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?

This reminds me of when I worked in a big shopping centre, 15 or so years ago.

Christmas Eve, we've closed. Lady banging on the shutters screaming "I need to get my presents!"

On the way out to get the bus, a couple stopped me to ask what time BHS closed, when I told her it shut 15 minutes ago she said "that's no good to me, what am I supposed to do now?!"

Well I don't know Sandra but I'm going home to be with my family.

What happens with this automatically locking tills if a customer is being served when they shut down?

The attitude of some retail workers here is shocking.

OP was in the middle of a purchase, it's not unreasonable to expect to complete a purchase you are already making. It's not the SA's fault, of course, but it's the shop policy that's wrong.

Worse kind on customer? Really? You must be leading a very sheltered life if that's what you think.

And who is Barbara?

That's different hunter.
That's somebody being annoyed at well publicised shop opening times.

The OP was in the middle of being served and having an item price checked. By thr time the price check was done they were tols they cpulsnt purchase the item.
She didn't walk in at 1 min to 6, browse the store and then expect to be served at 10 past.
Most friends of mine who've been in retail don't clock off the second the store closes anyway, they have an extra half an hour or so of tidying the racks etc.

If the shop couldn't put any transaction through then I think they really should be telling people this in advance. E.g an announcement over the tannoy saying we're open for 10 mins. Our tills turn off at 6pm and we will be unable to process any more sales.

There are some really snotty and nasty posts on here and are probably the reason why some people working on retail have such a 'chip on their shoulder' as described previously by someone. So far we have had, haha you'll be out of a job and being smug about it, you're clearly out of options because you're so bottom of the barrel you can only get a job in retail and calling people 'thick'. On here (and in my job) there is definitely a theme (by some people and by no means all or even the majority thankfully) of looking down on retail workers. It's this attitude that makes the smaller things more annoying as people feel like they're already so poorly viewed and lowly.

However, that being said, I really am not bothered about serving someone one minute after closing and as a manager I cannot leave until the shop is empty so in my head I'm there until 15 minutes after closing and so will serve someone already in store without any problem.

If you're still wandering around looking at things once we've closed (and despite the 3 tannoy announcements and the lights going down to bare minimum at closing time) then I'll approach you and very politely advise you that we are now closed, then when you're at the till I'll serve you with a smile and a thank you without any problem. It is also sensible to ensure that at least a few people are also rostered in for an extra 15 minutes for this reason, yes it's irritating etc but that's life and it will happen every day so you might as well just take it into account when rostering so that's it's a non issue. I just can't get annoyed by something that's basically part of the day to day and can be planned for, because it isn't going to change.

If you have a shitty attitude towards your customers. They're unlikely to come back. It's not called bending over backwards. It's called doing your job.

Awaywiththepixies and Koala

In what way did the Laura Ashley shop assistant show attitude.

She was apologetic and deferred to her senior colleague.

It you boycott a store after that you would be doing the store assistants a favour. Plenty more normal and reasonable shoppers around. Your lack of purchase won't shut them down.

You sound very sensible ClumsyFool.

The OP hasn't told us if there were tannoy announcements. If there were and she ignored them then it's tough luck but like you, I'd have thought someone already in the shop going through at 6:01 after a price check is totally different to people being arses and continuing to browse the entire shop.

Years ago i worked in a small co-op food store....a customer phoned up just as were closing and asked if any fags had been handed in....I asked the manager who said yes they'd been found in the doorway...
The customer then went onto say she was a single mum and her kids were in bed so could one of the staff drop them off to her on our way past.......my manager was on the floor crying with laughter !!!!

You should be walking out the door at 6 not looking to make a purchase. They close at 6pm, most staff only get paid until 6pm - you wanting to purchase at 6pm and being able to means staff are stuck in shop for another 10mins at least.

You are basically saying the retail worker should tolerate unreasonable behaviour because he or she is lucky to have a job, since he or she is probably so poorly qualified or incompetent that retail work (clearly a very mental job to you) is the best they could get. Rude, entitled snobbery.

I am not. That is your interpretation. And contains a number of false premises, starting with 'unreasonable behaviour'.

YANBU.
Even if the tills did shut down automatically at 6 (which I think highly unlikely) the assistant should have warned you that that would happen and that your purchase would be refused. Really poor service. Staff shifts should finish 30 mins after closing to allow for this. Laura Ashley processes, either at branch level or imposed from head office, are at fault here.

The OP hasn't told us if there were tannoy announcements

She kind of has insofar as she makes several comments about how other stores make announcements.

Many years ago I used to work for British Rail, so many people used to turn up on Christmas Eve and ask about the next train to Glasgow and we would have to tell them it was in three days.

Yes, in my interpretation expecting to be served on a closed till is unreasonable behaviour!

In my interpretation, expecting to be able to purchase one item from the shop assistant who's just been personally serving you and who hasn't mentioned they were about to shut the till is not at all unreasonable.

Nor is pointing out that if enough customers (not just one) fuck off to do their purchasing online in the comfort of their own home, where they don't feel like an inconvenience, the retail outlet you work at might, eventually, close down.

How is this not obvious?

People on this thread are being ridiculous. She's not asking that shop assistants work unpaid, she's asking that they be paid so that this sort of silly situation doesn't arise.

So far as shops are concerned, there is no point in being open to a set time if the reality is that no customer in the shop during the last 10 minutes can rely on being able to complete a purchase. If they are intent on being able to shut the tills at 6, they should ensure that no-one is allowed in after 5.30.

Honestly, shops wonder why they are losing business to online retailers should have a think about whether this sort of practice contributes to it.

YABU, DD worked in retail, they would still have people trying to nip under the shutters when they were half closed. This wasn't once a year when some person needed a last minute purchase, it was almost every single day.

You obviously think you are simply too important with your one off sale purchase to come back when they are open. So don't.

YANBU OP.

This is not a customer problem this is a store policy problem.

All those shop assistants saying OP is at fault and worst customer ever, well I disagree. OP was in the midst of a transaction where shop assistant had to query the price which took the time over official closing time of 6pm. Shop assistant is entirely within their rights to stop serving at this time and go home, I think it is completely wrong that any company rely on unpaid overtime from their staff although I know the industry is rife with it. What should happen is that the store manager dismisses the staff only paid till 6pm, then he/she has the authorisation to ring through the purchase and is also eligible to claim addidtional overtime on top of their normal duties of cashing up/closing up the store.

That would be good customer service not telling OP she needs to come back tomorrow morning! How ridiculous. Badly done Laura Ashley!