Bad Manners and Brimstone
General Etiquette => The Work Day => Topic started by: Rain on September 12, 2020, 09:37:10 pm
-
I do NOT want to "ask a manager" as I don't want my real name associated with this.
BG in addition to my full time job, I work part time at a mall (with the best people ever!)
Two weeks ago a teen girl was horsing around and ran into the store & continued acting inappropriately. (Picture a store like "White House/Black Market" - not my actual store). The manager spoke with the girl about the fact she needed to calm down.
Since then the girl (and 2 friends) has stopped in the store a few times (my manager was gone on vacation). Today, TWO WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT, they stopped in. "Blondie" stared at my manager the entire time, and as she was walking out the girl did the "I'm watching you" hand gesture.
The current plan:
Manager: contact District Manager about company policy
Me: called police to get information
Monday: call mall security and police to create a plan of action (hopefully they will be able to come to the store Monday)
My question is this: If the girl shows up before we are able to create a plan with police/security would it be ill mannered to block her entry & tell her she is not welcome at the store?
-
I'm sure you would have some kind of process in place for this sort of thing.
Sorry I have no advise to offer but would like to follow the thread. Best of luck.
-
Without any details of what her 'inappropriate' behaviour amounted to (Just being loud and obnoxious? Insulting or annoying staff and/or other customers? Messing about with or vandalising merchandise? Starting to strip off?) it's very hard to suggest what action on your part would be reasonable.
But you say that she and her friends have been back several times after the original incident, and you don't report anything untoward on those occasions apart from today when she stared at your manager and made the hand gesture (which suggests that her beef is with him personally, for pulling her up). If they were otherwise not a problem, and the original 'inappropriate' behaviour' wasn't threatening or damaging, I think it would be unwise to ban her before getting a reply from the district manager.
-
I think this is really not an etiquette question so much as a business one.
No, I don't think it would be ill-mannered or rude to block her entry and tell her she's not welcome.
-
I think the store can deny entry to anyone for any reason. Mind you, some reasons (say, because they think she’s ugly) may not go over well with the clientele, but that’s the risk that the store takes. However, I think as an employee, it’s not your place to make a judgement call, especially if her actions are just annoying and not dangerous. While you are awaiting an answer, I think that this is a question for your manager. What does he/she want you to do?
Personally, I would need to know what she’s doing. If she wanted to come in and stare at me and do stupid gestures… so be it. It’s immature and she’s probably just trying to get a rise out of me. I would ignore it in the hopes that she would get bored. I would probably escalate things when she becomes bothersome to customers.
-
I would have to agree with Toots and DDP. I would advise you to ignore her as best you can until corporate makes their position known. I can't tell you to confront her if corporate then has you fired for stepping out of line.
If she is harassing other customers, then that is a different issue. You have to think of their welfare. But when I worked in customer service, frankly, putting up with immature behavior from the customers directed at me was part of the job. Also, like Toots said, this isn't really an etiquette dilemma, but a business decision.
-
I would not block her entrance unless and until she has been officially banned from the store. I would, however, be prepared to summon mall security the moment she puts a toe out of line so that they can document the incident.
-
As soon as my manager explained what was going on, I told her she needed to start documenting everything with time date and who else was present. I also told her I would be willing to sign off on a as a witness for what I witnessed.
-
As soon as my manager explained what was going on, I told her she needed to start documenting everything with time date and who else was present. I also told her I would be willing to sign off on a as a witness for what I witnessed.
This is always excellent advice! You may never use that documentation, but it is really helpful if needed. In fact, take your own advice and document things even when manager is not there.
-
I would call mall security and have her trespassed from the store. Staring at your manger and making the gesture you describe is threatening.
This is a matter of your manager's personal safety. If you see the girl, call security right away. You don't have to say it's an emergency. The presence of a security guard may make her modify her behavior.
-
The presence of a security guard may make her modify her behavior.
Ohhh... this is a good point. I might suggest to my manager that he/she get in touch with security and mention what's happening. Put them on notice. This way you could call and ask them to simply be there. As Mary Sunshine Rain said, their presence might be the fix. They could also act as an outside witness if needed. And if her behavior steps outside of what the mall allows, they could take action.
-
The plan is to get in touch with security tomorrow (Monday).
My concern is that the young lady has held on to her anger/ire this long in order to make her (mean girl) point.
My husband has recommended keeping a cell handy to take her pic as we have no clue who she is.
-
The plan is to get in touch with security tomorrow (Monday).
My concern is that the young lady has held on to her anger/ire this long in order to make her (mean girl) point.
My husband has recommended keeping a cell handy to take her pic as we have no clue who she is.
Does your store not have cameras already in place?
-
No, no cameras
Hopefully I'll be able to update tomorrow.
-
I still don’t understand what this girl is even doing? Nothing you have said sounds like harassment. What would she be banned for?
-
I still don’t understand what this girl is even doing? Nothing you have said sounds like harassment. What would she be banned for?
She sounds like she's doing this: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/IdealTerrificAiredale-size_restricted.gif and also like she's specifically showing up to stare down the manager multiple times after being told to settle down.
I'm curious about whether or not she's bought anything or has just come around to try and figure out when the manager is working.
-
Never bought anything
Currently the plan is simple, wait for the District Manager to get back to us about corporate policy....and document if/when she shows up again.
We're not allowed to take pics.
-
Never bought anything
Currently the plan is simple, wait for the District Manager to get back to us about corporate policy....and document if/when she shows up again.
We're not allowed to take pics.
I can certainly see why you wouldn't be permitted to whip out your iPhone or other sort of camera and take pictures, but I can't think of any stores, even tiny ones, that don't use security cameras. Her behavior could certainly and quite legally be picked up that way.
On the other hand, she's a teen. Chances are good that she'll get bored and quickly find some new person/place of business to harass.
-
Mall security must have cameras. With date and time, they could get a pic of her entering the store.
In fact, your store should give that a try. She probably is acting out in other stores too. If security had a pic of her, they could check with the other stores or just keep her pic in case other stores complain about her.
She may have kept coming in just so she could show off in front of her friends by doing the "I'm watching you" gesture to the manager. Hopefully that satisfies her and she stops.
-
So...
2 weeks ago Teen Girl was horsing around in the store. Manager told her to calm down.
Teen Girl and friends return a couple of times while the manager was on vacation. Did they do anything during these visits? Did they misbehave or make threats?
Manager returns from vacation. Teen Girl comes into the store and makes what I believe to be and "I'm watching you." gesture. Did she misbehave again? Make more overt threats?
I'm just not sure what she's done to warrant putting the police or mall security "on alert". You should be able to call mall security anytime there is an issue in any store.
Most importantly.............has the little brat been back?
-
"Today, TWO WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT, they stopped in. "Blondie" stared at my manager the entire time, and as she was walking out the girl did the "I'm watching you" hand gesture.
It's not just the gesture, it's her staring down the manager. The gesture alone would just be kind of weird. Combined with staring someone down, which is provocative and aggressive, it becomes harassment.
-
To our knowledge she didn't return this past weekend.
We're hoping she just wanted to get the "last word".
-
To our knowledge she didn't return this past weekend.
We're hoping she just wanted to get the "last word".
It did sound like that to me. If I read your initial post right, the manager went on leave shortly after the first incident, and wasn't there the next few times they came in. So she and her friends kept coming back because she wanted to show him (or, perhaps more importantly, her friends) that she wasn't scared of or impressed by him. When finally she sees him, she does her little bit of childishness, and feels she's 'got even'. End of story.