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Rude Note On Domino’s Box Scolds Customer For Late Order

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It's weird that people are using posted hours as a reason that it's excusable. Posted hours say x to z not x to z*

By the time the order is delivered, it would be past posted hours. If I tried to mail a package at the UPS store 5 minutes before they close, they would tell me it won't get sent out until the next day.

This is something I mentioned earlier.

Those spouting "business hours" are actually causing the business to stay open past business hours.
 
Who gives a fuck? It's your fucking job. Deliver that service with a smile and shut the fuck up. Complain about the customers to each other.

But that still doesn't address what I said. You realize that the note wasn't meant as a helpful reminder, but rather was there to chastise a customer. How would your boss feel if you talked to a customer like that?

The most telling part of this is they way the note says "wait until 5 minutes before we close". As if the customer was "waiting" for a specific time to spring the order and inconvenience the workers.
 
The most telling part of this is they way the note says "wait until 5 minutes before we close". As if the customer was "waiting" for a specific time to spring the order and inconvenience the workers.

Exactly. Some people are trying to spin this as some kind of public service announcement, but really it was the employee's being pissy at the customer for having to do their jobs.
 
If I'm leaving a club, or a movie, and I'm hungry and want to eat at a place that says it's open even though they close in 15 minutes, and they agree to serve me, how is that a dick move? If you tell me the kitchen is closed, that's fine, but if you tell me you're open I expect you to do your job; I am paying you for a service. Why cry for people to care about your clean up time? I work 14-16 hour days on the regular, I almost never leave work at regular time. I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for me; I'm doing my job.

Are you paid for the 14 hours?
 
The employees had probably cleaned up the place and were clockwatching waiting to spring out the door when the phone rang.

I ran into something like this in a KFC once. I walked through the door just before 9pm when their closing time was 9:30pm. I could tell the cashier was super pissed off taking my order so I looked around and could see all the the cookers were off and the food had been cleared away.

I double and triple checked the opening hours on the doors while I waited for my order and, yep, it was 30 minutes before closing. I had no idea what to make of it, were they honestly hoping no one was going to turn up for 30 minutes?
 
It apparently takes a whole heap of common sense to know that Domino's fully expects their stores to take orders until closing, which results in pizzas being prepared after closing. Come on now.

I'm making a point that applies to any job in the service industry. If your shopping/order/whatever isnt going to be accomplished in a manner that allows the business to actually close when posted then maybe don't do it.
 
I can't believe someone would get so upset over a little note, pissy or not, that they launch an internet crusade to achieve...what, exactly?

I'd just throw the note away and eat my pizza.
 
I'm making a point that applies to any job in the service industry. If your shopping/order/whatever isnt going to be accomplished in a manner that allows the business to actually close when posted then maybe don't do it.
Or maybe do because the business explicitly accepts and expects people to make those purchases at any time during operating hours?
 
Well, whatever your position might be on the whole issue, I just find it baffling that anyone would actually find the tone of the note as "polite" or "not rude." Maybe as an attempt to make such an act seemingly more palatable?

"Thanks! We would appreciate VERY much...."

You can smell the passive aggressiveness from a hundred mile away.

You don't get to voice your displeasure so openly to the guests/customer like that. Sure people can be more considerate, sure they should be more considerate, but fuck, one of the cardinal sins of the service industry is to directly tell the guests/customer to fuck off, especially in such a passive-aggressive manner.

Heavens, I work in the Hotel industry; the amount of time I wished people to be more considerate.... but I wouldn't air my grievances to them--especially in such a childish manner. That's just the part and parcel of the work I choose to do.
 
You sure dropped "logically consistent" quickly. You must have realized how impossible it is to do 'cause, you know, no contradictions.

Personal ethics don't matter on small issues like this because it's hard to determine the harm caused. This is the point you are continuously avoiding because you cannot describe the harm involved.

What harm was done when this person ethically wronged this person? We know the harm when someone throws food around in a restaurant or causes a fight, what about making a pizza at closing?

Where did I drop logical consistency???

Personal ethics certainly mattered to you a couple pages ago when you used it to describe why trashing a restaurant before closing is inconsiderate even if business policy allows it. Presumably because it thoughtlessly caused an inconvenience to the employees. Thus meeting the definition of the word and because ethics is not a 1 for 1 with corporate policy.

But when pushed as to why that same level of evaluation shouldn't be applied to making a large order right before closing, you act like it is a non-starter and corporate policy shields you from any ethical issues full stop and with no need for further qualification. Which is where the logical inconsistency remains and where this discussion continues to be stuck, despite your attempts to deflect and shift.
 
Yet, is it a fair assumption that the customers are usually pretty proper, polite, and relatively considerate compared to ones here?

Not necessarily, no. Japan really takes the customer is right thing a bit too far, and there are a lot of assholes out there who exploit that fact and are really loud and unreasonable, because they know they'll be treated with respect no matter how outlandish their demands are. Now, obviously this isn't the majority, but I've seen some pretty unthinkable displays of customer outrage directed at lowly staff.

Japan also has a huge culture of complaining loudly about what most Americans would think to be minor things. It's part of the conform or die mentality that so many people have. It's like everyone feels like it's their personal responsibility to keep everyone else in line.

Massive generalizations, of course, and it can't necessarily be applied to each individual, but it's definitely a thing in the country.

With that said, there would be hell to pay if a store refused service or some worker complained about having to work minutes before the advertised closing time. It would be completely unthinkable.
 
Yeah I'm gonna go with starting an internet crusade is a huge overreaction, but bitching to the manager would probably be more effective. Maybe the manager would be interested to know that his or her employees think they can stop working 15 minutes before closing time. Seems like if that's the way they feel they would be ok not getting paid for the 15 minutes before closing time.

Do your damn job.
 
I ran into something like this in a KFC once. I walked through the door just before 9pm when their closing time was 9:30pm. I could tell the cashier was super pissed off taking my order so I looked around and could see all the the cookers were off and the food had been cleared away.

I double and triple checked the opening hours on the doors while I waited for my order and, yep, it was 30 minutes before closing. I had no idea what to make of it, were they honestly hoping no one was going to turn up for 30 minutes?

Believe it or not, sometimes it does happen. The worst is when it happens, for as long as 45m but there's that someone who is still inside long after eating, talking about gmo and greenpeace and whatever, all the way until closing time is very near, allowing someone to waltz in and delay closing even further. Employers love these people.
 
Or maybe do because the business explicitly accepts and expects people to make those purchases at any time during operating hours?

If you are in a retail store, and they close at 6, and you come in at at 5:50 and don't check out until 6:15, did your purchase happen within operating hours?
 
Here is what I don't get from people, that because it's a service job, that people should shut up and accept whatever dickish attitude that the customer is taking out on them (and in your example thank them for not being more open to their behavior). That, because it is minimum wage, "menial", and a job people associate with highschoolers before they get a "real" job, that they don't deserve to call people on crap.

Seriously, you seem to playing this out on a personal level that is going way beyond what happened at this Dominoes.

Ordering a pizza during business hours isn't a dick move, by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know where you're getting this thing of the customer having a dickish attitude, from ordering a pizza near closing. Or saying that the nurses are of the opinion that working at Dominos is menial.

I'm assuming that you've worked in the food industry. I'm pretty sure that if you closed, you pretty much NEVER closed right when business hours were over. You were scheduled for 1 - 1.5 hours past closing to be able to do the closing duties. This would go slightly longer if a patron was there up until closing, or the kitchen stayed open past regular closing shift.

Did it suck? Sure. But you don't trip because it's part of the job. If it didn't happen, you might be able to check out earlier. Score!

But you wouldn't do what that Dominoes employee did, because that was at LEAST going to get written up, if not fired.
 
I work in food.

Customers have every right to come in 1 minute before close and order something. If a business doesn't want people ordering past a certain time, then they should make that clear.
 
I can't believe someone would get so upset over a little note, pissy or not, that they launch an internet crusade to achieve...what, exactly?

I'd just throw the note away and eat my pizza.

Because if they're stupid enough to write that on the order what's stopping them from messing with an order the next time they're "inconvenienced"?


I've worked fast food and retail and co-workers who thought the way some people in here think. That customers do that on purpose were the kind of people you absolutely don't want handling your food.
 
Because if they're stupid enough to write that on the order what's stopping them from messing with an order the next time they're "inconvenienced"?


I've worked fast food and retail and co-workers who thought the way some people in here think. That customers do that on purpose were the kind of people you absolutely don't want handling your food.

Who in this thread has expressed that customers were willfully inconveniencing people?
 
Yeah whoever wrote that clearly wasn't thinking straight. Hospital staff are usually some of their biggest orders on weekends since a lot of hospitals close their cafeterias or simply aren't open that late. And I can say for sure in surgery you gotta eat when you absolutely can, and that could be now or 7-8 hours from now. Hospital staff work their asses off, and I can say at least over at my workplace we tip pretty generously as well. We've built up good rapport with not just the dominos across the street but also the nearby popeye's, tastee's, subway, et al.

Devil's Advocate: It's a harmless note, and they could definitely have ordered a lot sooner.

You're obviously not now, nor have ever been, a nurse...
 
Where did I drop logical consistency???

Personal ethics certainly mattered to you a couple pages ago when you used it to describe why trashing a restaurant before closing is inconsiderate even if business policy allows it. Presumably because it thoughtlessly caused an inconvenience to the employees. Thus meeting the definition of the word and because ethics is separate of policy.

But when pushed as to why that same level of evaluation shouldn't be applied to making a large order right before closing, you act like it is a non-starter and corporate policy shields you from any ethical issues. Which is where the logical inconsistency remains and where this discussion continues to be stuck, despite your attempts to deflect and shift.

There's a difference between trashing a restaurant and trashing a restaurant. You are unable to detail the two, which is why your argument about ethics and work contracts is not good.

I base my ethical decisions off harm. Am I causing harm to the establishment and workers by trashing the place IE throwing food around, at other customers, etc. yes. Am I causing harm by leaving my tray at the table? No. Am I causing harm by ordering a pizza 5 minutes before closing? No.

Corporate policy is indeed correct. Don't like it? Don't work there. Don't like not having a job? Well, I can't help you there. Human interaction will lead to perceived slights. Can't deal with it? That's fine, most people can and don't concern themselves with the tiny issues.

You have not stated the harm from ordering a pizza 5 minutes to closing.

You dropped logical consistency the moment you thought about it for 10 seconds because to be consistent is to have no contradictions.

You can feel slighted by some person's unruly behavior of ordering the pizza but no one will care because it's not that big of a deal even if you want to make it a big one with ethics.

Who in this thread has expressed that customers were willfully inconveniencing people?

Inconsiderate has been thrown around a lot. For someone who's been actively posting page by page I find it hard to believe you don't see it.
 
You're open until you're closed. When you're open, you should expect to be expected to do business. It's literally that simple.

Yes, I know it can suck to get last minute orders, and yes, I know you're tired and want to go home a reasonable amount of time past closing. But you really can't be mad at customers trying to do business with you when you're open. That's nonsense.
 
It doesn't delay from closing out my work day and most people understand the difference. That's why you don't see dozens of people lining up to go into stores at 9:59 when the place closes at 10.

You've got it backwards. The place closes at 10 because there aren't any huge groups of people lining up at 9:59.
 
Seriously, you seem to playing this out on a personal level that is going way beyond what happened at this Dominoes.

Ordering a pizza during business hours isn't a dick move, by any stretch of the imagination.
I think the vast majority of people would disagree with you. I don't know anyone who would do something like this. Just this weekend my friends and I decided to not go to a restaurant because we didn't feel like our business would be done by their posted closing hours.

Outside of the people who would do this when I worked retail (Which weren't many in the scope of all of the customers I've encountered) GAF is literally the only place where I've seen anyone take the position that something like this is acceptable. There were even people leaving my job that would comment on how inconsiderate it was when they saw people walking in minutes before closing.
You've got it backwards. The place closes at 10 because there aren't any huge groups of people lining up at 9:59.
That makes no sense. I've been to Wendy's at midnight and there has been a line of cars waiting to get food. There is no reason to assume that if the place I worked was open later that there wouldn't be more people lined up to come in and shop.

Not to mention that the place was open for different hours depending on the day. Some days we closed at 9 and some days at 10. By your logic people would always stop coming before 9 and the last hour of work would be a ghost town. Which wasn't the case.
 
Who in this thread has expressed that customers were willfully inconveniencing people?


This whole thread is full of people saying customers should know better than to go into/order before posted closing time. As if customers go around checking closing times of business and deciding to go in when certain employees deem it to be a dick move.
 
Man, I hate service in America. After living in japan for a few years, I'm appalled by the shitty service in America every time I visit.

In the same situation in Japan, they wouldn't say a thing, and if you apologize for inconveniencing them, they'll apologize for not being open later to meet your needs.

Now THAT is fucking service.

Meanwhile, in Germany, they'll tell you to get the fuck out when it's closing time, even when that closing time is in the middle of the day. (Like in America, some places here close during the mid afternoon to prep for the evening meal.)
 
This whole thread is full of people saying customers should know better than to go into/order before posted closing time. As if customers go around checking closing times of business and deciding to go in when certain employees deem it to be a dick move.

Yes, customers should try harder to be more considerate. I do it all the time, treating workers exactly as I would want to be treated, and I have a better experience overall.
 
Seriously, you seem to playing this out on a personal level that is going way beyond what happened at this Dominoes.

Ordering a pizza during business hours isn't a dick move, by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know where you're getting this thing of the customer having a dickish attitude, from ordering a pizza near closing. Or saying that the nurses are of the opinion that working at Dominos is menial.

I'm assuming that you've worked in the food industry. I'm pretty sure that if you closed, you pretty much NEVER closed right when business hours were over. You were scheduled for 1 - 1.5 hours past closing to be able to do the closing duties. This would go slightly longer if a patron was there up until closing, or the kitchen stayed open past regular closing shift.

Did it suck? Sure. But you don't trip because it's part of the job. If it didn't happen, you might be able to check out earlier. Score!

But you wouldn't do what that Dominoes employee did, because that was at LEAST going to get written up, if not fired.

My attitude is not in response to the Dominos instance specifically, rather a response to the tone of the conversation. If you misunderstood I'm sorry.
 
You know what would solve this issue on both sides?

Pro-rate the prices an hour before close. Prices increase in the last 20 mins of store hours, every 5 mins.

If those nurses want to order 2 mins before close then that $18 pizza now cost $38. The profit can be distributed as premium pay so the employees would welcome more business right at close. They may make more in those final mins than the last few hours depending on the number of employees and customers. That also makes the closing shift more appealing to those young kids wanting off early Friday nights and Weekend nights.


Makes the nurses order earlier if they what to save money OR they get their food whenever but at a price (better than cold pizza covered in pubs, the former price they paid).
 
Meanwhile, in Germany, they'll tell you to get the fuck out when it's closing time, even when that closing time is in the middle of the day. (Like in America, some places here close during the mid afternoon to prep for the evening meal.)

I don't see how anyone could have any problems with that if those are the stated business hours. It's all about expectations and not making unreasonable demands of people to know your hidden rules of conduct.

But it's actually about ethics in pizza ordering.
 
Not all the time. Sometimes I take work home with me. I'm hourly not salary, so my work at home is not paid for, but it's necessary at times to make sure the job gets done correctly. That's how I got promoted, by doing what is necessary.

Get a new job.

If I'm leaving a club, or a movie, and I'm hungry and want to eat at a place that says it's open even though they close in 15 minutes, and they agree to serve me, how is that a dick move? If you tell me the kitchen is closed, that's fine, but if you tell me you're open I expect you to do your job; I am paying you for a service. Why cry for people to care about your clean up time? I work 14-16 hour days on the regular, I almost never leave work at regular time. I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for me; I'm doing my job.

You sir have no perception of most people who have these kinds of service job. Luckily restaurants in my area have start enforcing final ordering time, which comes before closing time.

Most service workers are working multiple jobs, and their quality of life isn't great already. I'm not saying what the nurses did was wrong, but they're greiviences on Facebook are unfounded. And the dominos worker also didn't have the right to do that either. But you have to be blind to not see why people in this industry hate having to work up to closing hours.

I worked at my job and did overtime to get promoted. I didn't take work home though, and expected to be compensated. We actually get penalize if we got caught doing work outside of the office. I worked at a job before where they implied extra work on off hours, and the company is now under two class actions, so take that information as you will.
 
You've got it backwards. The place closes at 10 because there aren't any huge groups of people lining up at 9:59.

Not true with Domino's.

I managed a store in a very small rural town. I had months and months of paperwork showing that we averaged only a few customers from 9:30 until 12(corporate mandated closing time for Sunday-Thursday). Brought it to my franchisee and asked to be allowed to close at 10pm in order to save labor(upon which 30% of my bonus was determined). Corporate policy dictates franchisee's operating hours so I was shit out of luck and had to work 80+ hours a week in order to hit labor goals, on salary.
 
You know what would solve this issue on both sides?

Pro-rate the prices an hour before close. Prices increase in the last 20 mins of store hours, every 5 mins.

If those nurses want to order 2 mins before close then that $18 pizza now cost $38. The profit can be distributed as premium pay so the employees would welcome more business right at close. They may make more in those final mins than the last few hours depending on the number of employees and customers. That also makes the closing shift more appealing to those young kids wanting off early Friday nights and Weekend nights.


Makes the nurses order earlier if they what to save money OR they get their food whenever but at a price (better than cold pizza covered in pubs, the former price they paid).

I'd be down for that, though my solution would be to pay overtime in the last part of business hours (like maybe the last 30 minutes). I'd happily deal with a bad close if it meant I got paid a little better.
 
There are so many pictures of receipts and 'bad tips' or 'notes' on receipts etc I just have a hard time having sympathy or trusting many if any of them. Too much of a plea for attention on facebook and that's exactly what this was. If it was a problem they should have called the store up or dominos headquarters or something.

Instead they had to do a plea for likes and public shame.

You're open until you're closed. When you're open, you should expect to be expected to do business. It's literally that simple.

Yes, I know it can suck to get last minute orders, and yes, I know you're tired and want to go home a reasonable amount of time past closing. But you really can't be mad at customers trying to do business with you when you're open. That's nonsense.


Yeah except the customer comes in a minute before closing hangs around acts like they are going to buy something and leave empty handed 15 minutes later. Or in the case of pizza my buddy managed a papa johns and would have people call in an order and not show up to pick it up.
 
Should've handed them a bumper sticker.

Topper's in my city gives you a bumper sticker saying "Congratulations, you're the last order!"

Nice subtle way to say you're an asshole
 
This is something I mentioned earlier.

Those spouting "business hours" are actually causing the business to stay open past business hours.

Except that their not, because when the business is closed, they can refuse any further business. Employees are still working after business hours, or are you expecting them to walk right at the closing bell?

This ethics about when to order thing is ridiculous. How do you even develop this opinion? Do you ever go into a restaurant to eat at 7pm? You DO know that you're making the wait staff's job harder, right? They're already rushing around struggling to handle the other customers there, yet YOU just decided that now is a good time to just drop in and make their life difficult. You're probably only going to tip 20 percent, too.

Do you ever go shopping at a 24 hour grocery store? They're busy stocking, doing inventory, and cleaning. Most of the time there isn't even a cashier up front - they're doing other duties. But now you've made them have to stop doing what their doing, and go help YOU. You couldn't shop during regular business hours? Dick.
 
Because if they're stupid enough to write that on the order what's stopping them from messing with an order the next time they're "inconvenienced"?


I've worked fast food and retail and co-workers who thought the way some people in here think. That customers do that on purpose were the kind of people you absolutely don't want handling your food.

I'm not talking about the future. I'm talking about the note. I don't pull dick moves like ordering from a place 5 mins to close, so I don't worry about people messing with my order.
 
Except that their not, because when the business is closed, they can refuse any further business. Employees are still working after business hours, or are you expecting them to walk right at the closing bell?
Large portions of the staff very well could be scheduled to walk out at the closing bell. At literally every customer service job I worked at this was the case.
 
Every time a customer came in at like 9:50 my manager made me stay until they decided to leave. Most of the time they ordered like 99 cents worth of food and left a mess.

Re-read your statement and see who's at fault for your predicament.

I'll give you a hint, this person "made" you do something.
 
I work in food.

Customers have every right to come in 1 minute before close and order something. If a business doesn't want people ordering past a certain time, then they should make that clear.

Retail places tend to do that, by locking the doors 15 minutes early and by ignoring the phones at a certain time.
 
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