To close at closing time?

[Bananafritter]

I’m pretty sure I’m not but the reactions you get from some people you’d think I am!

I work in a retail store inside a shopping centre. It’s a popular clothes shop. Our shop closes an hour earlier than most other shops in the centre at normal times of the year. At the moment some shops in the centre are open much later for Christmas shopping however our Christmas shopping times don’t kick in till next week.

I often get abuse from customers in the 10 minutes before the shop closes as we can no longer let new customers in the door, or into the fitting rooms. Tonight it was particularly bad, with several people verbally abusing me (as if I set the closing times and not head office).

The simple fact of the matter is that staff don’t get paid after the shop closes therefore we can’t keep serving people with unpaid staff. On the more practical side people have buses to catch, lifts waiting, kids to get home to. It’s not fair that staff have to wait.

Is it unreasonable to close a shop at the time we say we close? I’d be interested to hear opinions from people who try to argue their way into shops past closing time.

I think it's perfectly reasonable IF you have clear signage on display indicating your closing time. If not, people will obviously assume your hours are in. line with the shops around yours.

Surely you don't need to ask. Just shut the shop and go home. ignore the ignorant few.

Of course YANBU! And it’s horrified me that anyone would verbally abuse you! Are you in a particularly rough area? On what planet is the correct response from disappointed customers not ‘oh sorry, didn’t realise!’ and walking away!?

Don’t let their regular poor behaviour cloud your thinking and start seeing that as normal, it isn’t! Can you get security to hang around the entrance at closing time to deal with these people and take note of who they are to ban them from the shopping centre?

It is a bit odd though? You would think it would be similar to others in the mall? And the longer hours will be no good next week since it’s Xmas Monday/Tuesday?!

I think yanbu regardless though it would probably be wise to have your opening hours prominently displayed if you shut earlier than the shops around you.
But even if they’re not what on Earth is the point in arguing once you’ve been told the shop is closing? It’s not like the staff are going to be making it up!

I’m surprised the shopping centre allows you to close early - they usually require all shops to fall in with their opening times.
I can understand why people are annoyed if they have come in just for your shop & you are closing when they get there ( most people will just check centre opening time)
However there is no excuse for people being rude & you shouldn’t be r pe ted to work for nothing

We have our opening times on the display windows so visible but people choose not to check. Unfortunately it’s not quite as simple as just close because we can’t put the shutter down with customers still in and many customers argue with me when I explain that they can’t come in as we’re just about to close. It’s always bothered me because it’s a horrible way to end a shift but it was particularly nasty today and I’m just wondering why people think “it’s just an exchange” or “I know what I want” is an excuse to be rude to staff

Ioften get abuse from customers in the 10 minutes before the shop closes as we can no longer let new customers in the door

This is a bit annoying though, maybe put up an extra sign saying that the doors will shut at such and such a time?

Of corse YANBU but I would make sure there is a bloody obvious sign saying the closing time and perhaps a “verbal abuse will not be tolerated” sign next to it for good measure!

Not unreasonable at all!

The rude customers are ridiculous. How dare you go home OP! That’s their attitude. All this verbal abuse over a bloody shop. How ridiculous!

Cross posted- make signs even more obvious! Could you get a stand up sign that you put in front of the door just before closing time? One that says “sorry we are now about to close”

I’m guessing anyone shocked has never worked in a shop? Sadly abuse at the time of year is a daily event

I don’t work in customer service for that very reason. People are generally dicks towards customer service workers.

I do understand people being surprised as we close earlier but agree that the normal reaction is to maybe be a bit surprised and slightly miffed but not to transfer this onto the member of staff.

To be fair to the store we used to stay open the hour later and the shop was so dead it wasn’t worth it unfortunately.

Sorry christmas has snuck up on me! We open later on the 23rd and 24th

OP, I think you will like this forum: www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail

YANBU, is head office aware that people are wanting to shop past closing time , perhaps they might consider opening for the extra hour(paid of course!). I would assume that shops in a shopping centre all close at the same time.

Christmas hours not starting until next week is a bit odd!

YANBU at all. I work in customs service (that is unaffected by festive hours) and people are entitled dicks at the end of the day. There is never any regard for the staff’s time and that they have been working all day.
I have people even ringing to ask if I will stay open and wait for them for 10/20 mins when they ring at 2 mins to closing. They are horrible when I say no. Why should my kids be late to bed for a stranger?

X posted

I’m still surprised the centre allow it, Ive worked in 2 of the biggest shopping centres & some smaller ones, opening in line with the other shops was part of the lease - opening late or closing early got you a hefty fine

I do completely agree that we should we open later especially round Christmas but in my position my opinion really doesn’t matter. I also have no control over the signage so whilst I agree that signs etc would maybe help I’m really not able to do anything about it so it feels particularly unfair that get the abuse for it!

However saying that, we have a big sign over the fitting room on Boxing Day stating that the fitting room is closed and people will still clamber through it, push it aside etc to gain access to the fitting rooms. Many people just seem to think that rules don’t apply to them

Banana, the first rule of retail work is no matter what you think customers are capable of they will always surprise you by being worse than you could possibly imagine!
I managed various shops for many years & Im so glad I don’t do it any more - now that I’m older I don’t have the tolerance for the type of behaviour you have to put up with

I did wonder if you would be allowed to change signage.

Are there general security guards in the centre? Would they be able to go past your shop around the time you get trouble a couple of days a week? That’s it I’m all out of ideas.

You need to get your H/O to make sure your opening hours are prominent on the company & shopping centre website

I'm confused though, are you closing 'at closing time' or 10 mins before closing time? If for example your advertised hours are 9am - 5pm I wouldn't be impressed if you closed the doors at 4:50pm. In those 10 mins I could very easily be wanting to pop back and pick something up I'd seen earlier/my child wants for a gift etc.

If youre in a shopping centre you can't be stopping people entering 10 minutes before closing and I imagine whoever is doing that would be fired if head office knew about it. When it actually gets to closing time YANBU.