Archived "I'm sorry, I'm off the clock"

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I remember when my grandma was on a party line. You'd pick up the phone & hear some juicy tidbits before they'd yell at you to hang up! lol
 
redeye58 said:
I remember when my grandma was on a party line. You'd pick up the phone & hear some juicy tidbits before they'd yell at you to hang up! lol
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When I was as kid the volunteer fire department was called that way.
The phone would do one long ring (we had a bell set up outside so we could hear it in the barn and out in the north 40) and when you got on every volunteer was on the same line.
They would do a quick roll call to see who would be showing up and there would be this little kids voice saying "Mommy's not here but I'll tell're when she gets back."
In our area there were a dozen state troopers covering a hundred square miles.
Folks called the VFD before they called the cops because they knew who would get there first.
When people depended on each other for support, civility and being decent to each other is very important.
 
Just the other day, before I even punched in, I'm standing in line at GS to do a return when the guest in front of me starts throwing a major hissy fit. The GS TM starts looking frazzled and goes, "Would you take this one?" Really?!?! It's slightly irritating when a guest does it, but a TM asking me for help when I haven't even punched in...

So, I told the guest the return policy (the item fell under the 45 day), reinforced what the TM said, and got *****ed at before punching in. Made for a great night...on back up all night and complaint after complaint at the service desk.

Hmmm...and I was so happy that for the first time in three months, I wasn't on the guest survey comment section...grrrrr
 
Work in a department. Assist guest. Inform another associate that I'm going on break while standing next to this guest.

Return wearing a different (yellow) shirt to purchase something about ten minutes later. Guest from before gets in my face asking about our ad matching policy. Explain it, because other associate is busy. Guest does not like the answer. Asks me to call a manager.

Inform him that I'm off the clock and I don't actually have a walkie or anything. Guest gets slightly aggitated that I won't page a manager for him. Again inform him I don't have the ability to but that I'll go look for someone to call them. Also hit an additional cashier button at the electronics register for him.

Come back from break twenty minutes later and get approached by a TL, asking what happened with that guest.

Guest complaint. Huzzah.

Guy I wasn't even ****ing wearing red and khaki.
 
They (guests) don't care when/if we're on break/lunch. It's an inconvenience for them. We're supposed to be on duty no matter what, however long we're at the store.
Heard a guest at SD complaining to the LOD about "someone in red & khaki" cutting them off driving through the parking lot. LOD said when they're off the clock, there's not much they can do. Unhappy guest resulted.
 
redeye58 said:
They (guests) don't care when/if we're on break/lunch. It's an inconvenience for them. We're supposed to be on duty no matter what, however long we're at the store.
Heard a guest at SD complaining to the LOD about "someone in red & khaki" cutting them off driving through the parking lot. LOD said when they're off the clock, there's not much they can do. Unhappy guest resulted.
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And just because they're in red and khaki does not mean they actually work there. We have a lot of guests who wear red and khaki who don't work there.
 
lovecats said:
And just because they're in red and khaki does not mean they actually work there. We have a lot of guests who wear red and khaki who don't work there.
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When I was relatively new, I accidentally asked one of those if they had their discount with them. Needless to say, I was rather embarrassed.
 
redeye58 said:
I had the opposite - a girl came through my line & said she'd 'forgotten her discount card' but 'couldn't remember' her TM number. When I asked her how she clocked in/out, she mumbled 'Never mind.'
Nice try, kid.
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I'd ask her for her name, store, and position. Check it via exchange's "Find Somebody" feature. If she really wants that 10%, she has to really want it!
 
When one of my HRTMs would go on the floor on break, she would talk on her phone -- to herself. If anyone asked her for something, she would just pretend not to hear and walk off. It was hilarious. I do that at times when I forget another shirt.
 
I have a fellow team member who when she has to shop on a break or just use the bathroom will take her ipod with her and plug in the earphones. I'm going to try that the next time I need something while on break. I've been lucky that the guests who have stopped me have understood when I say I'm on lunch.
 
I was shopping in my OWN store last night in a pair of jeans and a regular shirt and had guests who recognized me from the pharmacy asking me where things were....

Only 2 TMs who were working actually recognized me...the LOD and 1 pfresh TL...everyone else I encountered treated me like I was a "regular" guest :girl_impossible:
 
Tonight it was really busy as I was getting ready to leave, I was scheduled till only 8PM and I turned my lane light off at 8. But like normal I waited on a couple more guests who were already in my line. When I was done and my lane was empty I went to tell my GSA at the service desk that I was leaving, she thanked me and as I turned to leave there was a guest walking up to the lane I had been at. He actually flipped the light on and asked me if I was coming back now, I said no I was off work now. He cursed, not softly and went in search for another lane, he did turn the light back off though. The nerve of some people.
 
If on break and I'm asked a question, I help them, then start my break over at the point I finish. If I'm off the clock and still in red and khaki, I do say "I'm going home now, but I can point you in the right direction". I dunno, I kinda like most of our 99% of our guests and I don't consider talking to a person off the clock really working.
 
Wait until you get coached for it. I had no problem pointing guests in the right direction; or if I was walking that way, just taking them with me. But then a guest became irate with me because I was heading to the checkout and they wanted me to show them an endcap in electronics. I apologized, explained I was heading out for the night, and offered to find someone with a walkie to get help in electronics. The guest started yelling and being obnoxious and since I was definitely not on the clock anymore, I apologized and turned to leave. The LOD walked up, took control, and I left. I was pulled into an office the next day and told that it was basically my fault because I told the guest where to go so it was considered working off the clock.
 
Wow, really? I would never have thought.

So Target wants us to say "I can't help you, I'm off the clock", turn and walk off? Nothing more?
 
I was told it's more, "I'm sorry, I'm off the clock but I can try to find someone who to help you." Never direct them to help buttons, though. Lol
 
Target Chick said:
Wait until you get coached for it. I had no problem pointing guests in the right direction; or if I was walking that way, just taking them with me. But then a guest became irate with me because I was heading to the checkout and they wanted me to show them an endcap in electronics. I apologized, explained I was heading out for the night, and offered to find someone with a walkie to get help in electronics. The guest started yelling and being obnoxious and since I was definitely not on the clock anymore, I apologized and turned to leave. The LOD walked up, took control, and I left. I was pulled into an office the next day and told that it was basically my fault because I told the guest where to go so it was considered working off the clock.
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Well they were wrong. No employer can dictate what you do while off the clock (unless you're salaried, but then you're always "on the clock"), provided those actions are legal. They can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, if they tried to take any action against them, you could take them to court and you'd win.
 
TargetOldTimer said:
Wow, really? I would never have thought.

So Target wants us to say "I can't help you, I'm off the clock", turn and walk off? Nothing more?
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There was training we took sometime before last Christmas that dealt with this. The old was was to let the guest know that you were off the clock but would find someone to help them. NOW we are only allowed apologize and let them know we are off the clock. We aren't allowed to help them find another team member. I guess that is considered working off the clock according to the training.
 
When I first started with Target I didn't think anything of it when a guest asked me a question when I was off the clock. I would help them out, just like I would anywhere if I knew where something was and someone asked me something. BUT I also got coached on this, apparently an ETL overheard me helping someone and the very next day I was called in the office and told in no uncertain terms NOT to do that again. You never know who's listening so it's just not worth my job to help someone. I apologize and point them toward a team member.
 
99% of the time when people ask if I work there when I'm off the clock I just say 'no'. Ends the conversation quickly.

ALSO when I comp shopped at walmart in street clothes I always got asked if I worked there and customers would ask me to get things off shelves for them.
 
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