My encounter with a convenience store clerk on Thanksgiving day

[DigitalDrifter]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

 

[gtopa1]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

You asked; lol, but you are BOTH right of course. If it's open of course use it; it opens because people use it. Do they add 15% to the bill as a public holiday surcharge? They do in some places here as they pay EXTRA for wages that day (Penalty rates); often "time and a half" extra. May not happen in the US.

Greg

 

[MarathonMike]

Not impressed by Gen-Z, not one bit.

 

[eagle1462010]

Plenty work on Holidays. It is what it is.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

.

Certainly not a great way to keep customers -- to tell them to stay the fuck away so she didn't have to work.

I'd be talking to the owner of that business.

.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

You asked; lol, but you are BOTH right of course. If it's open of course use it; it opens because people use it. Do they add 15% to the bill as a public holiday surcharge? They do in some places here as they pay EXTRA for wages that day (Penalty rates); often "time and a half" extra. May not happen in the US.

Greg

There's no surcharge here that I'm aware of, even though I would assume she's making at least time and a half, or double- time.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Plenty work on Holidays. It is what it is.

I worked in hospitals where nobody ever complained about having to work on holidays

I guess the idiot in the store, if she worked in a hospital, would rather people just chose not to be sick or have accidents on the days she wanted off.

What if there was a fire in her dwelling? Does she want to hear the firefighter whine about having to work on the holiday?

.

 

[rightwinger]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

Fire her ass for chasing away customers

 

[petro]

Self checkout just sells itself.

 

[okfine]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

Maybe her sancho was chillin' in the chiller.

 

[petro]

Not impressed by Gen-Z, not one bit.

Lol.
Recent meme I found about that...

 

[Freedomisneverfree]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

I worked in major hotels in Las Vegas. You never got any holidays off. One year, I sat on a 50 pound bag of flour and ate my Thanksgiving dinner. It is what is....I also worked in the hospital for a couple of years. Same applied, you worked all the holidays. One Christmas Day (working) these nice ladies from a church brought us in cookies and desserts and we spread them on the table and thought that was so nice of them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[meaner gene]

So on my way to a Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to pick up a few last minute items at a store.
Stopped at a convenience store, not a corporate one, but a local chain. Clerk appeared to be by herself, young lady 20ish.
I was the only one in the store, and when I got up to the counter, I mentioned happy Thanksgiving, and I was sorry she had to work on Thanksgiving, and here was her exact reply.

"You're sorry, and yet, here you are! As long as people keep stopping and coming in on holidays like this, the owner will keep staying open. If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!"

I was a bit taken back by this. She's not wrong of course, but she's the one who chose to work for a business that stays open on holidays.
Not exactly an ambassador for her company.

I'm sure the store has more than ONE employee. But she was probably the last hired, and thus forced to work holidays, while the rest of the store staff got to spend Thanksgiving with their families.

Store owners look after their profits, and not the welfare of their employees.

 

[leftwinger]

You asked; lol, but you are BOTH right of course. If it's open of course use it; it opens because people use it. Do they add 15% to the bill as a public holiday surcharge? They do in some places here as they pay EXTRA for wages that day (Penalty rates); often "time and a half" extra. May not happen in the US.

Greg

Double time in Holidays (2X) is the normal.

 

[meaner gene]

.

Certainly not a great way to keep customers -- to tell them to stay the fuck away so she didn't have to work.

I'd be talking to the owner of that business.

.

How about talking to the business owners about only opening if they have enough employees who volunteer to work the holiday.

It's not like they're "essential" workers, like police, doctors and nurses, firemen, TSA the military and countless others who work nights, holidays and weekends to provide essential services.

 

[meaner gene]

I worked in hospitals where nobody ever complained about having to work on holidays

I guess the idiot in the store, if she worked in a hospital, would rather people just chose not to be sick or have accidents on the days she wanted off.

What if there was a fire in her dwelling? Does she want to hear the firefighter whine about having to work on the holiday?

.

You actually make the opposite point. Those people knew they were "essential" workers. These are people who are only there because somebody forgot to buy something the previous day. But nobody is going to die from not having cranberry sauce.

 

[meaner gene]

Fire her ass for chasing away customers

Thank you Ebenezer Scrooge

 

[Freedomisneverfree]

Many big box stores are closed today.

This is what's open:

• 7-Eleven
• CVS
• Dollar General
• Dollar Tree
• Family Dollar
• Five Below
• Old Navy
• Rite Aid
• Safeway
• Walgreens
• Wegman's
• Whole Foods

 

[meaner gene]

Double time in Holidays (2X) is the normal.

Only in "union" shops. And I doubt that was a union shop. Most places oppose unions, and you just pointed out why.

 

[fncceo]

If people would DO THE RIGHT THING, and stay away, they would not be open, and I could be home!

Is she working at the store against her will? Is she a slave or indentured servant?

Don't want to work on Thursday, seek other employment.