So sick of rude customers!

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

We were closing up yesterday when a last minute shopper appeared. I politely let her know that we were closing and that the store would be open from 9am the next day.

She wasn't happy with this. She asked me what time we shut, checked her watch and asked to speak to a manager.

My manager let her in! She browsed for a few minutes and kept smugly smirking at me. Eventually she bought some bleach and as I was serving her she laughed that the customer is always right.
As I was closing the door (over 15 mins late) she was reversing her car out of her space smirking and laughing at me. As she drove off she was glaring at me!

I felt totally undermined and like the manager/owner had made a fool of me. The manger/owner treated and spoke to me like a child being told off in front of the customer.

I'm due back in work on Monday but I'm serious pissed off. I've been job hunting all night too.

Why are some people such twats? Aibu?

[HappyAgainOneDay]

If I'd been in your position, I'd have just accommodated the customer. Why did it hurt so much to be a bit late out?

A good deed a day is a good way to live.

[hamptoncourt]

If you are paid hourly then your manager should pay you for the hours you work, including overtime.

When I worked in retail we always got paid extra if this happened.

[Lweji]

I was helpful
No, you may have been polite, but not helpful.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

I don't mind being a few minute late but this just took the Micky.
It felt like she was staying longer just to prove some sort of point.

My boss agreed when the customer had left that she was very rude but didn't say anything!

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

If we let every late customer in we would never get home. We close at that time and my boss should stick to it.

I have a family to get home too.

[passmethewineplease]

It's not really a little bit late when it's fifteen minutes already though without factoring in locking up, cashing up and what not.

Plus once in a blue moon I don't think I'd mind however it is quite often a regular occurrence in some shops.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

Yeah we don't mind serving people a couple of minutes past our closing time. I let people in early too.

[Lweji]

It was 15 min because the customer took the piss. And had to talk to the manager and so on.
As I said, she was a bitch.

But if she had been let out and helped along, it could have been less than a couple of minutes.

[WorraLiberty]

"Oh, you've just caught us closing. What would you like and I'll help you quickly grab it".

That would have been helpful.

I've worked in lots of shops and as much as it's a pain in the arse, you'll always get last minute customers.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

Then my boss was moaning at me for being too slow cashing up because she wanted to get home!

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

We close at 5 but are still in the shop until 5:30. The woman came at 5:30.

I should of pointed that out earlier.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

YANBU. I've worked in shops and there were always people trying to get in as we were closing, then taking ages browsing then leaving and not buying anything!

[WorraLiberty]

Ahh yes, you should have pointed that out earlier.

In that case, the boss should be locking the door at 5pm, even if someone stands there just to let customers out.

[Gruntfuttock]

"We close at 5 but are still in the shop until 5:30. The woman came at 5:30.

I should of pointed that out earlier."

Yes, that information should have been in your first post. Of course, the customer turning up half an hour after closing time is completely unreasonable.

[popcornpaws]

YANBU, Years ago i was serving a customer who was "thinking" about buying a kitchen.
The manager said they would give them a discount if they bought it that day. The customer wanted to discuss it with his wife but would come back and asked what time we closed. the manager told him 8pm but not to worry, as he would keep the shop opened for him.
He then turned to me and said "you will need to stay on until the sale goes through your till because i can't work the tills"

I told him that i would give him a quick training session as no i would not be staying on, if he had had the decency to ASK me i probably would have.
The customer did come back and by the time they had worked out what he needed and put it through the till it was 10pm.
Arsehole.

[Pipbin]

YANBU. I think that working in retail should be some kind of national service so that everyone has had to deal with being treated like shit from all angles.

I remember a customer running up to my shop as we were walking out the door, lights off, coats on etc, and demanding to be let in as she 'knew exactly what she needed'. She was shocked when we told her no. She started swearing and trotting out 'the customer is always right'. We were a home accessories shop so it was nothing she needed in such a hurry.

Anyway, the next day she came back. And what was it she had needed in such a hurry? A mirror ball. The killer was that we had sold the last one about ten minutes before. Her response to that was 'what am I supposed to do now?'

[Gruntfuttock]

Hang on! Why didn't you lock the door at 5 then?

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

Because of the heat. It's like a greenhouse in the shop.

[Lweji]

Indeed your OP was misleading.

You should have pointed out it was 30 min past the closing time. Sigh.

Quite a few shops I know when they still have customers past the closing time, actually lock the doors and let those customers exit one by one, or have someone by the door just letting them out.

[Rhine]

Oh for fucks sake give the OP a break. I bet most of you have never even worked in a shop before, because if you had you'd realise that about 90% of customers are rude cunts. Seriously, until you've had to do this job you won't get it, retail workers get paid shit money to get spoken to and treated like a piece of shit on a daily basis.

It's common sense that if a shop is switching it's lights off then they want to close for the day, buying a bottle of bleach is not an emergency, and there are lots of 24 hour places these days anyway.

The "customer is always right line" is the biggest lie in the history of man kind, in my experience they are always wrong and bloody rude!

[Numanoid]

YANBU. Not at all. Your manager undermined you, which is so irritating.

I have worked in a large supermarket chain which stopped customers coming in 15mins before closing, it depends on company policy, and if your manager changed the rules for this smug... woman (oh there are plenty more names I could think of for her!) then that's not right.

I hate how people use "the customer is always right". Yes, and those of us who have ever worked in customer service have smiled and apologised through you telling us how useless/lazy/unhelpful/stupid we are when we're doing our best to help.

She's just a silly woman who clearly couldn't cope with not getting her own way.

[WorraLiberty]

I have worked in many shops Rhine

If I had known this woman came in half an hour after closing time, I wouldn't have suggested the OP should have offered to quickly help her grab what she wanted...

[BreeVDKamp]

YANBu. The general public are generally vile to those serving them. Hideous!

[Lweji]

I have worked in two different shops.

And we were misled by the OP. I wouldn't have let in a customer 30 min past the closing time either.