I Gave Him What For
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (79028)
United States
March 17, 2024 5:12pm CST
Sometimes I can be a bit, well...cantankerous might be a good word for it. Now, I know what you are going to say. "Porwest? Cantankerous? He's the nicest guy in all of myLot."
Ahem.
Anyway, one of our errand stops today was at Aldi. We finished with our shopping and there were two lines open. No one was in the far lane and even though there was no one sitting in the chair, the sign said, "Open."
My wife said, "I think it's closed, no one is there." Which I, of course disputed, pointing to the sign.
"He was just there a second ago. He just walked away momentarily," I told her. She was trying to fight me on it, but I was having none of it. "It SAYS open. Open means open."
I put the first item on the belt and the guy came over and told me he was closed. I told him about the sign and he again said he was closed and I would have to go to the other lane.
I looked over and saw like 15 people over there. I immediately gave it to him. "Are you kidding me? Do you see all those people over there? How can you close a lane with all those people waiting?"
He gave in and said, "I'll take you."
The wife rolled her eyes, but I was quick to say, "Sometimes you just have to open your mouth and stand your ground."
I DID thank the guy and told him, "I wasn't trying to give you a hard time, but at the same time, you should have turned your sign around before you walked away."
I am sure he simply called me a foul name under his breath, but I still got what I wanted, so it was all good. lol
21 people like this
18 responses
@porwest (79028)
• United States
18 Mar
Yeah, it made no sense in the first place to close a lane when the line was so long on the only other lane open. So, to me it was a foul on two counts. The number of people waiting to be checked out AND the fact that the sign said he was open.
3 people like this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
@capirani have you noticed that there are MORE & more
of those going up in stores? I have, but when you have a
buggy full of stuff to ring up that takes time if you can't
find a open cashsier to ring you up.
4 people like this
@kaylachan (60247)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
17 Mar
I have no problem telling people off when they give me a reason to. Hell I've been on the other side and still let people have it.
5 people like this
@kaylachan (60247)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Mar
@2ndchances24 sometimes you have to. So long as you maintain control.
2 people like this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
@porwest I don't blame you, but I hope you don't
make a seen where your the star of the show.
3 people like this
@capirani (2790)
• United States
18 Mar
I can see it happening. I used to work as a cashier and if having a bad day or working over, and being pretty tired, or even rushed, it was easy to forget to turn the open light off. Other times I would forget to turn it on when I would first arrive. It happens.
Actually, you were lucky he was still around so he could help you. Normally the employee would be long gone. We all forget things. No need to give someone trouble for it.
4 people like this
@porwest (79028)
• United States
18 Mar
@2ndchances24 Well, when it comes to things not in the employee's control, that's one thing. This was not one of those things.
1 person likes this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
@porwest Yea I know, & I agree.
1 person likes this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
@porwest 
I'd hate to be some place with you
cause my husband has the same problem with the bills but it's
not their fault they are going up, so now he leaves the Bit%hing
to me cause I don't go off the handle & play a different way.
I'd hate to be some place with you
cause my husband has the same problem with the bills but it's
not their fault they are going up, so now he leaves the Bit%hing
to me cause I don't go off the handle & play a different way.1 person likes this
@marguicha (217144)
• Chile
18 Mar
I wholly agree with you. And it is not your fault. If he forgot to turn the sign, he should have accepted the results of his action (or lack of it).
3 people like this
@marguicha (217144)
• Chile
19 Mar
@porwest I once did a horrible thing with my husband. Decades have passed and I don´t repent. I went to buy some sheets at a big store and asked 2 saleswomen to show some to us. Both were talking to each other and they paid no attention to us. We waited many minutes until I got really mad. So I started taking sheets from their bags, unfolding and leaving them there. When I thought that I had given them a lot of work I went away. It served them!!!
1 person likes this
@porwest (79028)
• United States
19 Mar
@marguicha You did right. No doubt about it. lol
1 person likes this
@porwest (79028)
• United States
19 Mar
For me that was the bottom line. Not that it was a HUGE deal. But customer service has gotten SO bad, you just can't let it slide anymore. These businesses HAVE to be reminded that the only reason they exist is because we shop there. Do they want our business? Or would they prefer we shop somewhere else?
The other part of the problem is that too many employees think that customers are an inconvenience during their work day instead of realizing that the customers are actually the ones who pay their salaries. No customers? No paycheck.
1 person likes this
@Happy2BeMe (99376)
• Canada
17 Mar
ya I can see that. I am sure your wife does a lot of eye rolling. 
3 people like this
@Beestring (13597)
• Hong Kong
18 Mar
If I were you, I would also tell the guy that the sign is "Open".
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (43332)
• Staten Island, New York
18 Mar
If it were up to your wife you’d have been standing behind all those people waiting to check out. I’ve encountered this more than once—a lane says open but no one is at the register. Never ventured there and went to another register. But then I also never saw anyone come back right away to the supposedly open lane.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (161144)
• United States
18 Mar
I'm glad I wasn't there. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
you did what was right & showed him what's up
I BET next time he'll remember to flip the sign, the wife was inbarrassed
is why she tried to fight you on it, & yes I would have too myself.1 person likes this
@porwest (79028)
• United States
19 Mar
@2ndchances24 Nope. People like me who are firm get much farther ahead than people who are not.
1 person likes this
@2ndchances24 (5886)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
18 Mar
@porwest That's what you say but
I bet if I was to talk to her she would
say different.
1 person likes this
@kareng (56706)
• United States
18 Mar
I would have done the same thing! I got ticked when girl at Walmart (only lane open other than self checkout) left to go to restroom. Closed lane for which I was already in and told me I had to go to self checkout. I went to customer service instead because they check people out at our local store (was in Baton Rouge). There I was told that she couldn't check me out and I would have to go to self checkout. Grrr. Did that but wanted to just leave it all there at that point, but had medicine for my daughter that she needed. Self checkout did not ring up the cookies we got from bakery correctly and would not let me delete, so I had to turn the light on for help. Got it taken care of but laughed and told the guy that helped that if the girl would of just checked me out quickly before leaving this would not have happened. We didn't have but 4-5 things.
@much2say (54095)
• Los Angeles, California
18 Mar
Well, you did have a point there . . . but I guess I wouldn't have called him out on it (that's just me). Sometimes the employee is ordered to close at that moment - it's not about what's best for customer service (anymore).
My old boss used to say it's the squeaky wheel that gets fixed . . . he was right . . . and that's exactly how it went for you 
.
.1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80605)
• United States
18 Mar
And that's why my daughter hates going to the store with my son in law. He can get a bit "cantankerous" at times too
@Deepizzaguy (96287)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
17 Mar
You did the right deal by telling the employee the truth that if the lane at the shopping center had an open sign with no one in line and he told you it was closed, he did serve you and his wife since the customer is always right.
The saying is "If you tell the truth, then your troubles won't be doubled."
1 person likes this
