empty it. You shouldn't have gone there so close to closing time if you were going to get loads of stuff and take a while. People are paid almost nothing for that sort of job and they are treated like shit for daring to work so making their jobs harder by being rude to them for not psychically knowing that your trolley hadn't been abandoned even after they helped you and tried to correct their mistake is just appalling. It makes you look as if you have a massive sense of entitlement.

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

OK, willing to accept that they didn't do it out of badness or anything!
Perhaps:

1. Assistants should be paid for 15mins AFTER store closes to do tidying up THEN. It's a bit like when you're having a restaurant meal and the staff start snuffing out the candles and putting their coats on...makes you feel really unwelcome! Especially if it it's not closing time yet!
   
2. I should carry a post it note saying "I am coming back for this trolley!"

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

If they hadn't emptied my trolley and had to refill it, I WOULD have been out before 8!

I was NOT rude to the staff, I "complained" politely as in "er, where is my trolley, why have you emptied it?"

I have done barwork and call centre stuff and am never RUDE as such.

[Viviennemary]

If you only left it for a couple of minutes fair enough to be annoyed. But it sounds as if you left it for a lot longer. Why couldn't you just take it with you round the shop like everyone else does. There are probably rules that staff have to tidy up at the end of the day and can't just leave abandoned trollies in the aisles. You sound like every retailers nightmare.

[IvyWall]

Just keep your trolley with you and don't leave it parked up. Problem solved

[Ouchbloodyouch]

I always tell someone if I leave my trolley

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

Hmmm, well I parked it up because it was big and heavy and hard to manouevre between the overstocked aisles.

But I accept IABU. It just felt like I'd done an hour's work and had it deleted if that makes sense!

[VulcanWoman]

That's always a risk when you leave your trolley. Also theres nothing more annoying than customers dawdling when the shop is about to close, people want to get finished and go home, why should they lose their free time due to one or two customers peeing about. I think a lesson learnt about leaving your trolley and getting to the till 10mins before close. Personally I'd feel bad keeping staff behind.

[ToadsJustFellFromTheSky]

How long did you leave the trolley for?

[scarletforya]

What do you mean you 'parked' your trolley. There's no trolley parking, only maybe pausing while still holding the trolley.

I'm afraid you were a nightmare customer, abandoning your trolley, browsing until 8 o'clock and expecting retail staff to serve you and make exceptions for you on their own time. Very selfish and thoughtless.

You should read some of those forums where retail staff rant about customers like you. Customers suck, etc. Retail staff are not there our of duty to you, they're there because they get paid. Once it hits 8 o'clock you need to be gone and stop being an insufferable pain in the arse.

[LemonPied]

YABU.
you left your trolley unattended.
People should be allowed to finish work at the time they are supposed to.
Frankly I find your attitude hugely distasteful.

[juneau]

So you expected them to do overtime because you couldn't be arsed to push round your own trolley?

[diploddycus]

Quite often retail staff are paid for 15/30/60 minutes after closing time to tidy up. That's to tidy up though, not serve customers who think the closing soon announcement doesn't apply to them.

[Wolfiefan]

Perhaps you should have parked it by the checkout and explained you just had a couple more bits to get?

[magoria]

I left my trolley with the help staff in Sainsbury as i had an urgent call of nature.

Told them I was suddenly feeling unwell and would they watch it while I went to the toilet and would be right back. Left all my own shopping bags.

Came back to it and all my bags gone. Didn't get them back.

[Baddz]

Wow.
So yabvvu!!

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

Magoria - someone stole just the bags? Or the bags containing your paid-for shopping?

Ooooooh thank you June! My 1st biscuit!

WIBU to park my trolley for a bit if I was a little old lady?

[ValancyJane]

You were very unreasonable and should have hurried up and got out of there for 8! I am still bitter about when I was 17 and working checkouts on Christmas Eve, and at 4:58 when we closed at 5 and I was only paid until 5, some bastard rocked up at the checkouts (I was the last one on) with not one but two bloody trolleys filled to the brim with food. I scanned all his items with silent loathing!!