Unfiltered Story #201683

(I work for a local nougat maker, which has a small store attached to the workshop where the nougat is made and packaged. I mainly help with the production side of things, serving customers as needed and on Saturdays when I man the store by myself all day. I’ve had my share of unobservant customers both with this job and previous ones, but this lady takes the cake. It’s closing time; I’ve already turned out the lights and the light-up “Open” sign in the window, I’ve put away the cash box, I’m straightening one last thing in the office and am literally 30 seconds away from locking up when I hear the door chime.)
Customer: “Hello? Anybody here?”
Me: *internally groaning* “Yes…”
Customer: “How come it’s so dark in here?”
Me: *coming out of the office* “Well, it’s closing time, so I’m closing up.”
Customer: “Already? At 6:00?”
Me: “Actually, we close at 6:30, and it’s 6:30 now.”
Customer: “Oh. I just saw the big “Store Open” sign out front and figured you were still open.”
(Note: Said sign is made of metal and very heavy, and I typically bring that in last, as it blocks the inner door.)
Me: “I was just about to bring that in, actually.”
Customer: “Oh.”
(At this point, I’ve turned the lights back on, just so we can see each other/not bump into anything, but she figures this means she can go ahead and pick out some nougat. I’m exhausted after a 9.5-hour shift, but I figure if we can make a little more money today, what the heck. And then comes the kicker: her credit card won’t go through, and since she has neither checkbook nor enough cash on her, she has to leave without buying anything. I QUICKLY finish closing up and head home. Next time I’m bringing the big sign in first; clearly, the lack of lights is not indication enough that we’re closed.)