The parts of owning a small retail store that suck

[Sum Dum Gai]

Cleaning public bathrooms.  Hands down number one on the list.  Seriously people, teach your kids to aim.

"Do you have X that they sell at Target?"  No, no I don't.  They apparently have it at Target though, which is right across the street.  Have you checked there?  There are a few exceptions, and even a few things that I not only have, but I have for cheaper than Target.  Every time somebody has asked me this though they're looking for cheap Chinese made stuff.  Trust me on this, there ain't no way in hell I can compete price wise with Target and Walmart when it comes to low end Chinese made stuff.  They have that shit locked down.

People browsing for an hour while letting their kids run wild.  Really?  Don't tell me you can't hear the kid raising a ruckus.  This is a retail store not a playground, daycare, or activity center.  I expect them to act like a kid in a toy store, but let's keep something of a lid on it, shall we?

"Where's the girl section?"  Art supplies and craft kits are in that corner, baby and toddler toys are in that corner, this side of this aisle is board games in the front and puzzles in the back.  On the other side of the aisle is active play/outdoor in the front door, building toys in the middle, and planes/trains/automobiles in the back.  The next aisle is all science kits and novelty toys.  In the back is pretend play and dress up.  "So... where's the girls section?"  FML.

"I'm looking for a gift for an X year old boy/girl?"  What are they into?  "I don't know, they're X years old though."  In that case buy that thing because every single 5 year old boy is playing with it.  *head shake*

People looking for donations for family members of people who died without life insurance, schools, churches, local non profits, or local unions.  Look, I'm not heartless, but I get hit up at least weekly.  I can't afford to give you all something.

That's all I can think of for now.  Cleaning bathrooms really does blow.

[Abby Normal]

Cleaning public bathrooms. Hands down number one on the list. Seriously people, teach your kids to aim.  

I'm sorry we don't have public restrooms. 


"Where's the girl section?"

We don't believe in stereotyping, so the entire store in unisex.  What specifiically are you looking for and I will be glad to help you find it. 


"I'm looking for a gift for an X year old boy/girl?" 
These have been really popular.  (and push whatever you are having trouble moving)

People looking for donations for family members of people who died without life insurance, schools, churches, local non profits, or local unions. Look, I'm not heartless, but I get hit up at least weekly. I can't afford to give you all something.

We get a lot of requests and can't fulfill all of them.  Please submit something in writing and we'll submit to the committee that chooses each month.  (they don't need to know that you and Loop sitting around with a bottle of wine.)

[Deleted]

How about the long hours and terrible pay?

[greeniis10]

Ah, the joys of dealing with the public. 

I don't know if I'd be too quick to blame the dirty bathrooms on the kids.  I work in an office building (adults only) and these are easily the worst office bathrooms I've ever had to use!  My sympathies, to you either way. 

[mollyanna58]

I don't have to clean public bathrooms, but my office building has shared restrooms.  One of the other tenants is a language school for kids.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard mothers complain about the state of the restroom, while they put paper all over the toilet seats (and don't clean up when it falls to the floor) and hold their precious darling above the toilet so their little heinies don't touch (and then don't clean up whatever hits the seat)

[Sum Dum Gai]

I'm sorry we don't have public restrooms.

Tempting, but I do in store events and tournaments, which can run for 4-5 hours.  Plus when a kid has to go, they have to go.  If I don't have a bathroom mom and dad walk out, and they may or may not come back to finish shopping.

[sarcasticgirl]

Don't you have kids?

kids= free labor, right?

[Sum Dum Gai]

How about the long hours and terrible pay?

That was a given, and expected.  I'm mostly annoyed by the unexpected things.

[sarcasticgirl]

Dec 20, 2013 13:54:24 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

Ah, the joys of dealing with the public. 

I don't know if I'd be too quick to blame the dirty bathrooms on the kids.  I work in an office building (adults only) and these are easily the worst office bathrooms I've ever had to use!  My sympathies, to you either way. 

the restrooms on my floor make me want to vomit sometimes. The access is restricted so only employees of my firm can get in. These women are gross and what baffles me is that they don't seem to care that everyone knows THEY are the culprit of the mess. 

p.s. it is never the frumpy disheveled woman peeing all over the damn seat. It is the tall, skinny, well put together blonde and she clearly doesn't GAF!

[Deleted]

Cleaning restrooms would top my list, too. How can people be such pigs? I highly doubt that they treat their own bathrooms this way...and I'm sorry, but women are the worst.

Next would be people who expect the store clerks to babysit their kids.

How about those who will stand at the register, holding up the line, while they relate their whole life story. 

I don't think I would be good at running a store like Dark's. Too many people piss me off.

[NoNamePerson]

Dec 20, 2013 14:26:49 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Cleaning restrooms would top my list, too. How can people be such pigs? I highly doubt that they treat their own bathrooms this way...and I'm sorry, but women are the worst.

Next would be people who expect the store clerks to babysit their kids.

How about those who will stand at the register, holding up the line, while they relate their whole life story. 

I don't think I would be good at running a store like Dark's. Too many people piss me off.

Just make sure when you get pissed off that you hit the toilet and not the floor.  

I had a superintendent at a construction job tell me once "you're like an ant on a toilet seat, you stay pissed off".  So I can relate!!!

[Sum Dum Gai]

Can you create a small corner in the store somewhere that could have books and games/puzzles where the kids could hang out while mom and dad shop? Just furnish it with a small table with chairs and a couple of bean bags?

Have one.  We've got a little table and stools with a wooden train set going around a bead maze.  There's another little play table with a Calico Critter tree house, some furniture, and a rabbit family on it.

[jitterbug]

I used to own a small business and my criteria for donations were that they had to be an official non-profit for me to donate.  Or - the purpose of the United Way is to bring together all the organizations so you can make ONE donation...so I used to say "we donate to the United Way, so everybody gets a little something."  Or, when I felt guilty for saying no, I'd give them something good but hard to sell.

[Deleted]

I'm seeing more and more little shops with signs that say, "No Public Restrooms."

[raeoflyte]

Dec 20, 2013 16:52:15 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I'm seeing more and more little shops with signs that say, "No Public Restrooms."

That's fine for most business' but not if you are catering to pregnant women or young kids.  I know I wouldn't be back if I had to take my kid out of the store to find a place to go (as dark posted earlier).  

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2013 19:07:47 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 20, 2013 16:52:15 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I'm seeing more and more little shops with signs that say, "No Public Restrooms."

That's fine for most business' but not if you are catering to pregnant women or young kids.  I know I wouldn't be back if I had to take my kid out of the store to find a place to go (as dark posted earlier).  

I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that I'm seeing the signs.

[teen persuasion]

Dec 20, 2013 16:44:46 GMT -5 @tbird said:

do you hate the rest room cleaning enough to hire someone else to do it?

That's what I was thinking.  The library where I work has a cleaning lady come in for only 1.5 hrs per week, and she's doing more than just the bathroom.  We've got all the teens that come in to hang out after school, the preschool story hour kids (they all have to visit the facilities before SH, as well as after to clean off the crafts debris), as well as the adults and families.

[Sum Dum Gai]

I'd love a cleaning person, but it's not in the cards right now. I'll see where we're at after we get through the non Christmas season next year. Right now I have no baseline to compare our performance against so we're pinching pennies everywhere we can.

[Deleted]

Look at the bright side, you freed up time not having to manage a 401k portfolio with this business.  You have to take some of the bad with the good. 

[steff]

Cleaning public bathrooms. Hands down number one on the list. Seriously people, teach your kids to aim.

Cleaning the men's bathroom in a bar after a long Friday night.  there are no words.....

[Sharon]

How about you pay the girls a little bit out of petty cash to clean the bathroom.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 20, 2013 14:00:30 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

I'm sorry we don't have public restrooms.

Tempting, but I do in store events and tournaments, which can run for 4-5 hours.  Plus when a kid has to go, they have to go.  If I don't have a bathroom mom and dad walk out, and they may or may not come back to finish shopping.

Create a decoy 'public bathroom'.  Just a rusty bucket on the floor behind a curtain with the toilet paper, partly unrolled, sitting on the floor.

The real bathroom(s) are marked as such only when you wish.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 20, 2013 21:49:56 GMT -5 steff said:

Cleaning public bathrooms. Hands down number one on the list. Seriously people, teach your kids to aim.

Cleaning the men's bathroom in a bar after a long Friday night.  there are no words.....

We aim to please!

[NoNamePerson]

Dec 21, 2013 8:13:38 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Dec 20, 2013 21:49:56 GMT -5 steff said:

Cleaning the men's bathroom in a bar after a long Friday night.  there are no words.....

We aim to please!

  You lie!!!!!

[Deleted]

Dec 21, 2013 8:13:38 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Dec 20, 2013 21:49:56 GMT -5 steff said:

Cleaning the men's bathroom in a bar after a long Friday night.  there are no words.....

We aim to please!

Oh, please will you!

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2013 16:52:15 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I'm seeing more and more little shops with signs that say, "No Public Restrooms."

By the way, I have to pay one and half Euro for using a toilet in my recent trip to Rome.

[Tennesseer]

If you put one of these 'strength tests' in each urinal, we would have something to do (AND aim for) other than staring ahead looking at bare walls.

[NoNamePerson]

Dark can't afford customized urinals for you guys. Bring your own Cherrios!!!!   

[Nazgul Girl]

I'm finding out about things on this thread that I never wanted to find out about ! Oh boy (literally, I guess ).

[Deleted]

Dec 21, 2013 8:35:34 GMT -5 @nia said:

Dec 20, 2013 16:52:15 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I'm seeing more and more little shops with signs that say, "No Public Restrooms."

By the way, I have to pay one and half Euro for using a toilet in my recent trip to Rome.

There you go, Dark!!! Start charging people and then you could afford to hire a cleaning person.