in thinking that if Clarks closes at 5.30...

[Amanderrr]

at 5.23 the doors shouldn't be locked?

Went to Richmond today for a mooch around the shops. DS3 (4yrs) kept complaining about his feet hurting so we headed over to Clarks. We wouldn't have taken long as I know his size and width and just wanted the brown version of the black pair we bought last week.

Got to the doors and they were locked. There was a customer inside still trying on shoes and staff milling around. Had a look at my watch and it was just after 5.20. Looked at the opening times and they should have been open until 5.30. Asked DP what the time was in case my watch was wrong and he said it was about 5.23.

This is happening more and more. In the last couple of weeks alone Boots wouldn't let me in with five minutes until they officially closed. Office the shoe shop was shut before the time stated. The security guard in Zara, which was due to close at 7pm, was telling me at 6.50 that the shop was now closed and could I head to the tills. I looked over and there was a long queue so it didn't really matter whether I carried on shopping or not and M&S turned most of the lights off after saying over the loud speaker that the store would be closing in ten minutes.

I know in the grand scheme of things this should just be a slight irritation but today just brought it to a head when I couldn't get a change of shoes for DS3 when I really needed them.

Am I alone in finding this frustrating and would it worth emailing the stores when this happens?

Did you knock on the door?

Also, have you been that member of staff that's paid until 5:30, then the 'manager' doesn't lock the doors until 5:30, so you end up serving customers until 6pm?

I agree with you, FWIW, but if shoes are that bloody important, get there before closing.

(sorry if I;m being rude, I've had the day from HELL)

Our local co-op does this - the manager stands at the doors ten mins before closing , shutter mostly down and raises it just to let people out. DH tried to do lottery or something at ten mins to closing too and was told they had shut it down already! DH had to argue his way in the other week - I know it's late but ten whole minutes

try working the tils.

People need to learn that if it's that fucking essential they can't turn up as the shop is due to close. Think is, in cash-based businesses some poor bastard has to cash up which is a crappy thankless task. You ALWAYS get the chancer at 5:29 wanting to buy an essential food processor which means 16 people leave late (nobody can leave until the til is cashed up correctly in a LOT of stores)

I didn't need to. I made such a noise pushing the locked glass doors that one of the staff members looked over but made no attempt to come over and open them.

I could have knocked and made a fuss but knew there was another shoe shop on the corner so we dashed off there incase they closed at 5.30 too.

Not sure making a fuss works though. When I couldn't get into Boots I ended up getting quite cross with the security guard. I knew exactly what I wanted and where it was and there were still other customers in the store but he said they were closed. I kept showing him my watch and saying that there was still five minutes till closing. I asked him to call the manager and he walked off and wouldn't answer me.

I do rather leave things until the last minute but it's not like I'm trying to choose four pairs of curtains with thirty seconds until closing time.

"I agree with you, FWIW, but if shoes are that bloody important, get there before closng."

I did. At least seven minutes before closing.

Our local coop covers up all the fridges at 9.45, it shuts at 10. personally i think this is a bit much and that stores should pay their workers for the time worked after closing time if necessary or advertise a latest entry to the store being say 20 mins before closing time or whatever.

Yes, a polite notice outside a store saying something like "Although we close at 5.30pm no customers will be admitted after 5.15pm" would be fine. We'd know where we stood then.

Sadly people who are the kind to hold up staff in a shop are exactly the kind to ignore such a notice. (A shop would NEVER put up such a notice, it would discourage business)

Surely no store that closes at 5.30 has staff that are only there until 5.30? I'll have to ask DH, he worked in a shop in his yoof. They should shut at 5.15 then then cash up or whatever.

MD - it's SHIT. I have worked in electrical retailers, and there was always some bastard who decided he needed to trial all the dysons at 17:59 [twitch]. NONE of use could leave until the tills were cashed, and of course Dyson Wanker had no intention of buying anything,m but the sales staff was 2% off his target so keeping him there...

Also when you're in Virgin Megastore (I realise they don't exist anymore) on Christmas eve, and it's 45 mins PAST CLOSING, then to avoid being skinned alive you may want to HURRY THE FUCK UP!!!

What shops ought to do is to pay their staff for 15 - 30 mins after the shop shuts in order to allow time for serving last customers, cashing up etc etc. Then they could actually stay open for the advertised hours without expecting staff to do unpaid overtime.

AScaryFuckingLemonadeDrinker If only

Cryin - agreed, Wholeheartedly. They don't though. Because they are bastards.

People who work in shops should try working in an office to see what real life is like. Who gets to leave at 5pm or 6pm as they are supposed to? Who gets paid for overtime?

Disclaimer: I am not talking about public sector workers!

clarks-gate.

2am... only on mumsnet

Mooos - I'd take office working any time. (don't be so crappy - most shop workers are paid a shitty wage and have to deal with arseholes all day). Working in an office is a LOT easier than shop work

Clarks-gate indeed.

I future I shall stick to Primigi and the lovely shoe shop in Sanderstead.

In future*

Mooos - now trying doing from 9am till 6pm (haha, if you are lucky!) without sitting down and on a lower wage

Office work is much easier, done both.

Every retail job I've had, we were paid till the quarter of the hour. Retail workers spend a vast majority of their day watching their watches for break/lunch/closing time. I've never worked with a bunch of lazier people in my life. Give me the restaurant industry any day.

OK, maybe not now. I like being an artist.