He’s Bags Of Trouble

(Before closing, mall security lets our store know that a customer lost a bag containing medicine somewhere in the mall. Someone on staff finds it during recovery, two hours after close. The assistant store manager contacts mall security, who contacts the customer. He says he is “five minutes away,” so the ASM agrees to stay to give them the bag. Nearly an hour later, they haven’t shown, so the ASM turns the bag over to mall security. The next morning, I don’t know any of this when I arrive two hours before opening. I just find a man banging at the exterior entrance. He looks furious and violent and I don’t want to approach him until another member of staff comes in. Ten minutes later, someone does, and we go out through the employee entrance to talk to him. He is red-faced and yelling the whole time.)

Customer: “Finally! I’ve been out here for a half-hour and your door is locked! You have my bag.”

Me: “The door is locked because we are closed until ten. You left a bag? In lost and found, you mean? Let me check.”

Customer: “I’m coming with you.”

Me: “I’m afraid you can’t be in the store until after opening.”

Customer: “What? That’s bulls***! You have my bag! You said on the phone someone would give it to me when I got here and you left me waiting? I can sue you for this! I’m coming in with you!”

(He follows us back to the employee entrance, yelling, and tries to force his way into the store. We get the door closed and locked and I rush to call security. In the meantime, I find the letter the ASM wrote the night before. Mall security shows up and we see them give the furious man the bag and order him off the property because he threatens them. When he seems to be gone, security knocks on the door and I open it so that we can chat.)

Security: “Want to know the weird part? We peeked in his bag and all the ‘medicine’ was herbal supplements and essential oils.”

Me: “The ASM is going to be so mad he stayed an unpaid hour for that. I wonder why he… Ack!”

(The man hasn’t left the property and comes running up to us, barging by and into the store.)

Security: “Call 911!”

Customer: “No! Don’t call the police! Here, I’m going, I’m going.”

(He goes to the main entrance and tries the still locked doors.)

Customer: “I can’t get out! Help! I’m trapped! They got me trapped!”

(I was on the phone with the police when he finally backtracked out the unlocked doors and took off running across the parking lot. Now, he is banned from mall property and we are all just confused by the whole ordeal.)