‘Just go…’: Employee kicks entitled customer out after they refuse to leave at closing time

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Apr 1, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

It takes an absurd amount of patience and tenacity to work in customer service as at times it really seems like the clients are out to get you. However, as any seasoned customer service professional will tell you (from experience, of course), there is no one in the world worth jeopardizing your job for.

The next story comes from a frustrated worker who is eager to get home. The Original Poster (OP) is a convenience shop employee who closes shop at precisely ten o'clock every night. But on this particular day, less than two minutes before the store was set to close, a client entered thinking it would be the perfect chance to fill up on everything he could possibly need.

Things then took an unexpected turn from that point on. Having said that, read the story below to find out more about what transpired between OP and the entitled customer! In addition, don't forget to read this story about the neighbor who, as a 'punishment' for putting out the trash after hours, hides his neighbor's trash can!

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  • 01
    "Dude... Read the room"
    via canva
  • 02
    When do we close? We're supposed to be closed right now.
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 03
    Had a guy come in last minute last night at the convenience store I work closing shifts for. Usually it's not an issue, they're usually in and out fast. I was literally fetching the key to lock the doors when the guy in question came in, so I have to wait for him to finish before I can shut down. So again, I didn't think much because usually last minute stragglers as quick. He wasn't.
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 04
    Between him practically inspecting every single item we had on shelves, going "wait I need to get more things" three times after coming to the register, and then wanting to keep chatting after he'd paid and had his stuff bagged, despite me being non receptive, it was almost fifteen minutes past closing time. I've done everything I could to not give him reason to keep chatting, trying to be polite and nudge him out the door, to no avail.
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 05
    Then he went and asked "so what time do you close, anyway?" So I told him that we were supposed to have locked up fifteen minutes ago, hoping that he would get the message and head out. Dude laughed, then kept trying to talk, like “oh you guys close early! When I worked retail we stayed open until midnight" and then tried to go on a tangent about how things were when he was a retail worker blah blah blah. I ended
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 06
    up having to be blunt, straight up telling him that if he's done shopping I'll need him to leave so we can close. He, of course, got sour after that because of course it's terrible customer service. It's small and mostly inconvenient, but holy cop does it infuriate me when people know it's past or close closing time and want to hang out despite it.
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 07
    Ophiochos 3 days ago I used to work in a restaurant and have still never forgotten the time the manager let a large party come in for full meal service 2 minutes before we were due to close...that was over 30 years ago. They stayed an hour and a half.
    via u/Ophiochos
  • 08
    cam52391 3 days ago Just tonight about 45 minutes before we closed a 10 top called and asked how late they could show up and manager told them it was too late because there wouldn't be time to make their food before we closed. She's my favorite
    via u/cam52391
  • 09
    Ska-dancer-66 · 3 days ago Happened to me tonight. A line of 6 people after the lights went out. Every Sunday same story. Seems no one's in a rush to get back to their miserable homes. Well I AM. Get out!
    via u/Ska-dancer-66
  • 10
    lazyandunambitious 3 days ago We close the tills at least 10 minutes too late every day because people don't respect closing times and that we employees also want to go home. In my mind, at closing time as a customer you should already have checked out and be out the door. Guess our customers don't feel the same way. One lady showed up after
    via u/lazyandunambitious
  • 11
    the both the doors and tills had closed and begged us to let her in so she could "just buy some baby formula". Our manager told her that the store and tills are closed but offered to go get the formula for her and then let her pay at the customer service station. Suddenly she didn't need the formula anymore.
    via u/lazyandunambitious
  • 12
    e2theitheta · 3 days ago The last time that happened to me working retail, I walk to door, opened it, and put the key in it whilst holding it open, and said"Thank you so much for your business, see you again soon!". But then I was the business owner lol.
    via u/e2theitheta
  • 13
    PapasBlox 3 days ago • Felt. I work at a certain Swedish Furniture store and our "closing" is just them locking the entrance door. It's another 30 minutes until the last customer leaves.
    via u/PapasBlox
  • 14
    katmcflame · 3 days ago I used to operate restaurants & can still remember the unkempt basement dweller who walked in 2 minutes before closing with the day's newspaper tucked under his arm. I explained we closed at 10:00, he looked at the clock & said "But it isn't 10:00 yet". I explained there was no way we could give him a quality dining experience in 2 minutes, & he looked completely befuddled.
    via u/katmcflame
  • 15
    Greens_Sus OP 2 days ago Some people genuinely don't understand the concept of time management. You don't go to stores/restaurants at the last minute possible.
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 16
    boymom04 3 days ago I spent over 10 years working as a store/branch manager for various loan companies. My rule was that the last minute loans would be taught not to come in last minute. If they showed up 10 minutes to closing, I would do the application (which would take about 10 minutes) and
    via u/boymom04
  • 17
    then tell them I couldn't process the application until the next morning and I'd call them to let them know the status. Then I would let them know, in the future to always come AT LEAST 30 minutes before closing, that I have a family to get home to and we closed at 6 and my family expected me shortly after. Everyone I did that too learned not to come at the last minute cause it wasn't happening.
    via u/boymom04
  • 18
    Now don't get me wrong, I've ran into the store 5 minutes before closing and RAN to the item I needed and profusely apologized for being the last customer but I'm always out of the store before they close.
    via u/boymom04
  • 19
    purr-suasive 3 days ago In all my years in retail, I am positive that this also happened to me at least 52454215 times. Ridiculous.
    via u/purr-suasive
  • 20
    • HeWhomLaughs Last 3 days ago I worked for an office supply store during the back to school season. One night the manager let a big spender stay late because they came in right before closing. Over an hour later they were ready to start checking out their overflowing cart.
    via u/HeWhomLaughs
  • 21
    12-55 TinyNiceWolf 3 days ago Terrible customer service is reserved for terrible customers.
    via u/TinyNiceWolf
  • 22
    Greens_Sus OP. 2 days ago So true
    via u/Greens_Sus
  • 23
    Random Guy 47 3 days ago • The amount of customers who don't seem to realise that closing time = you should be out the door BEFORE that time and instead think it means they can walk in to the store at any point up to and including that time and begin browsing is mind boggling.
    via u/Random_Guy_47
  • 24
    kittentf 3 days ago Some people just don't care. I used to work in a craft store years ago. At our store, we had a policy telling everyone that came in half an hour to close how much time was left and multiple pages out saying how much time was left. But we weren't allowed to close the doors prior to closing
    via u/kittentf
  • 25
    time or kick people out. Typically, the worst was when we'd have like 5 people wanting to check out right at/before close. That was before this lady. It had been slow towards the end of the night as a major storm was rolling in and was supposed to hit around close. This lady walks in with three minutes to spare. The shift lead
    via u/kittentf
  • 26
    made sure she was aware of this and was assured that she knew exactly what she was looking for and would only be a moment. To give her credit, she did walk directly over to the scrapbooking aisle and start picking things up right away. She grabbed several scrapbooking kits, you know the boxes with everything you need for an event or theme, and set them
    via u/kittentf
  • 27
    down on the floor at the end of the aisle. Now we're asking if there's anything we can help her find? Is she looking for something particular? Can we carry these up front for you? Basically, is there anything we can do to make this faster? She days no, she knows exactly what she's looking for and after gather about 18 of these kits, she proceeds to sit in the middle of the main aisle with them spread
    via u/kittentf
  • 28
    out in a semi-circle around her as she reads the details on the back and inspects each one closer. Needless to say, we didn't get to leave before the store hit. Had to explain to the manager why we closed over an HOUR late.
    via u/kittentf

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