Shops honouring advertised hours

[Randomneim]

I made a special post work trip to pick up a parcel from a shop and arrived ten minutes before the closing time posted online. The guy had the shutter half down and initially refused to serve me until I insisted. Then he couldn’t ‘find’ my parcel and said there was nothing he could do. Aibu to expect shops to be open and serve you when they’re advertised as open? Barring emergencies etc where of course you put up a little note and everyone understands. Or is this guy staffing the shitty off-licence so badly paid that you can’t expect him to do his job properly because he isn’t paid for a second after closing hours? Want to be understanding but also come on.

YANBU, I hate this! Went into a butcher's once to get supplies for a bbq. Advertised closing time was 4pm, I went in at 3. They couldn't serve me because they'd already cleaned all the equipment and started putting stuff away! Never used that butcher again.

Thanks, glad it’s not just me!

I've noticed this with taxi companies in my town, they all advertise 24/7 availability...but as I've found out in a hospital type emergency when I needed a taxi none were even opened and running..it really bugs me that businesses can advertise opening hours but not honour them by being opened when they say they will

I hate it too and they often spend longer arguing about not letting you in than it would take to just let you in and serve you.

I've been turned away at Argos and Waterstones recently 15 minutes before closing and in both cases I knew exactly what I wanted and could have been in and out in 5 minutes if they had let me.

So annoying because you just want to get on and get stuff done and needless obstacles are put in your way.

It depends where you get the opening hours from, Google has had the opening hours of the business I work for wrong for the last couple of years but they can't be changed as other units covered by our HQ do have those hours. We get complaints but it's frustrating as there is nothing we can do (changing our hours to match Google is not feasible).

I've been turned away at Argos and Waterstones recently 15 minutes before closing and in both cases I knew exactly what I wanted and could have been in and out in 5 minutes if they had let me.

Oh the amount of times retail workers have heard that one.

It doesn't even make sense in argos unless you were buying one of the small things near the till, as usually they have to do the store room thing. Which they may know is going to take longer than 15 minutes and they therefore don't start the process as they won't be able to finish it on time.

The butcher's one is a bit ridiculous though, surely if they've sold the meat then they will obviously close?

I work alone in a fx bureau...the amount of people that come in on the dot of my closing time and then get annoyed when i cant serve them.....my closing procedure takes at least 15 mins so i would be 15 mins late out every time....im open from 9.00 till 8.00pm every day...if you cant organise yourself to get there between those times then tough luck !!!

Personally I'd never turn up ten minutes before closing time unless it was an emergency. You may have been just five minutes but so many people say they'll just be five and they're still browsing long after the shop shuts.

They should stay open for their advertised hours, I agree. However, Google is not always accurate and I wouldn’t rely on that for the correct and latest information. If you know you’ll be getting there close to closing, it makes sense to ring ahead and check if they will still be open or not.

Or is this guy staffing the shitty off-licence so badly paid that you can’t expect him to do his job properly because he isn’t paid for a second after closing hours?

Probably! I wouldn't be sticking around unpaid for my NMW job and closing up takes time in itself, shutting things down, locking up.

Our local Costa ropes off all the tables at around 3pm on a Sunday so you can't sit it. I did have a moan to head office about it but despite promises nothing changes so now I go elsewhere.
Vote with your feet wherever possible.

Well they shouldn't advertise the hours, if they are not actually open. If a shop says it is open 10 - 6, for example, but it won't let anyone enter the shop after 5.45, then that should be stated as the closing time. And pay the staff while 6, to allow for closing up, obviously.

Another reason why the high street is dying. Shops often treat their customers as an inconvenience.

And yes I have done shop work myself. I worked in Greggs for several years while at school and we had people coming in right until closing time.

It is annoying but when I worked at Debenhams we used to have to tell people to leave at quarter to closing and not let anyone else in, otherwise they would be there until after closing.... when the staff are no longer being paid.

I work in a call centre and the amount of people who ring at 8pm on the dot is unreal.
I think shops should have a closing time and a last customer entry time about 15/20 mins before.
Same with call centres, lines to new callers should close 5 mins before their advertised closing time.
I don’t get paid anymore for being on a call 5/10 mins after my shift has ended 😡

It's bad customer service but it's hardly the crime of the century.

I agree a lot to shops don't pay staff past the advertised closing time so actually start shutting down about 15 mins before they close.

Lots of third party sites eg google don't have accurate information and I think it must get very frustrating as a shop owner being berated for information that you haven't actually provided and can't directly control.

Surely it'd be better to pay staff for 15/20 after the advertised closing time rather than expect customers to understand the actual and publicised opening times differ?
Although taxi firms advertising 24hours normally mean they'll accept bookings for any time of day not that their booking line is open 24 hours.

they should change their advertising hours, it's not that difficult. 15 minutes in an off licence or a corner shop is plenty! Even in a supermarket, that's more than enough to grab a few items.

Bring the shutters down at the time advertised, not before.

There's a soft play around here, who is famous for that - deciding to close 1 or 2 hours early without any warning! They do tell you at the till, but the till in the cafe section, at the back - so by that time you have parked the buggy, and the kids are ready to go. They left the parents the choice of paying full price for 30 minutes, or drag away the kids....
They are utterly stupid, and have lost so much business because people don't bother going in the afternoon anymore, which means they are quiet and want to close early.. vicious circle.

fiydwi - agreed. I worked in a call centre for years, we were expected to be available to take calls from the minute our shift officially started, right up until it ended. Computers had to be fully booted up prior to shift started. We were checked! Heaven help us if we missed a call... Some employees had to stay 20-30 minutes late (unpaid) because they took one right at the end of their shift. This was about £2 above NMW, so not on silly money, FWIW. Dreadful staff turnover rates & apparently they still can't sort it...

Went into a Costa coffee at 5:15pm having checked that the hours on the door said they'd be open until 7pm .... from 5:30pm the barista said it was take-out only; 5:45pm he brought all the outside tables back indoors; and we got turfed out at 6pm despite protesting. He gave no excuse, just said it was up to him what time he closed.

I'm another one who'll vote with my feet in future.

I agree OP. Closing time should be the last time a customer can be served, not the time the staff leave.
Obviously staff need to be paid beyond closing time if there are things to do once customers aren't being served any more. But refusing service before closing time is not fair on the customer who was advertised a service available between X o'clock and Y o'clock.

shops complain that business is dreadful, but that behaviour doesn't help.

Some people have rushed straight after work to grab something they need, because they couldn't go before, and they are rudely told to leave. Well, what happens next time is they buy on Prime. Well done.

I'm surprised to hear about the butchers not being helpful. Shops like butchers and greengrocers are dying out thanks to supermarkets. I can get minced beef in Tesco for £6 a kg but it's double the price in a town butcher shop. They should be trying to keep customers by working the advertised hours, not making people want to pass them by in favour of the big stores.

I understand not allowing customers in to browse but if they're open til 5 they should be open to buy until at least 4:55 surely.

I do feel for the guy in the OP. It sounds as though you were using the "shitty offlicence" as a collecting post for a click & collect parcel. He might well have not been around then the delivery was made and depending on how many parcels get left there, they may or may not have set procedures for finding the right parcel. In such circumstances I would have allowed a bit more time. On the other hand if I was going to M&S to collect something of their own I'd expect to be able to do that in 10 mins because I know they look it up on their hand held terminal and it is just round the back in a pigeon hole sorted by surname.

I went into costa once at 6:15 and they close at 7. I ordered a tea and the lady said “ok but were closing soon” I was like you close at 7!! Cheeky