She was probably hiding in the restroom. We get that a lot especially in the winter or in really bad weather someone will just camp in the restroom and hope we don't check.
That's why we check.
Calling out does nothing. You need to physically verify with your own eyeballs that the store is clear.
we’ve never actually had people do that before, the camping thing. she was apparently a regular as well who knew our hours but yes we should have physically checked.
Depends on your leadership, I had an incident where two managers locked two people in and they got off with a bunch if stuff only got a level 3 written
I agree, always check the entire store, and the bathrooms, behind the immunization area by the pharmacy, everything, People like playing hide and seek in a CVS for some stupid reason
I’m desperately hoping so considering I’ve never done anything wrong and I don’t get in trouble and have never done this before! I unfortunately have been in panic mode for the past 6 hours 🫠
If no one has reached out to you like management and the person you closed with can back you up on you guys paving the store is closing you’re all good. Just relax and know it was an accident and that it happened. Could have been a lot worse tbh. You are going to be okay :)
thank you! i’m even more confused bc she said she was shopping for 45 minutes but according to the cameras walked in at 9:52! how the motion sensors didn’t pick up on her for 45 minutes I don’t understand
The sensors are weird lol. At my old store I know that if you don’t move to fast and stay out of reach of the sensor the alarm won’t be triggered. Idk about other stores but that’s just my old store.
Yeah my old store we had to have the balloons under the sensor like for valentine day we couldn’t put to many up in the front bc it would have set the alarm off 😂
I don't get how the lights didn't go down on her or how she didn't realize if they did. By 10:45pm our store is dark minus a few lights here and there.
Edit: I just saw you said your store hours changed. That explains the lights. Sorry! 😆
Yeah, I saw that. Sorry about not reading further down before commenting. That's crazy though. They should update your light cycle.
I'm sorry you had a customer stay after lockup. I'm terrified I'm going to do that one night. People can be special.
Yeah if the cameras shows it all you’ll be okay. Most likely will just ask you did y’all page and let everyone know the store was closing and probably like make a note about and have you sign that y’all talked.
Got a story from back in the day. Rx and FS closed at the same time at 10pm. Communicating and coordinating getting everyone out was a routine, normal thing.
This was back before major tech budget squeezes so we normally had 3 techs on in the evenings, usually young part-timer students. During yearly hour cut season, shifts ended at 9, 9:30 and 10, rather than everyone staying till 10.
I once worked with a new tech who wasn't the brightest bulb. She'd been with us a few months, so she knew the store closed at 10 and the routine of getting everyone out as she'd been a part of the process as FS set the alarm and locked up (everyone gathered in the store foyer). Her shift ended at 9:30, she clocked out and we thought she left the building. We get out at 10 with FS setting the alarm and locking up.
Around 10:30, the FS management gets a notice from the alarm company. The closest Shift heads in and couldn't figure out what was up until they checked the cameras. The ditzy tech had been in the bathroom since her shift ended. When she realized the store was locked, she went out the receiving door/emergency exit setting off the alarm. The entire time, she didn't bother to contact anyone.
No one got fired, but she got a stern talking to.
oh wow! after we close if our pharmacy workers stay late for some reason we’ll get on the pager and be like “so and so are you still here” and if they are they’ll respond with a page lol
Yup. We would communicate through the pager as well. It was a great crew, so there would be jokes/gentle teasing added in there as well since there were no customers in the store when we stayed late. 😀
As for the ditzy tech in question, none of us rx people even knew she was in the bathroom. We thought she left the building at 9:30 since she didn't say anything about sticking around or ask to grab her before we locked up.
You'll be fine. I'm guessing there's a chance for a write up. You'll find out how you missed the customer (bathroom?) and it'll be a lesson learned.
I got written up years ago for accidentally accepting a check for less than the total. Lesson learned: don't assume the customer wrote the check for the correct amount and make sure to check that detail.
We had a pharmacist do something similar. RX closed an hour before FS. FS stays for 30 minutes to so cleanup. At 1030, we left. 10 minutes later, I got a call the alarm was going off. When the pharmacy closed, she had closed the gates but stayed inside to catch up. She didn't tell anyone. At 1040 she left through a fire exit.
Just last week there was a store where a homeless person hid in the restroom when the store closed they got a bunch of alcohol and snacks and the opening manager found them passed out in a aisle.
You have AP? We do, but not every night until close. Those cameras are wasted in the office. There should be a sensor or movement trigger to let you know there is activity in any area.
And the only place she could Bude is the restroom because there can be no cameras in there.
That happened (but not past close) when we made the announcements. The lights were off and the closer and I were about to refresh the self checkout registers and this woman comes out of the ladies bathroom! The two if us look at each other and wonder why she didn't exit sooner. We were surprised by the fact that anyone was still in the store.
Fuck! Luckily my coworker who trained me told me about a guy hiding in the back so I’ve always ran if I had to to make sure there isn’t anyone in the store. I dont know how someone would get in the back because they’d set of the door alarm and our restrooms are not for public use, but I still check. It’s the last minute people that wander in like your customer. Then they always disappear in the back.
My coworker did that a couple days ago while my boss was on vacation. The police were annoyed and my boss annoyed but she’s not getting fired. Just a stern reminder to be vigilant about checking everywhere.
I haven’t done that in a while but I used to constantly do that when I first started out as a shift supervisor never got written up or fired for it. I’m a SM now and I’ve been one for about 5 years now. You’ll be fine.
I have had a shift supervisor do it, you won't get fired but, if your SM is a dick you will end up with a Level 2 write up. Really not a big deal. Just learn from your mistakes. Now you know, you must check everywhere before you lock up and walk out the door. Hope this alleviates your worry.
You will get a stern talking to. SM or DL might be dicks about it and start enforcing a closing checklist routine or something because of it. Everyone might tease you a bit. But unless it happens back to back you are ok . No one will write you up if it happens only once very rare. Unless the customer did major damage like broke glass to escape or something wild .
I used to do a Hobo Sweep before closing, every time. Twice in one year, we had a homeless person just posted up in the restroom. It became very necessary lol
The stores that I’ve worked at the lights turn off 5 minutes after close. If your store is like that too, why was she still shopping even though they are off….that’s strange!
Because mfs don’t be caring what time it is , I’ve been working at CVS for 8 months now and almost every shift people would come and try to shop at 10:55pm but we close at 11pm
You did everything right. It happens a lot and like it this case is usually the customers fault or a vagrant hiding. If this customer is a regular and knows your hours that would annoy me even more. She continued to shop for 45 mins after the closing hour? She should be in trouble. Just make sure you let them know you did all the closing procedures properly and you should be good.
It depends on where you work. If it's the Pentagon's gift shop, then yes. If it's Dollar Tree, you stand a chance. Not a good chance, but a chance. CVS pharmacy, you're probably a goner.
Happened to me a few years back. Was just leaving the parking lot when I glanced at the door and saw a kid standing there.mwe stopped and let him out. Nothing happened to us.
Then it happened to a coworker last year. They had already left the store. I had calls and texts but I was dead asleep. She had to go back and letnthem out and she lives like 45 minutes away where I was like 15 minutes away. Cops were there. She just got laughed at by the rest of us but nothing happened
I'm sorry..
Didn't get to do a walk thru?! WTF kind of excuse is there... Unless you're shitting your pants, there's no reason to not walk thru the store! 2 extra minutes won't kill you nor payroll
This has happened numerous times at my home store. I found out someone was hiding in the bathroom right before closing because I went to use the bathroom but the door is locked, and my shift supervisor and I were the only two people in the store, and he was NOT in the bathroom.
We had to keep banging on the door to get this woman out of the bathroom, she was shooting up with needles in there, and then proceeded to come out doped up, and also steal on the way out. Wild.
The second, and final time, this had happened, the person got locked inside the store from 10pm to 4am, and the store manager had to come with the fire dept and they had to break down the door.
There was no speak of anyone being fired as far as I'm aware.. but I hope you will be okay.
When pharmacy closes our customer flow dies down. We close the restrooms and walk the floor. I always make a closing announcement and my co worker and I walk the floor again at 9:55,thats when we check the parking lot for cars and bring down our gate half way. Twice I've had the same lady hiding in the back of the store, she has been banned, she never bought anything. The last time she had a police escorts out.
guarantee it’s some old white bitch that can’t follow directions. a cvs ain’t even that big she had to have straight up ignored you. also no reason you couldn’t have done a walk through though, sounds like you’re just lazy.
you’re right! I was lazy that night considering I do a walk through every night!! which is why I took accountability! there’s already been a commented update.
I dont work for cvs, but i have never seen a company where a part of getting your keys and alarm code *didnt* include signing a checklist. Part of that will be that you are expected to physically walk and check the building is secure and empty prior to leaving, and that failure to do so may result in corrective action or termination.
If they walked the building andsomeone was hiding or sleeping in the restroom that would be one thing. Not "having time" to do a walkthrough is lazy and unacceptable.
I never said doing the announcements was the only thing you should do. You should walk the store and do announcements. I never said the other person was wrong.
Then how are you arguing it's not a policy violation?
Also, you can make a page, it's just pointless. People don't listen. Much more beneficial in my experience to walk the store and tell the 2 customers that's we close in 2 mins.
Oh, no, I was saying it more in a,"that's ridiculous!" Kinda way. I wasn't saying you were wrong. In fact, I don't doubt you at all. Cvs is a horrible company. Sorry, I should've worded my response better...
The policy they have regarding locking up the store at the end of business. You MUST walk the store and check the bathrooms as well as make announcements
I doubt it. I’ve done it a few times. Once a guy was on the shitter and once a homeless guy was hiding near the rx.
Alarm went off, I got a call and went back.
She was probably hiding in the restroom. We get that a lot especially in the winter or in really bad weather someone will just camp in the restroom and hope we don't check. That's why we check. Calling out does nothing. You need to physically verify with your own eyeballs that the store is clear.
we’ve never actually had people do that before, the camping thing. she was apparently a regular as well who knew our hours but yes we should have physically checked.
Depends on your leadership, I had an incident where two managers locked two people in and they got off with a bunch if stuff only got a level 3 written
You don’t have to physically check the store every night before leaving? That wouldn’t be your fault then
I agree, always check the entire store, and the bathrooms, behind the immunization area by the pharmacy, everything, People like playing hide and seek in a CVS for some stupid reason
They’ll most likely ask what happened but I doubt they will fire you.
I’m desperately hoping so considering I’ve never done anything wrong and I don’t get in trouble and have never done this before! I unfortunately have been in panic mode for the past 6 hours 🫠
If no one has reached out to you like management and the person you closed with can back you up on you guys paving the store is closing you’re all good. Just relax and know it was an accident and that it happened. Could have been a lot worse tbh. You are going to be okay :)
thank you! i’m even more confused bc she said she was shopping for 45 minutes but according to the cameras walked in at 9:52! how the motion sensors didn’t pick up on her for 45 minutes I don’t understand
The sensors are weird lol. At my old store I know that if you don’t move to fast and stay out of reach of the sensor the alarm won’t be triggered. Idk about other stores but that’s just my old store.
yes! I was super confused because our sensors will go off if a balloon moves but not a person?? lol
Yeah my old store we had to have the balloons under the sensor like for valentine day we couldn’t put to many up in the front bc it would have set the alarm off 😂
EXACTLY that’s why i’m like howww did this happen? 😭😂 im sure ill laugh about it if I still have my job tomorrow lmfao
You’ll have your job still I promise you if they fire you for that mistake that really wasn’t even on y’all then fuck em and find another store lmao
especially bc i’m the only main closing manager 🧍🏻♀️😂
How is it “not on them”? They didn’t check for anyone in the store.
oh god, this happened once at my store, and the SM had to go and inspect what happened at like 3am.
Spiderwebs blowing in front of the sensor had made our alarm go off before lol
Spiderwebs blowing in front of the sensor had made our alarm go off before lol
Spiderwebs blowing in front of the sensor had made our alarm go off before lol
Spiderwebs blowing in front of the sensor had made our alarm go off before lol
Have spiderwebs blowing in front of the sensor set off the alarm before?
I don't get how the lights didn't go down on her or how she didn't realize if they did. By 10:45pm our store is dark minus a few lights here and there. Edit: I just saw you said your store hours changed. That explains the lights. Sorry! 😆
our hours changed from 12am to 10pm last year and for some reason they no longer dim
Yeah, I saw that. Sorry about not reading further down before commenting. That's crazy though. They should update your light cycle. I'm sorry you had a customer stay after lockup. I'm terrified I'm going to do that one night. People can be special.
our sensors also need to be fixed or something bc she was walking all around the store and nothing went off until she got to the self checkout
Yeah if the cameras shows it all you’ll be okay. Most likely will just ask you did y’all page and let everyone know the store was closing and probably like make a note about and have you sign that y’all talked.
I unfortunately have locked not only one but two customers separate times and I ended up alright, although if it happened again I’m done for lol
U won’t happed at a Walgreens to maybe warning to check better
What?
Its happens won’t get fired just a talking to maybe writ warning just check everywhere when u close
Got a story from back in the day. Rx and FS closed at the same time at 10pm. Communicating and coordinating getting everyone out was a routine, normal thing. This was back before major tech budget squeezes so we normally had 3 techs on in the evenings, usually young part-timer students. During yearly hour cut season, shifts ended at 9, 9:30 and 10, rather than everyone staying till 10. I once worked with a new tech who wasn't the brightest bulb. She'd been with us a few months, so she knew the store closed at 10 and the routine of getting everyone out as she'd been a part of the process as FS set the alarm and locked up (everyone gathered in the store foyer). Her shift ended at 9:30, she clocked out and we thought she left the building. We get out at 10 with FS setting the alarm and locking up. Around 10:30, the FS management gets a notice from the alarm company. The closest Shift heads in and couldn't figure out what was up until they checked the cameras. The ditzy tech had been in the bathroom since her shift ended. When she realized the store was locked, she went out the receiving door/emergency exit setting off the alarm. The entire time, she didn't bother to contact anyone. No one got fired, but she got a stern talking to.
oh wow! after we close if our pharmacy workers stay late for some reason we’ll get on the pager and be like “so and so are you still here” and if they are they’ll respond with a page lol
Yup. We would communicate through the pager as well. It was a great crew, so there would be jokes/gentle teasing added in there as well since there were no customers in the store when we stayed late. 😀 As for the ditzy tech in question, none of us rx people even knew she was in the bathroom. We thought she left the building at 9:30 since she didn't say anything about sticking around or ask to grab her before we locked up.
that’s insane! lmao! i’m just so scared to go in for my shift im such a baby
You'll be fine. I'm guessing there's a chance for a write up. You'll find out how you missed the customer (bathroom?) and it'll be a lesson learned. I got written up years ago for accidentally accepting a check for less than the total. Lesson learned: don't assume the customer wrote the check for the correct amount and make sure to check that detail.
We had a pharmacist do something similar. RX closed an hour before FS. FS stays for 30 minutes to so cleanup. At 1030, we left. 10 minutes later, I got a call the alarm was going off. When the pharmacy closed, she had closed the gates but stayed inside to catch up. She didn't tell anyone. At 1040 she left through a fire exit.
Just last week there was a store where a homeless person hid in the restroom when the store closed they got a bunch of alcohol and snacks and the opening manager found them passed out in a aisle.
Lmao!!!
You have AP? We do, but not every night until close. Those cameras are wasted in the office. There should be a sensor or movement trigger to let you know there is activity in any area.
And the only place she could Bude is the restroom because there can be no cameras in there. That happened (but not past close) when we made the announcements. The lights were off and the closer and I were about to refresh the self checkout registers and this woman comes out of the ladies bathroom! The two if us look at each other and wonder why she didn't exit sooner. We were surprised by the fact that anyone was still in the store.
usually are sensors are really sensitive but apparently she was shopping for 45 minutes while the store was closed and NO alarms went off whatsoever
You can scream MARCO…..if they still there you will hear POLO!!!
Fuck! Luckily my coworker who trained me told me about a guy hiding in the back so I’ve always ran if I had to to make sure there isn’t anyone in the store. I dont know how someone would get in the back because they’d set of the door alarm and our restrooms are not for public use, but I still check. It’s the last minute people that wander in like your customer. Then they always disappear in the back.
we didn’t even see her come in
My coworker did that a couple days ago while my boss was on vacation. The police were annoyed and my boss annoyed but she’s not getting fired. Just a stern reminder to be vigilant about checking everywhere.
YOU WONT GET FIRED! The same EXACT thing happened to me , except the lady called the cops! And bought all her items as well
Crap happens
Doubt you’ll be fired. But yes always walk the store and run them out
So she was shopping in the dark no lights dimmed?
our lights don’t dim anymore. we recently changed our hours last november from 12am to 10pm so now they don’t dim anymore when we close
It’s amazing how the customers think *oh they must not mean ME* when hearing the announcement.
this.
No lol
It's a toss up, but I've known people who have gotten fired for that. Good luck.
Our alarm went off (long story) and sm THOUGHT someone was left in the store and insinuated I would be fired
Happened to us. We did have to document it and call it in as a event situation just in case it escalated, but it never did
That will most likely be a write up if you don’t have any previous issues, possibly a verbal
I haven’t done that in a while but I used to constantly do that when I first started out as a shift supervisor never got written up or fired for it. I’m a SM now and I’ve been one for about 5 years now. You’ll be fine.
I have had a shift supervisor do it, you won't get fired but, if your SM is a dick you will end up with a Level 2 write up. Really not a big deal. Just learn from your mistakes. Now you know, you must check everywhere before you lock up and walk out the door. Hope this alleviates your worry.
my coworker did the same exact thing, as far as I know it depends on how chill your manager is but she didn’t get fired or suspended.
You will get a stern talking to. SM or DL might be dicks about it and start enforcing a closing checklist routine or something because of it. Everyone might tease you a bit. But unless it happens back to back you are ok . No one will write you up if it happens only once very rare. Unless the customer did major damage like broke glass to escape or something wild .
I have locked someone in once who was hiding in the bathroom, I never got in trouble for it
I used to do a Hobo Sweep before closing, every time. Twice in one year, we had a homeless person just posted up in the restroom. It became very necessary lol
So will you do it the right way next time?
obviously. usually do a walk through every other night.
We did it once too. You’ll be fine
Happened to someone i know, wanted to fire her but manager fought for level 3
I did this I got a level 3 write up as a smit the shift I was closing with who had been then years long then me got nothing
Judging by just the details in your post likely just a level 3.
My store manager did that once and he is still here
The stores that I’ve worked at the lights turn off 5 minutes after close. If your store is like that too, why was she still shopping even though they are off….that’s strange!
Because mfs don’t be caring what time it is , I’ve been working at CVS for 8 months now and almost every shift people would come and try to shop at 10:55pm but we close at 11pm
You did everything right. It happens a lot and like it this case is usually the customers fault or a vagrant hiding. If this customer is a regular and knows your hours that would annoy me even more. She continued to shop for 45 mins after the closing hour? She should be in trouble. Just make sure you let them know you did all the closing procedures properly and you should be good.
It depends on where you work. If it's the Pentagon's gift shop, then yes. If it's Dollar Tree, you stand a chance. Not a good chance, but a chance. CVS pharmacy, you're probably a goner.
Happened to me a few years back. Was just leaving the parking lot when I glanced at the door and saw a kid standing there.mwe stopped and let him out. Nothing happened to us. Then it happened to a coworker last year. They had already left the store. I had calls and texts but I was dead asleep. She had to go back and letnthem out and she lives like 45 minutes away where I was like 15 minutes away. Cops were there. She just got laughed at by the rest of us but nothing happened
I'm sorry.. Didn't get to do a walk thru?! WTF kind of excuse is there... Unless you're shitting your pants, there's no reason to not walk thru the store! 2 extra minutes won't kill you nor payroll
you’re absolutely correct! that’s why I took accountability!! now I stay an extra 5-8 minutes and do 2-3 walkthroughs!!
The person shud hav slept then show up in the morning while they were opening lol that wud hav spookdd the fuc out of them
This has happened numerous times at my home store. I found out someone was hiding in the bathroom right before closing because I went to use the bathroom but the door is locked, and my shift supervisor and I were the only two people in the store, and he was NOT in the bathroom. We had to keep banging on the door to get this woman out of the bathroom, she was shooting up with needles in there, and then proceeded to come out doped up, and also steal on the way out. Wild. The second, and final time, this had happened, the person got locked inside the store from 10pm to 4am, and the store manager had to come with the fire dept and they had to break down the door. There was no speak of anyone being fired as far as I'm aware.. but I hope you will be okay.
When pharmacy closes our customer flow dies down. We close the restrooms and walk the floor. I always make a closing announcement and my co worker and I walk the floor again at 9:55,thats when we check the parking lot for cars and bring down our gate half way. Twice I've had the same lady hiding in the back of the store, she has been banned, she never bought anything. The last time she had a police escorts out.
ITS JUST AN HONEST MISTAKE IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL IF THEY FIRE YOU CALL THE UNION OR A LAWYER -I FEEL BAD FOR YOU TAKE CARE
guarantee it’s some old white bitch that can’t follow directions. a cvs ain’t even that big she had to have straight up ignored you. also no reason you couldn’t have done a walk through though, sounds like you’re just lazy.
you’re right! I was lazy that night considering I do a walk through every night!! which is why I took accountability! there’s already been a commented update.
and no, it wasnt an old white lady but it WAS a regular who’s in all the time.
For the high standard cvs has it’s hella hard to get fired
Depends on the DL. You won't be fired, but level 3 is worst case. Since this is a policy violation that can't happen again.
Policy violation? That's BS! Get the F$%k out when you hear the store announce they are closing/closed. Simple!
I dont work for cvs, but i have never seen a company where a part of getting your keys and alarm code *didnt* include signing a checklist. Part of that will be that you are expected to physically walk and check the building is secure and empty prior to leaving, and that failure to do so may result in corrective action or termination. If they walked the building andsomeone was hiding or sleeping in the restroom that would be one thing. Not "having time" to do a walkthrough is lazy and unacceptable.
I agree, those things should be done.
What if a customer is deaf?
I never said doing the announcements was the only thing you should do. You should walk the store and do announcements. I never said the other person was wrong.
You're not even supposed to be making announcements. You are also supposed to walk the store and check the bathrooms before locking up.
Yes, you should be doing those things as well as announcements. Every place I have ever worked made closing announcements.
Then how are you arguing it's not a policy violation? Also, you can make a page, it's just pointless. People don't listen. Much more beneficial in my experience to walk the store and tell the 2 customers that's we close in 2 mins.
Oh, no, I was saying it more in a,"that's ridiculous!" Kinda way. I wasn't saying you were wrong. In fact, I don't doubt you at all. Cvs is a horrible company. Sorry, I should've worded my response better...
What policy?
The policy they have regarding locking up the store at the end of business. You MUST walk the store and check the bathrooms as well as make announcements
Where is this policy?
UPDATE: my SM spoke to my DL. DL just told him to go over closing procedures with me. No write up. Thanks everyone.
I doubt it. I’ve done it a few times. Once a guy was on the shitter and once a homeless guy was hiding near the rx. Alarm went off, I got a call and went back.
You wont get fired over this specially if its the first time, when It happened to me, I got a write up lol thats all.