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?

The customer is always right?

Do grow up. That old chestnut.

when I worked in retail (which I hated, cause the public are awful) I would have loved a till system that closed down when the store was closed! as a pp mentioned, you can be chasing people around the shop for half an hour after closing time to get to the till and pay! personally, I always closed the doors a few minutes before closing time to try and deter people from coming in and annoying the life out of me shopping 😂

Saying that the reason that people are rude to retail staff is because the retail staff have not been trained correctly is victim blaming.
Just like if a woman gets heckled in the street saying it is her fault for wearing a short skirt and high heels. It's a comparison you see.

I hate it when they finished shopping and then they see something in my department and start messing my stands up. This is when i go to security and they then raise their voice and tell them bluntly, what are you doing? get out of the store we are closed!!!! The security give no f**ks when they need to lock up to go home.

Rude customers are contemptible dickheads.

Rude retailers are contemptible dickheads.

I see no reason to defend either of them.

In this case the op nor the store employees were either. I don't blame the op for fucking off given the assumptions made about them on this thread.

Here's how it is -

The OP would've made her purchase on time if it wasn't for the retailer worker not being aware of the actual price.

OP is unreasonable to want to have been served as it seems it wasn't physically possible since the tills were locked.

Who is at fault here? Well, I think the retail worker should have....

Made OP aware that the tills lock off after a certain point so she may not be served.

Apologies for the inconvenience and maybe have a better knowledge of pricing

There's absolutely no comparison between the two situations and saying someone might not be trained properly is in no way victim blaming.

This thread has been very educational though. I never knew there was so much contempt for customers.

I worked in retail in another country (4.5 yrs).
We were paid until we finished & clocked off.
Closing time was when the doors closed, but the tills still operated after that. Any nagging to finish purchases was done tactfully.

I am used to it now, but British retail is ridiculous in being so rigid about what closing time means. Customer service here is kind of poor.

There's absolutely no comparison between the two situations and saying someone might not be trained properly is in no way victim blaming.

So the day a person walked into my shop swore and spat at me without any provocation at all was my fault because I hadn't been trained properly.

No, being abused by someone is never right.

That doesn't mean you can view the rest of your customers as dicks.

Yesterday in Tescos I picked up the winnings to a scratch card someone had given to me as a present at 2.54pm. I tried to buy another one with the proceeds as was told as the staff only get paid until 4pm they had already packed them away......an hour and 6 minutes before the close 😳

How can till staff be expected to know the price of every item if their job is only to be a till operative? I know prices in my dept because i'm constantly on it and changing price points etc. But i have no idea how much the cushion is on the 2nd floor.

I don't view the rest of the customers as dicks. However it is unfair and victim blaming to say that all customers who are dicks are being dicks because the retail staff haven't been trained properly. Some people are just dicks.

YABU
it was closing time , You wanted to pay ,you couldn't as the store closed at 6pm.It was 6pm?
Trying paying for something when the store is open .
Bad manners imo
Yes I work in retail

I worked in retail for 6 years in a well known department store and staff members would regularly tell customers that, the tills automatically shut off at a certain time. Obviously, it was bullshit. Maybe some stores have this system but I find it hard to believe. YANBU. Lots of people deliberate and then suddenly it's closing time and you want to pay. Everyone wants to get home but when it's 6 on the dot... it's really nothing to be up in arms about

I'm not saying that all customers who are dicks are being dicks because the retail staff haven't been trained properly and I'm not excusing abuse.

What I'm saying, but it seems you are disagreeing, is that if a SA keeps getting customers who are dicks, in her opinion, as opposed to another SA, who doesn't and who manages to get on fine with her customers, them maybe the first SA needs to revisit her training or review her attitude.

chardonnay

That doesn't mean you can view the rest of your customers as dicks

Can you please point me to any post that says all customers are dicks (or dick equivalent)

As i dont believe that any SA on here has said that all their customers are dicks

Or where any SA has demonstrated any contempt for all their customers

I would have expected the assistant to offer to put the item aside with your name on so that it would be there for you to collect and pay for the next day.

YABVU! I work in Retail. We are not allowed to close the door until 5pm, we only get paid till 5pm, so anything that needs doing after that is unpaid overtime. We can't cash up or finish mopping the floor until the last customer is out

A good retail assistant, like myself :) would have warned the customer that tills automatically close at 6pm before starting a transaction.

It wasn't an impulse purchase, OP knew exactly what she wanted, having seen it online

She actually says somewhere in the thread that she was over the impulse now and wouldn't be going back.

Bog standard. Surprised you're surprised.

**No one in any industry should be doing extra work unpaid simple as that.

Really, I don't know anyone who doesn't do any unpaid overtime. I am contracted for 37
Hours a week. I regularly work 5-6 hours a week extra, log on in the evenings, stay for meetings etc. Sometimes the day is back to back with meetings so the only time I can do the day job is by working at home in the evening. I bet teachers, nurses, doctors, and many in all industries have to work additional hours unpaid!