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?

Would you expect a drink after last orders? Dipshit.

Alright, Rocky Balboa. Calm it down just a notch.

The picture as some have asked, was a world map printed on wooden board. So no flowery tat.
Olde map tat instead . I spotted that one, but I'm afraid you've shot yourself in the foot telling us, it's almost a metre wide, made of wood. Did it take both of you to carry it to the tills?

Wasn't Ustonef a Russian actor and raconteur?

Ustinov. I was thinking of ol' Pedro when I read Cody's post.

Perhaps she was too...

Why do people post stuff and ask "am I being unreasonable?" Then, when people say "yes you are" argue with them? If you're sure you're right then don't ask.

This is why I prefer to shop online or use self serve checkouts!

Not being compensated for your time or your employer not making allowances for customers processing their purchases before the store closes (like sticking someone on the door to refuse entry) is NOT the fault of the customer.

I worked in retail for 5 years, the shops I worked in expected people to take a couple minutes past closing time and so employed people to work up to an additional 30 minutes.

I don't make any apologies for those customers who "forget" what the time is and saunter around the store while everyone is closing up however.

Wow, some strong opinions here! I've always worked in retail, almost 15 years, I've done it all, fast food, clothes, supermarket, banking. Yes you are only paid for the hours the place is officially open, not the bit either end of the day, setting up, cashing up, cleaning up etc. Yes it is annoying when someone walks in as you are about to close, yes some places make tannoy announcements and some don't. Yes some places shut down automatically, some don't. However, I don't think YABU. If I was serving somebody I would to see the transaction through to the end. Not possible with an automatic shut down though. I definitely don't think you're the worst kind of customer OP! People who shout and swear and get in your face and try to jump over the counter at you and threaten violence are the worst kind of customer! You're just someone who was a bit annoyed at having to question something that was incorrect and then being told that you were out of time, do people seriously not see the difference?!

First world 'problem' op.

Oliversarmymummy when you worked in the bank was your salary expressed as £x per hour or £x per annum with the requirement to work a certain number of hours?

I think this may be where people are getting confused about not being paid to work extra hours. If the salary is an annual one and it works out at more than minimum wage when divided by the core working hours then it's not that you aren't being paid for the extra time, it's that the requirement of the job is sometimes to work outside the core hours and the salary takes this into account. It's up to you to decide whether you are willing to work on those terms.

If, on the other hand, your salary is £x per hour and your take-home pay is calculated as x times only the opening hours, when you have worked outside them, then in that case the employer is clearly failing to pay you as contracted.

Quite often in minimum wage jobs it doesn't take much extra time to bring you under the minimum wage threshold

Customers who come in at closing time are bloody annoying! At our shop we have to serve them as the tills don't automatically shut off! You've had all day why pick the last minute to come in! Almost as annoying as customers who are on there phones whilst your serving them and barely acknowledge you and act like your interrupting there phone call, they are the most hated variety of customer!

Jessie my bank contract was 35 flex 42, so allowed up to 7 extra hours per week, that said there were days when we were in at 8:15am and left at 7pm, there's no going home when there's £5k misplaced (always found!) Retail contracts were always paid hourly, mostly for set shifts not what time you actually came and went!

Some very strong opinions here, I would assume that as long as the customer is in the shop they should have an option to buy things and if not have a warning that tills are closing.
Hey, I work for the NHS and we can stay behind hours after our time finishes to make sure a patient has continuity and not just dump and run at shift end.

Wooden map from Laura Ashley. Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

YANBU. The tills "close themselves down" - really??!! In that case they should have someone on the door from around 5.45pm to say to anyone coming in that they are welcome to look but advise them that they will not be able to make a purchase after x time, or have that very clearly displayed. BTW I HAVE worked in retail and have never had a problem with last minute customers.

Ditto 100% Ruthie2k ! I too work for the NHS now as well!

grown

You would like a member of staff specially to remind you of when closing time is

Bit old fashioned but surely looking at opening hours would do it

Person from Surrey - yes I'm sure it's lovely where you are. What I was referring to is the pp who said something disparaging about me being in London.
I asked AIBU as I was interested in what others thought. That doesn't mean that I will necessarily agree with those that disagree with me - it would depend upon the arguments.
There have been responses supporting both sides. Some of those disagreeing have such extreme views that do nothing to persuade me to change mine.
Overall I have learned that there is lots of animosity towards customers and that shops now operate with a timetable like train services.
Good luck to them - I'm out of it. With trains there is no real choice but when it comes to shops selling pictures there are other options.

Shops do not operate like a train timetable

Some shops apparently switch their tills off at closing time, LA among them

Loads of shops dont appear to

Yes of course - I was focussing on LA. Still online is definitely the smoothest option.

Sorry NK I misunderstood

Wait a minute you're agreeing with me..

I take the sorry back....im obviously just very confused

When I worked in retail our tills did this. There's NO PHYSICAL WAY AROUND IT!!! what did you except them to do???

Justdontgetitatall -apt username.

She expected the tills not to close down at 6. Her gripe is against the store management/systems which have put the automatic till closing in place, not the shop staff.

I'd like to draw attention to this again, as this adds a different slant to the OP I think.
The 'picture' OP went in to buy just before closing was a huge almost 1 metre wide, huge wooden plaque of an olde map. Quite a cumbersome piece I'd have thought. I asked if it needed two to carry to the till Going in just before closing to purchase such a thing, and knowing the price needed to be checked, is a bit off really.

Not even gonna read the posts between, YABU! Most of these places also only PAY the staff till door shut time!

For where I am, which shuts fairly early actually, if I am delayed by someone not completing as we shut the door, it also makes me late to collect my child from school!

For all you knew, there was a childcare arrangement that someone had to get to!

Also, likely those staff were no longer being paid! You wanna buy stuff? Do it when staff are paid to staff the store!

I doubt the till actually shut itself, I have been known to use that phrase myself, as it was that or be late for my (autistic) daughter who would have been stood in a playground wondering why mummy wasn't stood where she is supposed to be :(