One must remember the employees at the store want to go home too

OK, When you are shopping this Christmas Eve, please remember that the employees of the business want to go home too.
Now here is my rant....

This evening I was closing down the registers but had not flipped our closed sign yet. My employee was heading there to do that and to lock the door three minutes after technical closing time. This lady barged through the door asking what time do we close. I said, now. She pleaded please don't close before I can run next door ( we have a organic grocery store beside us) and buy something. The niceness in my agreed provided that she hurried but I also told her I had plans and needed to leave. The meanness in me was wondering what kind of audacity this woman had asking me to stay open after I told her we were closing and wait for her to shop at another store. Well she was back in no time because the other store closed on her which is really what I should have done. People think because we are a Christian business that we can be walked all over and it gets really old. She had a special order in which I had to then go to the back of the store to get and bring back up . Needless to say this was on my time and I was perturbed. I was also perturbed that her special order had been in the store since December 3 and she waits til the 23rd after closing to come get it. I told her the total. She looks at me and then says here is my coupon. I was perturbed again because she could have handed it to me all along. Then she wants the coupon back because she wants to make sure my total agrees with the total she had calculated and had written on her coupon. My patience is getting very low now. The totals matched. Oh we are not done. She then goes searching and searching for her money while I patiently and impatiently wait. She then decides to use her credit card because she wants to keep her cash. I ring her out. Then she stops and says, " Do you have some pretty paper that you can wrap this in for me?" That was the last draw . I know I have paper and I can wrap for a small charge but we are now into 15 minutes of my time and I am late for a Christmas party. I looked at her and said, " no I do not have any paper at this time to wrap for you but behind you I have some beautiful gift bags that YOU can buy and wrap yourself. " Oh, I was fit to be tied. She asked what my name was. I think she is going to call the manager and complain that I was impatient on my time. Ohhhh, if she only knows that I am the manager! HEEEHEEE!

Now some may say, well she didn't know you closed at 7. We have closed at 7 for years. We are not in a shopping center that has late hours. We are the latest closing store usually. If I told you that we are closing, why would you ask me to stay open for you to shop elsewhere while I just sit and wait on you. Oh that was rude. Then once you are in there , you proceed not to hurry even after the employee explained to you that she had to be somewhere and that we were closed. Then have the audacity to want me to wrap your present after we were closed knowing I was in a hurry. Technically I did not lie to her. Yes we had paper but no I was not going to wrap her present on my time under these circumstances . So technically it was not available at this time. ARRRRGH! I really am usually very polite and helpful but this lady was pushing it.

While I am on my soapbox. We ran a free gift with $35 purchase promotion. When we go to our conventions we receive tons of pre-release books that we can not sell. I took the books and added candy, snacks and a coupon off your next visit. Remember folks this is free, ok. The number of people that were perturbed that my snacks and goodies blocked the back of the book so they could not read the synopsis was unbelievable. One lady even went and took the bags apart to see the synopsis. I was quite peeved. Did they not understand this was free? I did not have to give them the choice of books. I could have just grabbed a bag and threw it in there bag. These people were choosy and picky over something that was free. One woman said she noticed that there was a coupon in there and she was planning on buying $35 and wanted to know if I would go ahead and give her the bag so she could get the coupon out of it and use it towards her $35 purchase. Needless to say that was a big No and I explained it was on a next purchase. She said well this is my next purchase. I explained yes but the bag does not belong to you yet it belongs to me until you pay the $35 purchase. I was just trying to do something nice and reward people for spending $35. WOW! It was unbelievable.

I am done ranting and will try to get my Christmas spirit back.