To expect places to be open during their published opening hours?

[Vickisuli]

I have had similar situations before but today took my daughters to our local arts and community centre because DD2 had homework which included "go to an art gallery and write about what you saw, your favourite picture etc." I checked the website which said it closed at 5.00, so I picked up DD1 from her friend's at 4.30 and went over there.

It's not like a big museum, it's just a single large exhibition room which has different artists or groups of artists each week, and can easily be looked around in 10-15 minutes.

We arrived there at 4.45, and as we were heading into the gallery room the lady on the reception desk called out, "Sorry, we're just closing". I said, "Oh it closes at 5 doesn't it?" She replied "Yes but we're just getting ready to close now." So I said "Well we'll only be a few minutes" and carried on. Then after about 30 seconds the person invigilating the exhibition (possibly but not definitely the artist) also came over and said, "We're closing" I just said, "Yes, I know, thanks" and carried on looking at the pictures for a few more minutes, discussing them with the kids.

Now, I'm sorry but if the closing time is 5.00pm I think it's really rude to try to chuck people out before that. It's a free centre, so okay we are not paying anything to use it but the person that works there is employed not a volunteer so as I see it she is paid until 5.00pm. If the artist in residence is bored of looking at her own pictures all day, tough.

I also run classes in the centre so am there a lot (and pay them quite a lot of money!) though this particular reception person didn't know me. So I know that there is no major 'closing down procedure' which is going to take them ages, they just switch off the lights and lock up, and she could easily have switched off and closed everything in the rest of the centre while we looked round this one room.

Not quite the same but I was similarly annoyed at Diggerland recently when it said it closed at 5.00 but when we tried to get on a ride at 4.50, we were told that the rides had closed. So effectively it closes at 4.45 then? Then say that on your literature. At the Merlin parks, if you get in a queue for a ride by the published closing time you are allowed to get on the ride before you leave.

YANBU, but five minutes before closing for a museum/gallery is really pushing it a little bit. I'm surprised there's no sign saying last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Shops really should pay staff for any overtime, but they generally don't. Lots of places won't pay you for any overtime that isn't pre-approved by management. So if you need to stay 10 minutes because of a slow customer, you won't get paid for it. Not the customers fault, but I can understand why staff are reluctant to stay and work without getting paid (especially when they get paid little enough as it is!).

Whether or not this place has a 'last admission time' or not, I think for the fact that you rocked up at 4:45pm (perhaps if you had arrived even 5 minutes earlier) on a Sunday that you were being very unreasonable.

If this was your DD's homework, why was it being left till the last minute? Surely you could have gone online and done a virtual tour of a gallery?

Worked in places where we close slightly early so as to get all the tasks done and so someone doesn't have stop late to lock up because a customer hasn't left.

Having said that DH was tuned away an entire hour and three quarters before closing time because were a party of 15 and wanted meals/food and staff didn't think there was time. He said he could have understood it Sunday night or if place was packed - it was early evening mid week and the place wasn't really busy.

I supposed it wouldn't be if they were turning people away like that.

Ffs they probably just wanted to go home and have a cup of tea.

Well, so do I after a day at work. That doesn't mean I can or should just stop working early.

The OP said they were going to be done and out the door by 5pm.

Sorry you were being unreasonable in my opinion. Why leave it till just before closing time to turn up on a Sunday?! Also wouldn't your daughter have had hardly any time to do her homework as you left it so late?!

There must be nothing worse than just getting everything ready to be closed down and a mother and 2 children turn up! I know I'm going to get flamed for this- but sorry I feel for these staff probably paid next to nothing - why on earth couldn't you have got there earlier!!

In reply to those saying "Why couldn't you have got there earlier", well basically, because I have a (very busy) life. I work on Saturdays then spent Sunday morning taking my other daughter to her ballet exam, then worked again, then spent the time in the afternoon while DD1 was at her playdate doing the rest of DD2's homework with her and then making a pumpkin pie with her, something she had been on at me to do all week. I knew I had to pick up DD1 near to the gallery at 4.30 and figured this was the perfect time to fit in a quick visit. She could then write up her report of what she saw at the gallery while I was making their tea.

And to repeat what I said in my original post, it's not a museum or large gallery, it's a single large room with about 20 pictures on the wall, so can easily be viewed in 15 minutes. I obviously wouldn't turn up to a large museum or other attraction just before closing time as that would be taking the pee as you would obviously be planning to stay past closing time.

"getting everything ready to be closed down" - as I already explained there was nothing to get ready. She was simply sitting behind the desk, and just had to switch the lights off and lock the door when she left. We were not requiring any attention, service or facilities except for the lights to be on.

"Also, they weren't to know that you knew the place and knew you'd only be 15 mins - surely it's better they're warning people that they're about to close so that you're not pissed off at being chucked out unexpectedly at 5?"

No, clearly warning someone the place is closing soon is fair enough and actually helpful in case you didn't realise. But the tone was very definitely "you can't come in now" or "please bugger off", especially her reply when I said we'd only be 5 minutes.

And no I don't have a sense of entitlement because I pay them, I get what I pay for ie room hire, I would have felt the same even if that wasn't the case. But it does make it slightly more irritating to have staff be rude when I just had a cheque for several hundred quid go out to them (clearly not to the staff themselves before some pedant jumps on that!).

YANBU, OP. If the closing time is 5pm then it should not close its doors until 5pm. If they want to close at 4:45 then they should change the closing time to 4:45.

I went to a restaurant recently in Edinburgh. On the door it had the opening times and stated "closing 10:30pm Friday and Saturday".

We arrived just after 8pm.

It was very, very disappointing (we'd been several times in the past, the last time a year before and enjoyed it). At 8:50 they started hoovering and emptying the food trays (it was a buffet) , we were the only patrons left, to be fair .

YANBU - places like that drive me mad - I work in a customer facing role, barely earn more than NMW but I understand that my role is to look after customers - I had to work an extra hour (unpaid) to finish my workload today - I accept that 'it comes with the job'.

Where we live we have a lot of independent shops who seem to open as and when they wish - my pet hate is having to wait outside a store where you can clearly see the employees chatting or using their mobile phones with no intention of opening the shop door.

I never forgot once when a shop actually turned the lights out as I was choosing something and refused to accept the (correct) money for the item 'as they were now closed' .

YABU. Although there wasn't a last entry time, you might still have stayed there for ages past closing time!

Its like going in to a restaurant 5 minutes before they close the kitchen and expecting staff to stay late.

Only seeing your latest update now.

Irrespective of how big/small the gallery is or how much you pay to use the facilities during the time you have scheduled to use the facilities, you do realise that the time to visit this gallery was when you decided to make pumpkin pie (leaving loads of time and no issues whatsoever) and then you could have made the pie later on. Both jobs/tasks would have been possible on the same day.

"you might still have stayed there for ages past closing time!"

But she didn't Carsei .

How can it be right that a shop closes earlier than its published time? All the OP is saying is that if a shop (or other premises) has published opening and closing times, then they should adhere to them. That's not unreasonable, surely?

Your comment re: restaurants staying late is a customer arrives five minutes before closing. My DD works as a waitress at an Italian and this does happen occasionally and when it does, the restaurant stays open to serve the customers.

Whatcha I like your solution; that everyone should assume that shops will close early so we must all go there as soon as we have the idea we need something . Heaven forbid we should cause them any inconvenience and arrive fifteen minutes before they close .

you do realise that the time to visit this gallery was when you decided to make pumpkin pie (leaving loads of time and no issues whatsoever) and then you could have made the pie later on.

Oh do jog on. 'you do realise...' . How patronising.

This drives me potty. There's a fabric shop near me that does this all the time. I go elsewhere now and they have lost my custom. I spend an awful of money in one of their competitors shop now even though it is less convenient for me to get to. At least I know they are open when they are meant to be!

'You might have stayed ages past closing time' - no, because they could quite rightly have asked her to leave at closing time. That doesn't justify not even letting someone in with 15 mins to go.

Lemony there are at least 2 digger lands

" - there has to be a buffer time which will either mean paying staff until 5.15, or advertising that the venue closes at 4.45." Maybe there is in this gallery, and the staff isn't sticking to it.

I once lugged a duvet to a dry cleaners which was open according to the sign on the door, but closed in every other respect. Very annoying.

Its remarkable to read the excuses given by some mnetters here who are blaming the OP for expecting this business to be open during its official opening times.

I would suggest the OP make a formal complaint about the shoddy service she received. Such a business will not remain in operation for long if it continues to shut earlier than its published times. As I and other posters have confirmed, we will take our business elsewhere.

Is this a reverse?

YANBU.

I had similar in Tesco years ago. Admittedly it was Possibly xmas eve or maybe the sat before Easter Sunday and they were closing at say 4:30pm.

I ran in at 4:15pm, I needed one thing. It wasn't busy. They had a member of staff stood outside the doors trying to put people off, "we're closing"

Errr, no you're not.

I was out ten mins before closing time.