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

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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?

I think we've just become so used to being pandered to, as consumers, that sometimes some of us forget that other people have personal lives and problems too.

Working in retail doesn't pay well. There may be all sorts of things going on in anyone's personal life that a customer wanting to buy a piece of 'crap' would fail to comprehend. That customer will also possibly have personal problems to contend with, and feels they really, really need that picture frame Right Now.

I think the shop in question is probably right in having a cut-off point for sales. I imagine that if a transaction is mid-way during cut-off, then it will allow that to continue, but not permit a new one to begin. The point is, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. The 6:00pm close seems a fair one.

But again, your beef is surely with your employers for not paying you for a realistic amount of extra time.

As has been pointed out by posters with a similar view point, customers effectively pay shop staff wages. So as a customer, would you be willing to pay extra for your shopping so staff could be paid for a realistic length of time?? In my experience not in this saturated and competitive environment. You would likely vote with your feet like everyone else. So perhaps instead of berating a business, which has recently issued profit warnings, we should all look at current spending trends and values. For in refusing to pay more, customers are undervaluing the retail staff of which said staff have daily reminders from unpleasant and irate customers.

It is unreasonable to expect workers to put themselves out for self-entitlement, when they are on low wages.

Evans, why are you so persistently in denial of the fact that the point is not that workers should have to put themselves out, but that their employers should so arrange matters, including shop workers' pay, that they can offer a reasonable service to people who come into shops whilst they are open, and who are manifestly not self-entitled to believe that being open for business means just that?

And maybe this is Laura Ashley's way of trying to help its retail workers? 6:00pm shut off - staff can finish their tasks within time, we're being good employers and looking after our staff. If that is the case, then good for them.

Well said faithinthesound

I worked in a well known chain of opticians for years, we'd constantly get people coming in just before closing time wanting to purchase glasses - the whole purchase process takes about 15 minutes, so you would be obliged to have at least 2 members of staff stay behind after closing (you wouldn't get paid for extra time btw) I would have loved this system, so you don't have staff staying behind (unpaid) because people can't be organised and go in well before closing! Sorry OP but you should have gone in the shop well before closing to complete your purchase!

Evans, why are you so persistently in denial of the fact that the point is not that workers should have to put themselves out, but that their employers should so arrange matters, including shop workers' pay, that they can offer a reasonable service to people who come into shops whilst they are open, and who are manifestly not self-entitled to believe that being open for business means just that?

Should, could, wouldn't!

As I said before, you can point out what they SHOULD do until the cows come home. But when the cows GET home, those business are still going to be doing things exactly as they like. As long as they're not breaking the law, they're going to keep on keeping on.

Ever heard the expression, "wish in one hand, sht in the other, and see which one gets filled first"? This is almost exactly that. Yes, they SHOULD pay us more, and for longer. I wish with my one hand that they would! But they don't! And there's nothing we can do about that! So instead of shtting in my other hand, I am ASKING you, in the only forum I currently have, to have a little consideration for us who are stuck in a situation that we can do little about!

Wow customer service has certainly changed since I worked in retail. Admittedly it was many years ago but I certainly would never have got away with some of the attitudes on here towards customers. General consensus amongst shop workers seems to be that I am the lowest of the low for daring to enter an open shop without checking whether the staff were happy about it.
This was a rare trip for me to an actual shop as I usually shop online. Suffice to stay that I will stick to online in future as I can do without the hassle.
As for Laura Ashley, yes it has left a bitter taste and I will avoid in future. There are a small number of shops that I buy from which just got smaller.
It is a real eye opener to see shop staff directing their anger not at the employer who imposes their conditions but at the customer for not researching these conditions and being aware of them before entering.

Sparkle surely in that situation, given the transaction hasn't started you'd say "im sorry there isn't enough time to start the glasses choosing process"

A similar analogy to the OP would be letting the customer pick glasses and then say "oh sorry, too late to go any further"

Ceto - you really appear to be having trouble with the difference between 'Open for Business' and 'Our Closing Time is ...'

Open for Business means trading hours apply. Closing Time means, well, just that. We're closing now . . .Bye

I think we've just become so used to being pandered to, as consumers,

Have you actually been shopping in, say, North America?

I hate to break it to you, but the U.K. is not, and has never been known for its outstanding customer service. I do not think 'pandering' is much of an issue.

I think you'll find that all shops do this. If they say a certain time it means a certain time and to go over it could see the staff and business get in trouble . How about you go earlier when it's no issues as it's unfair on the staff having to stay behind while you mess around. You are been very unreasonable and unfair

How is "ranting on the internet" the same as "getting away with... attitudes towards customers"? You don't know me. You've seen me venting on a thread about poor customer behavior. You haven't seen me work. I assure you, I have the professionalism and basic decency to keep the two separate.

You know. FWIW I don't believe in "the customer is always right". I think a lot of the time the customer is at best wrong, and at worst an absolute arse.

I don't think the OP was wrong or an arse: given the shop assistant started a transaction, she can reasonably expect her to be able to finish it.

Look, just because you clearly hate your low paid jobs, don't take it out on the people who are buying the crap you sell and therefore keeping you open

Yes, agree Evans, most of us have stated we don't work in retail. We're just not inconsiderate, entitled twits with hides of rhinos, expecting to be served when the store has closed. What a nasty (was it from toosexy?) little outburst, though.

Some tills do shut down and won't be able to be logged into to process a transaction at end of the day. There is literally nothing we can do about it and if we did log in, the store would receive a fine and the store manager notified (I think it's a few grand) That might have been why the assistant said no.

I have worked in supermarkets at every level for many years on and off. IME the doors would shut at 6pm or 8pm or whenever but the tills stayed open until everyone in the shop at that time had been served. One staff member would have the job of walking the shop floor asking customers to make their way to the checkouts - in very extreme cases when they wouldn't stop browsing one of the managers would 'kindly offer' to take the trolley to the checkout and start unloading it. Those customers would be politely hurried along but never turned away and the staff that had to work after closing time always got paid for that time.

The thought of turning away a sale because of administrative procedures seems crazy to me.

faithinthesound, you're not reading my post. Your issue is about customers who want to finish their transactions eating into the 15 minutes you are paid for cashing up and tidying. My point is that shop owners should pay their staff so that there is reasonable time for both. How can you both complain about not having time to serve customers and cash up, and then announce that 15 minutes is a reasonable amount of time? The fact is, you are in an industry which needs customers to come in and buy things - more than ever these days with the march of online buying. It makes sense for the owners of that industry to facilitate people in buying once they have started a transaction, if they did so during opening hours.

because of the likes of you.

Please don't personalise this. I've pointed out upthread that I regularly work till at least 7 p.m. so no, I'm not coming into shops at 5.45 - nor indeed at 7, I'm usually too knackered.

But if, as has been so smugly pointed out, it really is "just a minute", then why does it have to be the staff member's minute? Why couldn't it have been OP's minute, in the sense of coming in a little earlier?

It doesn't have to be the staff member's minute, or OP's minute. It should be the shop owner's paid for minute.

You forget that that "just a minute" can mean the difference between catching the bus/train and watching it pull out of the station, leaving you to wait in the rain for an hour for the next one.

Again, with every respect, not the customer's issue. I don't expect the people my employers help to worry about how I'm going to get home, it's my problem. If your working hours are such that this causes problems regularly, you need to take it up with your employers, or look for another job.

If a shop will not process transactions after a certain time then they need to have processes in place to make sure that customers are aware of that. It is really, extremely, super simple to have a sign up "Our tills cease operating at 6pm exactly. All purchases must be paid for before that time or you will not be served. Thank you"

Customer walks in at 5.50. "Hello, just to make you aware our tills automatically shut down at 6 so I will not be able to serve you after that point"

Nobody who is getting annoyed with these last minute customers seems to be able to answer what a suitable last entry time would be.

It was not unreasonable of the op to expect to be able to purchase the item that the assistant was helping her with.

I understand the OPs frustration but if the till times out it times out

Whet i don't understand is why anyone on here saying...shop earlier....is being assumed a shop worker

I also don't understand people who think that everyone who works in a shop does it because they cant manage anything else

I don't understand why some people dont seem to realise that loads of shop workers work full time and have to shop around their hours

I don't understand why some people seem to think that shop workers dont ever shop themselves.

Loads of shop workers dont get paid any extra for extra hours, shop shuts and the work continues

Tills shut themselves down. Lol. Chinny reckon.
Just like when I worked next door to motherxare and they used to tell customers the lights were on an automatic timer...

And maybe this is Laura Ashley's way of trying to help its retail workers? 6:00pm shut off - staff can finish their tasks within time, we're being good employers and looking after our staff. If that is the case, then good for them.

Not if ultimately they lose so many customers that they go out of business. And in their case, it's a realistic possibility.

Try organising yourself a bit better next time, OP, especially if you're doing this often, as a pp seemed to think from your posts. Invest in a watch/mobile phone, keep an eye on the time, you're less likely to find yourself in a closed shop without being able to complete your purchase.

Surely OP has a point that tills shouldn't shut at same time as the doors do? Just seems like common sense?

Look, just because you clearly hate your low paid jobs, don't take it out on the people who are buying the crap you sell and therefore keeping you open
Wow, what a nice attitude you have.
Clearly these shop workers are beneath you

Wow customer service has certainly changed since I worked in retail. Admittedly it was many years ago but I certainly would never have got away with some of the attitudes on here towards customers. General consensus amongst shop workers seems to be that I am the lowest of the low for daring to enter an open shop without checking whether the staff were happy about it.
No op, it was for being pissed that you couldn't buy something AFTER the store had CLOSED.
It is a real eye opener to see shop staff directing their anger not at the employer who imposes their conditions but at the customer for not researching these conditions and being aware of them before entering.
I think people are angry at people who think its ok to still shop after the store has shut.
Staff have lives too.
You've actually worked customer service??
Really?
This shocks me