So it never ceases to amaze me when we close our store, invariably 2-3 minutes after the posted closing time of 8 pm, that customers always cut it too close and show up around 8:09. I can understand being late, and being disappointed, especially if they have the same attitude toward punctuality when it comes to paying their bills. I feel for them because they were ALMOST on time.
On the other hand, I do not feel bad for the people who show up 27 minutes late, slam into the door angrily, pound on the glass with their fist, lean back to look at the posted hours, check their watch (as if to accuse us of closing early), and then yell from outside that they just want to pay a bill, which they usually follow up with an "I can see you in there (like we are hiding)". I don't know where these people come from, but you can get to my store from pretty much anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley, and even parts of Tooele, in under half an hour, so these people must realize at 7:59 that they need to pay their bills and decide to hop in the car to see if they can warp space and time.
The best part is that when we refuse to open the door, they invariably storm back to their Dodge truck with the Cummins Turbo Diesel and a 3" lift and burn $20 in diesel and about $7 in rubber to punctuate their angst with Sprint. Maybe if they were slightly more conservative with the resources required to maintain their transportation, they would have the money to pay their bills on time.
How dare we close our doors at the posted time, honestly! I think perhaps we would be more compassionate if the people who were coming late weren't the same people who want to argue things like the rate of their city's taxes, or the price of a 411 call - and it's not like they didn't have 45 days to pay their bill BEFORE if got suspended for non-payment... It reminds me of a sign that my High School Algebra teacher had at his desk; "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Maybe Mr. Reynolds could come work part time for me holding a sign outside my store from 8:01-8:45 every night. Probably beats greeting at Wal-Mart... then again it's still retail...
