Assistant Manager Calmly Explained The Store’s Parking Limitations, But The Angry Shopper Rejected Every Answer And Eventually Told Him To Shut The Business Down
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Some customers can turn an empty parking space into a full-blown personal crisis.
One shopper was furious about eight accessible spots in a crowded grocery lot.
She wanted more parking, despite the store being surrounded by city streets.
Her final solution was truly something.
Let’s see how this one played out.
Handicapped Parking: Why have a store here at all?
This is random and happened years ago, but it still bothers me a bit. I worked for a long time for a grocery store chain.
This is about when I was a lowly assistant manager.
On this occasion, I was working at a store in a downtown area that had been gentrified. The building the store was in used to be something else so its layout was unique.
One busy afternoon, I got called up front to “help a customer,” which was always a code for a complaint. I straightened my awful company tie and headed up front.
The customer in question was a conservatively dressed older women (CDOW).
A rude customer started to ask about the parking spaces.
CDOW: How many handicapped parking spots do you have?
ME: I’m not sure ma’am (looking out the window into the parking lot), about 6, I think. I see there are some empty ones.
CDOW: You have eight. Why do you have so many?
ME: Well, I know we are required to have a certain number but I don’t know what that number is.
CDOW: You are required to have 8?
ME: I’m not sure. Probably.
CDOW: Are you the manager? Why don’t you know? (at this point she wanted me to understand that I was scum of the earth and likely an impostor)
This manager explained rationally.
Me: (This flipped my switch from “bend over backwards” mode to “say whatever to get this witch out of my face” mode.) Assistant Manager and it has never come up before.
CDOW: I come to this store every day and I spend a lot of money here. I can never find a parking space because your parking lot is too small and you’re wasting all that space on empty handicapped parking spaces.
ME: Yes the parking lot is small, but you know this building used to be a major old school department store and so when we turned it into the grocery store the parking lot was already in place. One of the costs of being in such a neat area, I guess.
But she wasn’t satisfied with the answers and stormed off.
CDOW: you should have put in more parking.
ME: I wish we could have but the building and the current parking lot are bounded on all four sides by city streets.
CDOW: If you couldn’t provide me parking you shouldn’t even have a store here (storms off)
ME: (under my breath) well, that would clear up your parking problem …
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If you’re not going to listen, don’t bother asking.
Let’s read some of the reactions of other users.
Here’s a hilarious response.
This one shares a valid opinion.
This makes sense.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who isn’t happy with the company’s new time tracking rules, so decides to find a way around them.
And here’s another funny retort.
An older customer argued that empty accessible spaces were being wasted because she couldn’t park nearby.
When told the lot couldn’t expand, she suggested that the entire store shouldn’t exist there.
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