To expect to be able to make a purchase at closing time.

[NK493efc93X1277dd3d6d4]

I was in Laura Ashley today just before closing looking to buy a picture, The assistant showed me the display item which was still marked up at full price and then went over to the tills to check the sale price for me.

Yes I'd like to buy it I replied - only to be told that sorry you can't do that today as the tills are closed now. I checked my phone, bang on 6pm, closing time. I queried this as I have never come across this before. I have been in plenty of shops that advise customers to go to the tills at closing time, but none who refuse to make a sale on the dot of closing.

I said as much to the assistant who looked apologetic and consulted senior assistant. The tills close themselves down at 6pm she advised me. if you want to buy it you'll have to come back in the morning. Don't worry the sale is on until Monday.

Is it unreasonable to expect to complete a purchase when I am already in the shop at closing time?

Yabu. The staff won't have been paid past 6 yet you want them to stay on just to serve you? They would have had homes and families to go back too as well. Don't dither about at near closing time and good for LA for having their tills automatically shut of at closure.

I wish our tills did that where I used to work. We used to get people come in at half 5 (shut at 6) and stay still 6:05 most of the time they only bought a nail file.

I had to cash up all the tills, tidy up and do end of day checks and then walk about 3 miles home to get back to DD.

Used to piss me off no end. I don't do it precisely because I know how annoying it is.

I think the people being unpleasant to op about her attitude to retail staff are being really as there is not evidence whatsoever the op was and she's merely asking if the system is a bit daft. it is

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater!!!

Literally no one is saying "god, go shop online". We are saying "shop a little earlier so we have time to serve you and still go home on time"!

YANBU . You were in the middle of a transaction which you couldn't then complete because of the time it took to price check.

There's some retail workers on here who clearly hate their jobs and all who they encounter doing them! My working hours finish at 5. If I happen to be on the phone to a customer at 5 I wouldn't just hang up and go home, I'd complete the call. Likewise I wouldn't think someone who called at 4.55 was an arse.

If you are in the shop and being served or waiting in line to be served when it closes you should be able to complete your transaction.

This is why many of us shop online. Personally I am normally at work before shops open and after they close in the week so, unless it is a rare lunchtime when I have enough time to get to the shops, I need to buy everything online. The only shops I generally use are for emergency purchases (e.g. Boots / Superdrug, or a supermarket).

I shall now be much more aware of the impact on staff of shopping just before closing time (although I don't tend to do this very often). But, unfortunately, that may mean more online shopping for me. High street retailers just aren't set up for the long days that people now often work.

You have the absolute right to expect good customer service. While the store is open.

One minute to closing time a shop is still open. A transaction which started while the shop was open has to be carried out.

They do it even on Mastermind. I started so I'll finish.

There's some retail workers on here who clearly hate their jobs and all who they encounter doing them!

There are some posters here who are seriously overstepping, over reaching, and over dramatising.

I don't hate my job, and I resent the implication that I do. What I hate, and what I suspect most retail workers hate, is when people decide that because I work in retail, my feelings don't matter, my time doesn't need to be respected, and my work isn't just as legitimate as any other kind of work.

I regularly finish work after the official cut off point. Sometimes I get paid, sometimes I don't.

I love my job and I don't moan to my clients.

Had the op been at the till and the till was in operation it probably wouldn't have shut down. The op says the sales assistant went off to check the price, she presumably then had to leave the till and walk back to the customer with the price. If between finishing using the till and walking back over to the customer the time hit 6 o'clock there is no reason for the till not to shut itself down. It's just an unfortunate occurrence in this instance, had the customer walked to the till with the sales assistant she may well have had time to make the purchase. As for tannoy announcements, they are of no use with the customer who who pops in at 5.59 unless it's on a continuous loop.

The op was not in the middle of the transaction at all.

Yabu and rude! Also I think their public liability insurance will only cover their opening hours (the hours where the public are allowed on the premises) so if you had an accident you couldn't do shit all about it op.

My DH works in retail and it is a pain in the ass. if he's working until 6/8/depends on close time then nine times out of ten he can be up to an hour late. Unpaid. People coming in at close or just before and taking their time to checkout despite lights being half off and asked to go to tills. They don't get paid a second after close. Still have to cash up and clean before they can get home. If it was a one off it would be grand, but it's not. And it adds up. I wish they had the automatic close on the tills

Retail workers: you do realise you're not the only people who sometimes work more than their contracted hours, right??

(Without extra pay, I mean - in case that's not obvious.)

I'd say they do Koala. In my previous job I was on a salary and had to do overtime everyday, sometimes 15/20mins other times 2/3 hours unpaid. But I wasn't on minimum wage zero hours retail contract and the wage meant it was more acceptable to have unpaid overtime.

There are some awful people out there. Those that are genuinely bad customers who treat the staff like shit. As I've said before, op is definitely not one of them. If you work in retail and aren't happy about working overtime unpaid then that is something to complain to the company about. It is not the customers fault. Yes, it's annoying to have last minute customers but the store policy needs to deal with that. When is the last acceptable time to enter a store before closing time? 15 minutes? 30? An hour?

I have never ever come across a store that physically can't process a transaction a minute after closing. If that system is in place then it is up to the company/employees to make it clear to any customers in the store near to closing time that they must pay or leave. It's really simple.

Stop acting like paying customers (apart from the arsehole, rude ones) are the ones who make you late home or work unpaid. It is the multi million pound companies that expect you to go above and beyond for no extra pay. I'm afraid to say no customers = no profit = no job. Basic economics.

Koala Retail workers: you do realise you're not the only people who sometimes work more than their contracted hours, right??

Many people work more than their contracted hours. Emergency services, hospital staff, etc.

Buying a picture frame is not an emergency, ergo, does not warrant having to work outside of contracted hours. Right??

My DD works at a Leisure Centre. Works shifts, so is often on her premises, alone, at 10:30pm. She is paid until 10:30pm for that shift. Waiting to lock up. Football crew take ages in their shower, constantly overrun their time, leave at close to 11:00pm. DD then has to shut down the building, ie, check all changing rooms, swimming pool, gym, etc ,etc, cash up, turn off all lights, set alarms, blah blah. Then come out of an empty building much later than she is paid for, alone, in the dark, late at night and vulnerable. All on minimum wage.

Needless to say, she is looking for another job. The footballer twats are so inconsiderate that they think she is just there for their convenience.

This is the problem - every customer assumes that the person 'serving' them should be grateful for their job, and the customer is always right. Naturally.

I've worked in retail. I've also worked in public sector where I've had to come in early or leave late unpaid. The difference is that in other jobs circumstances occur that are noone's fault and you stay on but in retail staying on late is usually due to customer behaviour. And that's what is frustrating to deal with, because unless the customer becomes abusive you just have to deal with it quietly. So when someone shops late, usually to get a reduced bargain, then asks questions instead of just quickly purchasing an item you get annoyed. I found that customers who did this sort of thing were attention seeking. They'd demand your attention for as long as possible. Not saying op did it for this reason but often that was what happens in retail.

So I think it's fair enough there is a cut off point with the tills. But I can see the retail assistants getting a lot of shit for it from attention seeking people.

She was, she had the item she wanted at the till intending to pay.

You can split hair and argue it wasn't technically a transaction but in the spirit of good customer service it was.

If I had this I would be nice and leave the shop but won't return for the item and won't shop there again.