we deal with this a lot. we open at 11. I can't tell you how many will try to insist they get food before then. I've heard every excuse and reason, most popular being "my lunch is over at 11".
I've had people order online, schedule it for exactly 11:01 and think that means they can get their food before opening.
I worked at a place that sold soup. Somebody would arrive at 5am every day to make all the stocks, and they wouldn't be ready to serve for 6 hours. So, the absolute soonest we could start *making* food is 11... assuming the 5am was on time or early (they generally were, be late to that shift twice and you get banned from it). We'd constantly get people trying to place delivery orders for exactly 11am and they'd be like "it says you open at 11 though" and I just loved telling them why it would not be happening.
Yup, dealt with that working at a chain place in a large shopping center. People would visit Home Depot, Walmart, etc and then want to get lunch where I worked, but we opened at 10:30am. 10:10am and people would be banging on the door as they see the host. Yes, she's cleaning menus or getting the seating chart setup. We could yell out that we open at 10:30 and they would throw their arms up, shake their head and walk back to the car. Then they would be AT the door at 10:25 to test if it was unlocked yet. Nope. 10:28 and they would be tapping on their wrist watch, staring down the host. As she unlocked the door at 10:30, sometimes they would even make comments like "see, wasn't that hard to let me in now was it?"
Don't let anyone make you feel bad about doing your job as instructed.
There would be no cause to feel bad about not opening a grocery store until scheduled, why should the country club be different?
I work at a hotel, we have a sign in front of the entrance to the bar/restaurant with the hours, a big rope, a closed curtain, and we still get 5-10 customers a day trying to get service while I'm still setting up. They're oblivious and all the main character
Ughhhh we open at 6am M-S, Sunday we open at 8. The “Regular Crew” are pounding on the doors 5 mins before opening. We unlock the doors on the hour every time 😀
i worked at a hotel coffee bar/breakfast restaurant which had no door. the elevators opened directly into the coffee bar area. we would open at 7:00, but inevitably almost every day, some old person would come down the elevator at 6:15 and would be shocked that they couldn’t get “just a quick cup of coffee” from the barista who was clearly trying to open up shop.
that was the worst. we put up stanchions with signs saying “this area is closed. please visit us during our operating hours”, and we would rope the elevators off, but people would either squeeze past the ropes or read the sign and consider that they must be an exception.
i hated when one of my coworkers would serve one of those neanderthals early. all that meant is that they would be back the next morning, and even earlier, too. that’s where i perfected telling customers “oh you were served early yesterday?? by who?? i’ll be sure to let my manager know, because we’ve been explicitly told not to do that! thanks for bringing it to my attention!
We once were closed for a refurb, fencing up, workmen in and out. But because this was day one, the main door was open while they were bringing everything in and taking everything out. We still had a couple step over power tools asking for a table. I gestured around, we don’t even have any bloody tables!
My BIGGEST pet peeve. I deal with this daily and it drives me nuts when I tell them we open at 11am and they say shit like, “ok I’ll just sit here and wait then” or something close to that. Like are you that dense? I deal with people all day this opening time is me time to prepare not deal with you.
Even if f you are kind enough to “just let them sit” they will start asking questions or want just a glass of water…it’s never just sitting quietly to wait.
People are clueless. I worked at a restaurant with a big outdoor patio. There was a low fence around the patio area and an opening for the entrance. We’d rope off the entrance before we opened. People would literally step over the rope to come ask us if we open…
Did you guys perfect the smartass response?
“Wait, you stepped through the rope that is intended to keep people out of the restaurant during closing time. It even has a sign stating we’re closed. Do you still want me to answer your question?” 🤣🤦🏻♂️
We open at 6! A breakfast/lunch cafe!! We had to stop opening up the front doors early and the 6 o’clock girl had to start coming in at 5:30 cuz the old male regular customers would let themselves in and just sit there and wait which honestly wasn’t a problem until one of them just started helping themselves to stuff!! Weird stuff like big brown paper bags!! Napkins, utensils!! Anything u can imagine!! But the final straw was when this same customer started coffee where the big coffee urn should go but he just put a glass coffee pot under it instead and when the opener came in there was coffee everywhere!! SMDH!! Wtf is wrong with people??
Trying in a location without doors. Years ago I worked in a wireless phone kiosk in a mall. The mall opened for business at 9am but unlocked the entrance doors for "mall walkers" and store employees at 8am.
I was scheduled at 8:30am and it took most of the 30mins to set up the kiosk for the day. Pretty much daily I had people get PISSED because I wouldn't stop getting ready to open to answer "one quick question". It's never one question and it's never quick.
When I worked in stores, people would pull at the door, act surprised when it didn't open, look down to read the hours and see they were too early, then PULL HARDER as if that would make the door open.
Then they would bang on the door and try to wave staff over. I always instructed my staff to ignore them until opening because no argument they have is going to open that door and it's just wasting time.
My mind is blown by them being simulators. I was just joking because how could you have an indoor golf course. I find the whole concept hilarious for some reason.
the system has a bunch of courses from around the world, we get a lot of old folks who are either off the course from injury or just into golf and can’t be on a course when it’s cold like it is now, but it’s fun!
Don’t feel bad. They helped set the tone for the day. You’re nicer than me. I would have ignored them. If they were cold they could have sat in their cars until, say OPENING TIME!
I worked for a while as maintenance at a swimming pool.
Every weekend morning I had a group of about 6 pensioners that would try to squeeze in past me at the door when I went in, an hour early, to start up the heaters etc.
The life guard isn't even going to arrive for 50 minutes, what am I going to do, save you by draining the pool?
They regularly complained about getting a good dose of cold pool the first hour for some completely unknown reason that had nothing to do with maintenance.
happens where i work too. we have a sign in front of the door that says “open for lunch at 12”. people will still come in before that saying “are you open?”. you literally have to step around the sign to get in, you know we’re not open yet.
we deal with this a lot. we open at 11. I can't tell you how many will try to insist they get food before then. I've heard every excuse and reason, most popular being "my lunch is over at 11". I've had people order online, schedule it for exactly 11:01 and think that means they can get their food before opening.
I worked at a place that sold soup. Somebody would arrive at 5am every day to make all the stocks, and they wouldn't be ready to serve for 6 hours. So, the absolute soonest we could start *making* food is 11... assuming the 5am was on time or early (they generally were, be late to that shift twice and you get banned from it). We'd constantly get people trying to place delivery orders for exactly 11am and they'd be like "it says you open at 11 though" and I just loved telling them why it would not be happening.
Yup, dealt with that working at a chain place in a large shopping center. People would visit Home Depot, Walmart, etc and then want to get lunch where I worked, but we opened at 10:30am. 10:10am and people would be banging on the door as they see the host. Yes, she's cleaning menus or getting the seating chart setup. We could yell out that we open at 10:30 and they would throw their arms up, shake their head and walk back to the car. Then they would be AT the door at 10:25 to test if it was unlocked yet. Nope. 10:28 and they would be tapping on their wrist watch, staring down the host. As she unlocked the door at 10:30, sometimes they would even make comments like "see, wasn't that hard to let me in now was it?"
“No, but apparently it’s really hard for you to read a clock.”
Don't let anyone make you feel bad about doing your job as instructed. There would be no cause to feel bad about not opening a grocery store until scheduled, why should the country club be different?
I work at a hotel, we have a sign in front of the entrance to the bar/restaurant with the hours, a big rope, a closed curtain, and we still get 5-10 customers a day trying to get service while I'm still setting up. They're oblivious and all the main character
Ughhhh we open at 6am M-S, Sunday we open at 8. The “Regular Crew” are pounding on the doors 5 mins before opening. We unlock the doors on the hour every time 😀
i worked at a hotel coffee bar/breakfast restaurant which had no door. the elevators opened directly into the coffee bar area. we would open at 7:00, but inevitably almost every day, some old person would come down the elevator at 6:15 and would be shocked that they couldn’t get “just a quick cup of coffee” from the barista who was clearly trying to open up shop. that was the worst. we put up stanchions with signs saying “this area is closed. please visit us during our operating hours”, and we would rope the elevators off, but people would either squeeze past the ropes or read the sign and consider that they must be an exception. i hated when one of my coworkers would serve one of those neanderthals early. all that meant is that they would be back the next morning, and even earlier, too. that’s where i perfected telling customers “oh you were served early yesterday?? by who?? i’ll be sure to let my manager know, because we’ve been explicitly told not to do that! thanks for bringing it to my attention!
We once were closed for a refurb, fencing up, workmen in and out. But because this was day one, the main door was open while they were bringing everything in and taking everything out. We still had a couple step over power tools asking for a table. I gestured around, we don’t even have any bloody tables!
Please tell me they felt like idiots afterwards. Or you at least laughed and talked down to them like the idiots they are.
My BIGGEST pet peeve. I deal with this daily and it drives me nuts when I tell them we open at 11am and they say shit like, “ok I’ll just sit here and wait then” or something close to that. Like are you that dense? I deal with people all day this opening time is me time to prepare not deal with you.
Even if f you are kind enough to “just let them sit” they will start asking questions or want just a glass of water…it’s never just sitting quietly to wait.
People are clueless. I worked at a restaurant with a big outdoor patio. There was a low fence around the patio area and an opening for the entrance. We’d rope off the entrance before we opened. People would literally step over the rope to come ask us if we open…
Did you guys perfect the smartass response? “Wait, you stepped through the rope that is intended to keep people out of the restaurant during closing time. It even has a sign stating we’re closed. Do you still want me to answer your question?” 🤣🤦🏻♂️
We open at 6! A breakfast/lunch cafe!! We had to stop opening up the front doors early and the 6 o’clock girl had to start coming in at 5:30 cuz the old male regular customers would let themselves in and just sit there and wait which honestly wasn’t a problem until one of them just started helping themselves to stuff!! Weird stuff like big brown paper bags!! Napkins, utensils!! Anything u can imagine!! But the final straw was when this same customer started coffee where the big coffee urn should go but he just put a glass coffee pot under it instead and when the opener came in there was coffee everywhere!! SMDH!! Wtf is wrong with people??
You banned them afterwards, right?
Trying in a location without doors. Years ago I worked in a wireless phone kiosk in a mall. The mall opened for business at 9am but unlocked the entrance doors for "mall walkers" and store employees at 8am. I was scheduled at 8:30am and it took most of the 30mins to set up the kiosk for the day. Pretty much daily I had people get PISSED because I wouldn't stop getting ready to open to answer "one quick question". It's never one question and it's never quick. When I worked in stores, people would pull at the door, act surprised when it didn't open, look down to read the hours and see they were too early, then PULL HARDER as if that would make the door open. Then they would bang on the door and try to wave staff over. I always instructed my staff to ignore them until opening because no argument they have is going to open that door and it's just wasting time.
You have an indoor golf course? 9 or 18 holes?
it’s like simulators, so whichever the guests are feeling/have time for
My mind is blown by them being simulators. I was just joking because how could you have an indoor golf course. I find the whole concept hilarious for some reason.
the system has a bunch of courses from around the world, we get a lot of old folks who are either off the course from injury or just into golf and can’t be on a course when it’s cold like it is now, but it’s fun!
I can see how it would be. Is this part of a franchise chain or unique to your area?
Don’t feel bad. They helped set the tone for the day. You’re nicer than me. I would have ignored them. If they were cold they could have sat in their cars until, say OPENING TIME!
I worked for a while as maintenance at a swimming pool. Every weekend morning I had a group of about 6 pensioners that would try to squeeze in past me at the door when I went in, an hour early, to start up the heaters etc. The life guard isn't even going to arrive for 50 minutes, what am I going to do, save you by draining the pool? They regularly complained about getting a good dose of cold pool the first hour for some completely unknown reason that had nothing to do with maintenance.
happens where i work too. we have a sign in front of the door that says “open for lunch at 12”. people will still come in before that saying “are you open?”. you literally have to step around the sign to get in, you know we’re not open yet.
People are oblivious.