My old boss told us a story of how, years before when she was a fairly new manager (Iâm talking decades, sheâs 64 right now), there was a man who came in and asked for an employee by name and said he was her uncle. She told him the employeeâs shift started in a coule hours. He waited the entire time for her, and when she came in, he assaulted her and bashed her face into the counter. My boss saw everything. She canât recall what he said, but he kept screaming until someone threatened to call the police.
She told me that story after a man came in and asked for when an employee, who recently quit, would be coming in. I told him she doesnât work here anymore and he said to me âOkay, well Iâm her dad so if you see her tell her Iâll be across the street at the gas station.â He left and my boss IMMEDIATELY came out and scolded me for it, then told me that story.
She gave me some advice on what to say or do in that situation:
Donât just deny knowing anything, deny the person asking. Example, âWhen is ____ coming in?â âYou canât know that information.â or âCan you tell me when ____âs shift is?â âSchedules are only for employees.â Additionally, saying âI donât know what youâre talking about.â can usually work, it may piss them off but it can work.
Continue on with the customer service. âI canât help you with that, do you need help (with clothes, finding a product, ordering)?â or âCan I take your order?/Can I help you find (a product)?â
If they persist, insist they leave the store. âIf youâre not going to order, please leave the building.â or âI canât help you, have a nice day.â and, if you can, leave. If you canât leave, call for or help the next customer.
If they still persist (by now they may be aggressive), threaten to call the police on the basis of them becoming aggressive and refusing to leave the premises. Some people will leave at that point, others stay. When the police get there, explain the situation but still do NOT confirm the existence of the employee theyâre looking for to the police until they have been escorted out of the area.
Regardless of if the customer know the employeeâs name, description, or daily (not hourly) schedule, even if they look like the same race and claim to be family, you NEVER confirm the employeeâs existence.
The only exceptions are if the employee tells you themself theyâre expecting someone to come in for them (ASK FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON), and if you personally know who they are in relation to the employee. When anyone I know has to come in because I asked them to come in, I describe what they look like and what they usually wear. I go into deep descriptions, even including how they walk.
You could literally save a life, guys. Donât blindly trust your gut either and think âBut they LOOK innocentâ or âBut they said ______â because that can result in someone getting severely hurt, or killed.
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