Do shops attract more customers with their doors closed?..

7sr2z3fely84g5 · 02-07-2011 06:52PM #1

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Bonavox · 02-07-2011 06:53PM

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

What?

Where To · 02-07-2011 06:54PM

What, do they jump in the window or something?

randylonghorn · 02-07-2011 06:58PM

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Or the people who have been working all day themselves and have finished at 5.30, or wangled getting off 10 minutes early to rush round and pick up a few things, appear?

im invisible · 02-07-2011 06:58PM

same with a pub i used to work in, sittin on my hole all day, then when i go to close over the doors around 11pm, they all start arriving

(this would be monday - thursday, wouldnt mind so much at the weekend)

Overheal · 02-07-2011 07:10PM

Some people have that mindset, 'oh im about to lose my chance at shopping there better get in!'

I've given up caring though. I work at an electronics store. I don't care why you think you need to browse for a new TV after 9PM, but I work hourly.

FortuneChip · 02-07-2011 07:14PM

Nothing gets me hot and bothered like a sign "We're Closed..."

orourkeda · 02-07-2011 07:16PM

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Closure is usually accompanied by a sale of some description. Assuming you mean going out of business

Ian Beale · 02-07-2011 07:18PM

Definitely, I've seen people crawl under shutters and then ask me "Are you closed?" oh no I just wanted to see you limbo under .... <_<

smk89 · 02-07-2011 07:25PM

Yeah, I've often went down Grafton street at night and seen people camping outside closed stores.

02-07-2011 08:33PM

Ohhh yes, I rememeber this from my teenage years behind the till of my father's garage. Quiet as a church for the last hour then a rush of about 10 people, and there's always someone outside when the shutter's going down.....

Sticky_Fingers · 02-07-2011 08:38PM

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

Sinfonia · 02-07-2011 08:44PM

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

How about you go and work in a retail shop for a ****e hourly wage for a while before spouting such bull.

Richard Hillman · 02-07-2011 08:49PM

If there was a band playing a gig in just say the o2 arena and it was announced that only 100 tickets were sold, they wouldnt get many more people to buy tickets. If you said there are only a few tickets left or "extra tickets available" then people would be queueing to get some.

Sweatynutsack · 02-07-2011 08:50PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Ohhh yes, I rememeber this from my teenage years behind the till of my father's garage. Quiet as a church for the last hour then a rush of about 10 people, and there's always someone outside when the shutter's going down.....

You wrote the script for Pat Shortt's "The Garage"??

Sinfonia · 02-07-2011 08:50PM

Richard Hillman wrote: »

If there was a band playing a gig in just say the o2 arena and it was announced that only 100 tickets were sold, they wouldnt get many more people to buy tickets. If you said there are only a few tickets left or "extra tickets available" then people would be queueing to get some.

True.

Scarcity (or the fear of scarcity) is the mother of all consumption.

MistyCheese · 02-07-2011 08:53PM

Ooh, baby! I love it when a shop plays 'hard to get'. All this "I'm sorry but we're closing in five minutes" and "Could you please finish your purchasing and make your way to the till." Oh yes, yes, YES!! Give it to me straight, shop, I've been a late customer.

Sticky_Fingers · 02-07-2011 08:57PM

Sinfonia wrote: »

How about you go and work in a retail shop for a ****e hourly wage for a while before spouting such bull.

I've worked in numerous sh!tty retail jobs and have often had to stay back to look after a customer. It goes with the territory IMO, you want to ensure you have a job next month you look after the customer today, you know customer service and all that pointless bull.

I've actually boycotted a shop that refused to serve me because it was just past closing time. I just there collecting a product I had purchased from them and the muppet refused to go into the backroom and get it for me. I had to waste my time going in the following day to collect it, I've never shopped there again and they have lost out on a lot of business over it.

later12 · 02-07-2011 08:59PM

Apart from being the most repulsive jurisdiction on the planet, there is one thing I find interesting about the US, and that is workers' ability to sell.

Walk into a store at 5.45pm in Boston or New York and generally staff will be happy to accommodate your browsing for as long as you wish to browse around within a fairly generous limit.

Walk into a store in Dublin at 5.45pm as someone is mopping the floor and you are likely to be met with a look of impatient disdain as it is made very clear to you that the store is about to close.

Maybe it is related to pay structure but the Irish inability to sell, even in these straitened times, is a rather curious one.

admiralofthefleet · 02-07-2011 08:59PM

its a womans thing, like a dipso on good friday they cant resist the temptation to go into a shop just because its closing

stevejr · 02-07-2011 09:03PM

MistyCheese wrote: »

Ooh, baby! I love it when a shop plays 'hard to get'. All this "I'm sorry but we're closing in five minutes" and "Could you please finish your purchasing and make your way to the till." Oh yes, yes, YES!! Give it to me straight, shop, I've been a late customer.

Like shops much?:pac:

Del2005 · 02-07-2011 09:03PM

Shops shouldn't close. Problem solved.

Sinfonia · 02-07-2011 09:08PM

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

I've worked in numerous sh!tty retail jobs and have often had to stay back to look after a customer. It goes with the territory IMO, you want to ensure you have a job next month you look after the customer today, you know customer service and all that pointless bull.

Doesn't mean you enjoy it, or should expect other people to enjoy it. If you get paid to 6pm, and you close at 6pm, it's annoying when people show up at 5:59 to have a browse, or worse, show up at or after 6pm and give you **** for not serving them.

I've actually boycotted a shop that refused to serve me because it was just past closing time. I just there collecting a product I had purchased from them and the muppet refused to go into the backroom and get it for me. I had to waste my time going in the following day to collect it, I've never shopped there again and they have lost out on a lot of business over it.

So what if it was "just past" closing time? That means it's closed. This shop is presumably open about 8 hours a day, why couldn't you show up when they were actually open? It doesn't make a difference whether you show up at 6:01pm or 9:30pm. If the shop's closed, the shop's closed. And I don't see why you feel that an employee is in the wrong to complain that their time is wasted by having to look after you for no extra money just because you feel the world should revolve around your timetable, but you feel you are well within your rights to complain about how your time was wasted the following day.

Why do you feel such a sense of entitlement? I hate this "I'm a paying customer, therefore you must bend to me on all matters" bull****. The shopkeeper's in charge. Also, most businesses don't give a **** about ONE customer: boycotting that shop probably meant **** all to them.

Lapin · 02-07-2011 09:16PM

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Proof that people prefer After Hours. :pac:

whatswhat · 02-07-2011 09:16PM

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

I am more than delighted to get customers in my shop. However, when you quote "No matter how close to closing" That line peeves me off. We are open, on most days up to 9 hours. I am sure that most people in the shop/retail trade, will agree with me on this. Who in their right minds, knowing usual hours of trading, goes into a shop/store 5 minutes to closing and expects the moon on a stick! The most of us are short staffed, its a recession! I tell you this, I do piss and moan after a long day at work when idiots come in at the last minute.Its a joke! God Bless Retail and all that expectations and idiots bring!!!!

Sticky_Fingers · 02-07-2011 09:51PM

Sinfonia wrote: »

Doesn't mean you enjoy it, or should expect other people to enjoy it. If you get paid to 6pm, and you close at 6pm, it's annoying when people show up at 5:59 to have a browse, or worse, show up at or after 6pm and give you **** for not serving them.

Poor you, there are people sitting on the dole right now who would give their eye teeth to have a job and your moaning because you might have to work an extra 10 minutes now and then. The Celtic Tiger is dead and buried, the "I couldn't give a feck about the punters, my day's done" attitude won't get you very far.

Sinfonia wrote: »

So what if it was "just past" closing time? That means it's closed. This shop is presumably open about 8 hours a day, why couldn't you show up when they were actually open? It doesn't make a difference whether you show up at 6:01pm or 9:30pm. If the shop's closed, the shop's closed. And I don't see why you feel that an employee is in the wrong to complain that their time is wasted by having to look after you for no extra money just because you feel the world should revolve around your timetable, but you feel you are well within your rights to complain about how your time was wasted the following day.

Why do you feel such a sense of entitlement? I hate this "I'm a paying customer, therefore you must bend to me on all matters" bull****. The shopkeeper's in charge. Also, most businesses don't give a **** about ONE customer: boycotting that shop probably meant **** all to them.

Considering I dropped nearly 2 grand on that purchase I would expect a bit more cop on from the owner. It was sitting in the backroom ready to be collected, it would have taken him less than a minute to give it to me. Instead he acted the bollox and made me come in the next day for it. I may be only one customer but he has lost all my repeat business and that of my family. It may surprise you that in this age of choice and the internet customer service is pretty bloody important, if you won't provide the service the customers want then they will go somewhere else. Getting in a huff because you have to stay in work an extra 10 minutes and stating that you don't give a rats arse what one customer thinks is a surefire way to ensure that you will be sitting on your arse on the dole.

whatswhat wrote: »

I am more than delighted to get customers in my shop. However, when you quote "No matter how close to closing" That line peeves me off.

would you rather they went somewhere else for their purchase? Would you prefer to spend an extra 10 minutes in work to get a sale or spent that time down the pub with you pockets a little lighter than that ought to be?

whatswhat wrote: »

We are open, on most days up to 9 hours. I am sure that most people in the shop/retail trade, will agree with me on this. Who in their right minds, knowing usual hours of trading, goes into a shop/store 5 minutes to closing and expects the moon on a stick!

Perhaps the people who actually have jobs and hence have money to spend. I don't expect the moon on a stick but we are in a recession and to turn away paying customers because it's near/ just past closing time is plain stupid.

whatswhat wrote: »

The most of us are short staffed, its a recession! I tell you this, I do piss and moan after a long day at work when idiots come in at the last minute.Its a joke! God Bless Retail and all that expectations and idiots bring!!!!

All the more reason to go out of your way to make that sale and improve the days take to help ensure that your shop doesn't have to let anymore staff go, it might very well be your neck on the chopping board next time so it's in your own best interest to increase sales as much as possible.

02-07-2011 10:02PM

Sticky_Fingers, managers who listen to attitudes like yours risk the health of the employees working for them.

We have closing times for a reason.

We have to say "no" to customers for a reason.

For all you know, the person not giving you your trinket may have a *very, very* important reason for closing.

Like he has a pain in his chest. One that's shooting up his left arm.

Or his daughter rang saying she was being followed up a street by a gang of men.

The kind of thing that is more important than someone who bangs on the shutters saying "I NEED THIS NOW! I DON'T F*CKING CARE IF YOU'RE CLOSED!"

There's a line between keeping business and the "You want to not work? Tough sh*t, get on with it, I am your master" attitude.

To be honest, it's pure unadulterated arrogance, and the world would be a better place if all those who had to put up with arrogance could turn around to the arrogant and say "we're doing our best, you'll get X in Y minutes, now please, have patience".

mattjack · 02-07-2011 10:12PM

I always prefered shops with doors closed when in my ram raiding stage of life..

Sticky_Fingers · 02-07-2011 10:25PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Sticky_Fingers, managers who listen to attitudes like yours risk the health of the employees working for them.

We have closing times for a reason.

I didn't know that there was any law stating that a shop couldn't remain open past a certain time?

Deleted User wrote: »

We have to say "no" to customers for a reason.

Such as what exactly?

Deleted User wrote: »

For all you know, the person not giving you your trinket may have a *very, very* important reason for closing.

Like he has a pain in his chest. One that's shooting up his left arm.

Or his daughter rang saying she was being followed up a street by a gang of men.

The kind of thing that is more important than someone who bangs on the shutters saying "I NEED THIS NOW! I DON'T F*CKING CARE IF YOU'RE CLOSED!"

I wasn't aware that closing time was the period when most accidents/bad sh!t happens to store employees. Please provide a valid reason why a shop shouldn't remain open an extra 10 minutes to accommodate a paying customer without relying upon childish hysterics.

Deleted User wrote: »

There's a line between keeping business and the "You want to not work? Tough sh*t, get on with it, I am your master" attitude.

Yes there is also a line between being willing to put in a few extra minutes now and then and being forced to work down the pits for your bourgeoisie capitalist pigdog masters. Lets keep a bit of perspective here please.

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest, it's pure unadulterated arrogance, and the world would be a better place if all those who had to put up with arrogance could turn around to the arrogant and say "we're doing our best, you'll get X in Y minutes, now please, have patience".

This doesn't make any sense

02-07-2011 10:49PM

Geez that yoke you were looking for really got up your goat. What was it, a pacemaker?

Anyway, much as people like you wished the world revolved hypothetically around them, it does not. It never will.

I see people like you every day at my current job. People who think that the aircraft will wait for them. People who will say to the security men "for F*CKS SAKE I'M NOT A TERRORIST I DON'T NEED TO DO THIS!"

I see them twice a day. Once when they're on their way to the aircraft, and again walking, escorted, in the opposite direction as they find that the plane hasn't waited for them.

Should retail folk be all "yessuh yessuh massuh i get dat foh yu yu de massuh"?

No.

People are people. Treat them as people and they will treat you as a person. Treat them as servants and they will remind you they are people.

Opening and closing times are published on signs into premises. When you enter those premises you are agreeing to those terms.

Besides, what if something happens to you while you're on the premises after hours? could the shop worker who allowed you to stay be negligent for allowing members of the public remain on private premises after the agreed closing time?

SarahBeep! · 02-07-2011 10:56PM

I hate the 'I'll be really quick in the changing rooms' feckers....IT'S FIVE TO SIX FFS!!

I hate the fact people think we should ALWAYS be accomodating, we're accomodating from 9.30-6PM, do you think banging on the door at five past means I'll reverse the cash up of my till so you can look around and **** off again?? NO!

Do shops attract more customers with their doors closed?..

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