I Was an Annoying Customer!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

My husband has a conference he’s leading for the other employees of the correctional institution for which he works. He needed a door prize, and I forgot to buy one.

So, last night, I rushed out to Bath and Body Works to buy a basket. I needed something gender-neutral, and none of the pre-made baskets really worked for that purpose.

I suppose I should stop he narrative flow at this point and explain that I am an extremely indecisive creature. It takes me a really long time to decide between products, even at the grocery store, and when I’m buying for others, it takes even longer.

I must have picked up twenty products and sat them down. The two employees kept asking if I was doing okay, and making suggestions. One began sweeping while I was browsing, but lost in my indecisiveness, I didn’t even think about the implications of it.

I was probably in there for forty minutes. I finally decided on what to buy-- a bunch of hand soaps, home fragrances and a candle. After I paid, the cashier called to another woman to unlock the door to let me out, and suddenly I realized what I had done.

“Oh my God,” I said, horrified. “I didn’t realize you were closing!”

I had only kept them ten minutes after closing time, the woman assured me, adding that it was no big deal, but I still felt awful. I apologized profusely, and left with a red face.

I was an annoying customer! How irritated they must have been watching me pick up one thing, set it back down, stumble on to the next only to pick it up and discard it again! All those times they asked me if I needed help! I probably would have Pitted me if I were those employees!

2

Well, at least you had the grace to apologize … :slight_smile:

3

and, IMOWBRHO, they probably had other closing tasks that they took care of while you were looking. If they really wanted you out, they probably would have brought to your attention that they were closing soon.

4

You apologized. You wouldn’t have started yelling at them that you only needed a few things and yadda yadda yadda if they’d told you they were closing. They might have been annoyed, but if your reaction was what you posted, I bet they forgave you just because you didn’t treat them like crap.

5

It’s obviously not in your nature to be an annoying customer. You did nothing wrong. If they had made announcements and you had ingored them, that would be different.

6

Still, you’re lucky you didn’t run afoul of an Annoying Employee…

So we’re closing the store. And EVERY FRICKIN NIGHT there’s some birdbrain who CAN’T DECIDE what they want and will stand there for like FOREVER picking from 20 baskets or some damn thing. So I go over and very nicely ask “How ya coming along?” and “Need help?” as if any GRADE A IDIOT couldn’t tell I mean “The store is CLOSING because it’s CLOSING TIME HELLOOOOO!!!11!!” But of COURSE they’re too DUMB AND SELFISH to realize we are HUMAN BEINGS TOO and not their ROBOT SLAVES bla bla etc etc…

7

I was an annoying customer today at Starbuck’s. I picked up my coffe cup awkwardly and ended up spilling the whole thing on the floor in front of the cashier counter. They had to come around, throw some towels down and pour me a new cup.

I apologized profusely, but I’m sure they were still annoyed at the klutzy moron who doesn’t know how to pick up a cup full of hot coffee.

8

See, the apology completely negated any Annoying Factor. Next time, I suggest you act like you’re better than they are, make a mess, and complain about how long it takes a cashier to check you out. Bonus points if you can make someone cry. You have potential, baby, but you’ve got a long way to go yet to enter Annoying Customer Realm.

9

While you were being indecive and “annoying”, Oprah was at the door being turned away. I saw you on MSNBC there in the background while Oprah held a press conference complaining about it.

Yup, really i did…

10

gasp! Will the horror and tragedy for poor Oprah never end?

11

Lissa, having been a closer, most retail workers have the gumption to tell a customer when they’re being inconvenienced by the customer trying to stay late and shop. Since they hadn’t mentioned anything to you, it’s quite reasonable to accept that they weren’t upset with you. I’m going to guess that they were amused. Far from being an annoying customer, you were an amusing customer.

12

I have worked in retail for my entire adult life. If someone who is already in the store asks what time we close the answer is “Not 'til you’ve found what you came in for” or some such thing - hoping to indicate that they needn’t be concerned.
No more than three times in the last 23 years I’ve had to say something like “I’m very sorry but today I really do need to leave at 7:00” (posted hours are until 6). Each of those customers has been completely understanding.

Lissa , you weren’t anything even approximating an annoying customer.
One time in Albertson’s I piled about 75 items on the belt and didn’t notice until 50 of them were rung up that I was in an “Express 15 items or less” aisle. Nobody had said anything. In this store the Express was on the left. In my “regular” grocery store they were on the right. I sincerely didn’t know. I wanted a trapdoor to open in the floor. Talk about a red face! If any of you were behind me in line that day, I’m sorry. It really was an accident.

13

???
Bath and Body Works? Gender Neutral? :wink:

14

Gender neutral, not orientation neutral.

15

Don’t feel bad, baby, you ain’t the only one.
Only I spilled mine in Publix right as I was coming in because that nifty little cardboard ring thingy they give you (you know the one - to keep from burning your hands on the cup?) broke right as I was coming in and I got scalding hot coffee all over me and some on the floor. Rather than be an ass about it and leave it for the next customer to practice gliding on, I interrupted the cashier’s personal phone call she was on at her check out stand :rolleyes: to ask for something to clean it up with. I got no response other than eye rolling before she got off the phone, grabbed some napkins and went to do it herself. I apologized profusely and thanked her to which she responded with more eye rolling and dirty looks.
Whatever, heff, it was my mess and I was going to clean it up myself but with that attitude; enjoy!
Wait, is this the pit? :dubious:

Lissa, you were just fine. Just the other night same thing happened to me in my store, only they kept me a bit longer and bought nothing, but they were very nice and apologetic when I told them with a big grin, “Unless there’s anything else I can do for you, I need to put my sign up because while you ain’t gotta go home, you do have to get the heck outta here – we’re closed!” They were a couple of young guys that had been playing around with me anyways so they took it with real good humor and promised to come back and see me. :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Annoying? Please! If all “annoying” customers were like you, working retail would be much more pleasant.

They didn’t tell you they were closing, you didn’t know, so it’s okay. And you were very appologetic, so it’s only a minor annoyance, at worst.

Hell, I’d rather stay ten minutes extra with a really nice customer than get out on time after having dealt with nothing but assholes.

17

I thing I have a new sign for my wall.
It shall go right above

What year were you born, Guinastasia? :wink:

18

Hey! Watch that. Right here next to me is a bottle of Bath & Body Works warm Vanilla Sugar Body Lotion (Infused with vanilla extract).

And I am all man. :smiley:

19

Eh, I once dropped a vanilla shake in the middle of the mall eatery. When I sheepishly fetched the janitor, he was so delighted and happy to actually have been told right away (instead of finding it presumably hours later) he didn’t mind at all.

Gawd, my grammar’s clumsy in that sentence.

20

Just make sure it is actually lotion and not, oh let’s just say, body wash before you slather it all over yourself. :o