Imagine urgently wanting something in particular from a certain store.

If you showed up after the store had closed for the day, what would you do?

Would you try to break down the door to get inside so you could buy whatever it is you need so urgently, or would you accept the fact that the store is closed and either go to a different store or come back the next day?

In this story, one potential customer arrives minutes after the store has closed for the day.

Let’s see how he handles the situation.

Oh, yes, bang on the door. Ah, now I will turn all the lights on. Reload the register. Put my uniform back on, and serve you.

Ten minutes to close a potential customer calls my store:

Potential Customer – “Hey, when do you guys close?”

Me – “I’m making the rounds now, we close in 10 minutes.”

Potential Customer – “OK, I’m gonna make it.”

And he hangs up on me.

He didn’t want to work late.

#1 – I’m irritated. It’s a Saturday, I have stuff I have to get done, and I’m just about done cleaning and counting down the register. It’s been a slow day. I’m ready to go.

So I wait anyway.

At 1 minute ’til I have shut down the register, turned off all my signs, and I’m about to lock the door. Nobody has come in.

There’s a phone call.

This sounds like a good rule.

Now I make a habit of not answering the phone at 1 minute until closing. There is only one reason anyone EVER calls me that late. It’s to beg me to stay open.

No. I’m not a slave. You could have been here at any other point in the day. And if you cant make it during regular business hours today, then come in tomorrow.

Phone quits ringing.

5PM comes and goes. I lock up and go change.

The customer didn’t make it in time.

It’s 5:05 and I’m about to head out the back door to my car when I see a car come screaming into the parking lot.

A guy runs up to the door. Sees the lights off and starts violently yanking on the handle.

It’s locked buddy.

So I stand there and watch, I don’t care if he sees me or not, and I watch as he proceeds to bang on the door for two minutes while yelling.

A rational response to a locked door. I do it all the time when I go shopping after hours.

Just kidding!

Wait, no I don’t do that. That’s insane.

After he’s exhausted himself he just stands there and stares.

Two minutes later he leaves with a disgusted look on his face.

Sorry pal, you were late–not me.

That customer can only be mad at himself.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

Here’s what this person does when they arrive at a store when it has already closed.

This person must know from experience.

Most store hours are posted online too.

A gas station employee shares a scary experience they had.

Breaking down a door isn’t going to change the store hours.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.