What is it about closing times/days that people don't understand?
A conversation I had recently:
Hugging Orchestra Teacher: Have you seen Larry today?
Me: No. What's today? Tuesday? He's only in Monday, Wednesday, Friday, so he won't be in today.
HOT: Well, I sent him an email and he never responded.
Me: Yeah, it's Tuesday, I wouldn't count on it. Unless, it's Instruments for All time, then he's probably over at the building next door.
HOT: They moved it back here this year.
Me: They never tell me these things.
HOT: It doesn't start until Friday. But they've cleared the area and are ready for all the instruments.
Me: Well, it's Tuesday, so he's probably not ready for it.
HOT: Last year, he let me come a couple days early. I have all these instruments, you see.
Me: Yeah, I have no idea, but since it IS Tuesday, I probably won't see him today.
HOT: Okay.
I have no idea what Larry does on Tuesdays, or Thursdays for that matter. I wouldn't be checking my email either on my days off, if it weren't also my contact email for school. She came back yesterday, Wednesday, and Larry was indeed here.
Another conversation I have every couple of months:
Teacher: I came by this morning, but you weren't there! I left my music on the ledge by your door, is that okay?
Me: Sure! [It's an inside ledge.] We must have just missed each other! What time did you come by?
Teacher: Around 8 AM.
Me: Oh! Sorry! I don't open until 9:30 AM. [I'm lucky if I'm in the shower by 8 AM . . .]
Larry and I don't exactly keep our schedules secret. Yes, we are the only people who can help you with our individual purposes, but we keep our hours well known and stick to them as much as possible. Mine are on a sign right next to my door. Oh well.
Oh, and she's still hugging me . . .
2 comments:
I only worked certain days of the week at my last job too and had a few problems with that, but not any that I remember too specifically.
I had the opposite problem recently though. I was in a store twenty minutes before they closed. I was even getting ready to leave (it was a fabric store and I was having my fabric cut so I could pay for it). They hadn't even made the announcement that they were closing and people needed to get their stuff and leave yet. But the woman cutting my fabric was ready to kick everyone out right then and there and close the store. I wanted to tell her, "Ma'am, your store is open till 9pm. It is only 8:40pm. If you don't want to work the hours your store is open, quit." Now, if I'd walked in at 8:55pm, that would've been different.
Then there are also those people who feel like they have to teach every thing they prepared and don't realize that class ended five minutes ago and they long ago ran out of time to make their closing statements.
Schedules are there for a reason. Unfortunately it seems there are people who just don't understand them.
When I was working retail (and this is still my rule), you don't kick the customer out. ESPECIALLY if they are spending money at your store. You can start working on your closing duties, but make sure they still know you are there and ready to help them as long as they need it. I do the same thing here, unless I absolutely have to go somewhere.
I was annoyed last night at choir rehearsal when it was 9:27 and the director wanted to do one more song. However, it just happens to be my favorite song of our current repertoire and I won't get to sing in the concert. So, I agreed to a "once straight through" (all 21 pages) and ended the evening by singing a great piece.
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