Archived "What time do you close tonight?"

[soyaxo]

Since we had different hours on NYE than what we did on NYD, we got 30 calls from 4:30-11 last night asking what time we closed. The operator came in at 4:30 and I covered their lunch and 15-minute break using the mobile phone and kept getting several calls in a row asking that very question. Every time we assured them we were open normal hours, they got really excited. It was kind of entertaining. Did anyone else have anything like this at their store, if they had the same hours (ASANTS)?

 

[Doglover89]

Yes, same at my store. I was operator NYE closing and NYD opening and I just wanted to slap people. One person asked and when I said yes, regular hours, she said "gosh I'm so sorry." All I thought was I'm happy to be making time and a half.

 

[Retail Girl]

The sad part is that if they would just listen to the damn, automated greeting they would have figured that out without bugging the operator.

 

[CrowsFeet]

Except that the recording didn't specify. It just has the normal hours in there. I would have just assumed Target didn't make a recording for Holiday hours.

And yes, those calls all day. No zoning to be had! I literally would be able to put one shirt down before the phone woukd ring again.

 

[ExhaustedCashier]

After their lunch, our operator started counting the calls and in four hours it was over 90...

 

[NPC]

I had to call Walmart to see when they were open New Years Eve. (Needed eggs) They were open to midnight. Suckers.

 

[radiochu]

Except that the recording didn't specify. It just has the normal hours in there. I would have just assumed Target didn't make a recording for Holiday hours.

I know our store had a recording, because I had to listen to the whole damn thing when I had to call out sick one day and it wouldn't let me skip it to just get to the operator. it was mainly for the extended hours leading up to Christmas though, since we didn't have any changes the week of New Year's.

I'm not sure whether I'm making an argument for why people should have known or why they shouldn't anymore actually... it must be tiresome to deal with though. I'm glad I'm not an operator.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Regular store hours are back now.

 

[GlitterBerries]

My store closed at 9pm on new year's eve not sure about new years day since I was off but we had about 50 calls in a few hours asking as well. I felt bad for the operator.

 

[RegisterMonkey]

Half of the time I had no clue what time we closed for holiday hours. I pretty much assumed that if I was scheduled for shifts ending after 10pm, that was close time. Not that I ever left at that time or anything....

 

[queencat]

On new years eve I called the local grocery store to ask when they closed and they answered the phone with "this is Grocery Store, my name is Jane, we close at 9:00pm tonight. How can I help you?"

The operator should do that.

 

[RTCry]

On new years eve I called the local grocery store to ask when they closed and they answered the phone with "this is Grocery Store, my name is Jane, we close at 9:00pm tonight. How can I help you?"

The operator should do that.

You'd think that would help, but it doesn't. People still call and all doing that does is either have people say, "Oh. I was just going to ask that!" or "What time do you close?" Because people don't listen. I'm an operator and my greeting includes our store location and people still ask if we are the Target at Xxxx.

 

[Retail Girl]

You'd think that would help, but it doesn't. People still call and all doing that does is either have people say, "Oh. I was just going to ask that!" or "What time do you close?" Because people don't listen. I'm an operator and my greeting includes our store location and people still ask if we are the Target at Xxxx.

What I love is the guests who I will have a full conversation with...like the guest who was desperate to find a glove. I went through the lost and found, couldn't find it, and at the end she asked me, "you're the store by xxx, right?" Uhh..no...but the fact that our location is advertised in the greeting and the fact that we say, "thank you for calling the (our city) Target," when we answer, people still don't get it.

 

[Retail Girl]

On new years eve I called the local grocery store to ask when they closed and they answered the phone with "this is Grocery Store, my name is Jane, we close at 9:00pm tonight. How can I help you?"

The operator should do that.

They probably weren't supposed to do that...it sounds a bit rude, but they did it because they were sick of the calls. I did it on a dare when I worked at a grocery store about 20 years ago....it worked in cutting down the length of the phone calls.

 

[SFSFun]

On new years eve I called the local grocery store to ask when they closed and they answered the phone with "this is Grocery Store, my name is Jane, we close at 9:00pm tonight. How can I help you?"

The operator should do that.

They probably weren't supposed to do that...it sounds a bit rude, but they did it because they were sick of the calls. I did it on a dare when I worked at a grocery store about 20 years ago....it worked in cutting down the length of the phone calls.

That's how I trained people to answer the phone during the holidays at my grocery store job, and management has no problem with it. As long as you use the right tone, it doesn't come across as rude at all.

 

[queencat]

They probably weren't supposed to do that...it sounds a bit rude, but they did it because they were sick of the calls. I did it on a dare when I worked at a grocery store about 20 years ago....it worked in cutting down the length of the phone calls.

That's how I trained people to answer the phone during the holidays at my grocery store job, and management has no problem with it. As long as you use the right tone, it doesn't come across as rude at all.

Yeah the tone was polite. This is also a little grocery store chain with a website that just listed regular hours. I suppose it wouldn't work at Target where the hours are listed in the automated message that literally everyone ignores.