By fennyjenny
On Friday Oct. 21, my friend and i were doing some shopping at the Oshawa Centre, at 850 we went to Marks Work Wearhouse to look at scrubs. After selecting some, my friend and I each found a pair of boots to buy along with a jacket. A sales associate approached us and asked if we needed help. We said we would like to see a jacket on the wall as well. She huffed and puffed and said she was unable to serve us as the store was closed. There was a line of four customers at the cash. We put down the boots, scrubs and pj’s we planned to purchase and left the store. We emailed the company to express our dissatisfaction,and got a polite thanks for the information response. The manager of the oshawa did leave a voicemail on my friends machine.It makes me question where customer service went?
joseff says...
I work retail. At quitting time, I’d like to do just that.
Hours on the mall doors are not just suggestions.
Most of us do not get paid for time spent at work before opening time OR for time spent at work AFTER closing time. Extra time 5 days a week could easily add up to 2 hours. Most retail is minimum wage or close to it. A taxi costs about 10 bucks if I miss the last bus out. If I have a sitter and I’m late, again, out of my pocket, not yours. It’s a no-win situation, both on the customers side AND on the retail side.
I’m sorry you feel like you were treated rudely.
Jasmine says...
I have never had good at that location either customer service either, I was also once told that the store was closed when it was only 8:00…. that is an HOUR earlier than it’s 9:00 closing time. And as much as it sucks to have customers come in 10 minuets to close, it is still your job to serve them, and most store policies say that if there are customers in the store around closing time they are supposed to be allowed to finish shopping up until 5 mins after close.
I think you are in the right with this one, because it was 8:50 and the store was in fact not closed yet. It does not take long to get a jacket down from a rack so that a person can purchase it.
As for Joseff’s reply, if an employee is not being paid for the extra time that is worked it is up to them to follow through with it and make sure they are paid. The labour board is in place to handle that sort of thing if a manager does not want to comply. I am sure not every employee has a sitter to pay and a bus to catch and when that is the case sure exceptions can be made, but that needs to be known to the employer
Tasha says...
Since you had scrubs, pj’s and boots in your hands ready to purchase and I’m reasonably sure you tried on at least the boots, it’s more than likely it was closing time or past. The employee asking if you needed help was a subtle hint it was closing time and please move on to the cashier.
I’m sorry you feel your shopping experience was unpleasant. Maybe the employee could have handled the situation better, but I do not feel they were in the wrong particularly if it was past closing time. Part of their duties is to close the store on time, no manager/employer wants to be paying out over-time and an employee who often claims extra time on payroll would be quickly replaced.
After the store closes, there is even more work to be done that is not paid ranging from clean up to balancing the cash/reciepts for the day. Often this work can take another 30 minutes or more. That time is seldom if ever paid. Every person who remains in the store past closing adds more time before the employees can go home.
While you have a right to shop, the store has a right set their hours of operation and the employee has a right to go home after their shift.
Staying in a store past closing time is as rude as an employee that “huffs and puffs”. And it does violate another persons “rights” since we all seem to think so much of our own “rights” these days.
Stahr says...
I work retail as well. There was no need for the staff member to be rude to you period. The store was not yet closed and you were doing nothing wrong.
Joseff is correct in saying that most retailers do NOT pay employees after hours. I deal with the same issue. It is not just about money as there are teenagers who have rides waiting to pick them up, people who need to catch a bus,and people who have other obligations ect…
@fennyjenny please don’t let this turn you off of the company in general. You may have dealt with someone new or even someone having a bad day. No excuse for the way you were treated but not everyone is rude. I would try again and if it is the same situation, ask to speak to a manager on the spot. Perhaps HO has not made them aware of the situation.
fennyjenny says...
The manager for the store did get in touch with us. she said the girl was written up and sent out $50 GC for each of us. I am impressed with the way HQ and the manager handled it.
Stahr says...
Wonderful!!! =)
yuen says...
we often go into mark’s to look for on sale jeans, jackets, etc
we love good sales! wohooo!
but true those girls are not friendly when we come in late or say an hour to half an hour closing time.
but its understandable though, they are tired and just like all of us they want to go home and rest after an all day attending to customers whining LOL
have worked in sales/retail and experienced it
being rude to the customer is a no-no.
and yes minimum wage sucks!
Theresa says...
Sounds like they went out of their way to make this up to you. I am impressed with that.
minime says...
Well you deserve it for going in at 10 minutes to close and expecting to buy an entire outfit with matching accessories. People who work in stores have families to get home to as well. Next time, plan your time accordingly and go in earlier. Then maybe you won’t be ‘treated rudely.’
Stahr says...
I don’t think she “deserved” to be treated rudely. That is just ridiculous. She could have been in and out of the store with a purchase by closing time. People who hang around 5,10,15 min after close are another story all together. But no one needs to be treated disrespectfully.
Scruffy says...
wow… minime sounds like a spoiled teenager.
i always put the customer first. i never ever kicked out customers who were in the store after hours. especially if they were making purchases and not just browsing to kill time. i would give them a friendly reminder and give them a few more minutes. sure my ride would have to wait an extra few min, but that’s my issue. as a salesperson respresenting the store, i am to ensure the customers receive proper service. good customer service is so hard to come by these days.
bccouponclipper says...
IF minimun wage is the excuse for getting poor service then I would suggest getting an education, to get a higher paying job.
Being tired or under educated is the employees fault NOT the business
If you are going to take out personal unhappiness on the clients of the business you have no right to be working for them.
It is like moaning to get paid extra because you have to wait in traffic to get home. Grow up and lose the self entitlement.
Rose says...
I agree with Joseff and Minime personally. The store is closed when it’s closed. If you want time to come in and shop and be given customer service, you need to come in store when it’s open not moments before closing. Any business should have the right to close when they are supposed to, and employees should be allowed to go home when their day is done instead of staying overtime (unpaid) to help customers who feel they are entitled to come into a business anytime they want and demand service.
I do agree that the lady didn’t need to huff and puff at you, and could’ve said things more nicely, but I am also able to empathise with her frustration. I also know I have come into stores and been told that they were closing and couldn’t help me. I was fine with that. I figured I could come back another day. Good customer service is a two-way-street. Yes, employees need to be patient and respectful. But customers should do the same in return. I’m not a fan of the customers with the attitude that they are entitled to do whatever they want and it’s the job of the frazzled employee to put up with them no matter how rudely they treat them.
At BCCouponClipper- I am amused by your remark because, as far as I see it, you are the one with the sense of entitlement. Many people working at retail are also students. However, going to school may not be an option for everyone. I know many people who went for post-secondary education and got left with debt and a part-time job. Yes, the system sucks. Have some empathy for people. If the company itself cared about its customer service, and if the company itself cared about the people, it would ensure its employees are treated well. There used to be a time people could make a decent living without education. That is still possible, but the companies themselves are getting more and more greedy. Being tired, underpaid, and uneducated is society’s problem as well as my problem. It doesn’t matter who you are dealing with, whether its an employee at a store or someone on the street, you never know what they are going through. You don’t know what their circumstances are. Lose your sense of entitlement to waltz into store and get whatever you demand, and gain some compassion.
Punkie says...
Who are you kidding? I find it hard to believe that any retail location sends all it’s employees home at closing time. Usually there are staff in store 15-30 minutes past closing. This person was being lazy! I’m glad MWW tried to remedy the situation.
u Mad? says...
Op is and idiot. Go early next time, stupid.
Ellie says...
They suck
Darlene says...
Here is one for you. Today is Sunday June 3, 2012 and this happened this morning at Marks in Canadian Tire in Bowmanville. At Marks today all Tshirts are 40% off. I took my T shirt to the sales desk, and the sales associate who was very sweet says today is your lucky day you get 40% off, but it did not come up as 40% off so the sales associate asks the Manager why not? The manager replies, that particular T shirt is not because it is a scrub brand. I wasn’t upset because I really didn’t think it would be on sale. However, I said well that just doesn’t seem fair, but in a nice way. The manager actually says to me one thing you learn as an adult is that life just isn’t fair. What kind of comment is that? I didn’t know what to say she caught me off guard, but now I am ticked. I am much older than she. Come on people we are talking about a T shirt. Life isn’t fair, so that justifys them ripping us off. Had she given me the 40% off I would have purchased two. These clothes are over 100% mark up. Lori Holly is her name and I won’t be shopping at Marks again. The other thing is that they give me a $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase but it isn’t valid until after Father’s Day. They could make more money if they change their attitude by making customer service a priority.
glenn says...
I would just like to say all of you are right in this sense.Customer service i think should be 100% all the time. But let some retail people come to some of your 8 to 4 office jobs and make you stay an extra 15 minutes you would be a little rude to us meaning retail people also. I work retail and let me tell you some of you cutomers do it just because you can than you expect the company to give you something for free correct.the two ladies that got the gift card did you ejoy getting free things while this employee got writen up over your ignorence. when the store is closed be respectful of the employees wanting to go home to there families as well. Not all people that work retail are 18 to 22 yrs old so please do not generalize age. I find that older people are the rudeist. for all the retail employees remember this kill them with kindness and trust me the will leave