Retail Incident Documentation – 8/28/26
Date: August 28, 2026
Location: Retail Shop
Employee: Connie
Shift Conditions: Only one retail worker scheduled on the floor
Summary of Guest Interaction
A guest entered the retail shop requesting three specific items he had seen earlier:
One clear, light‑up Christmas tree
Two snowmen displayed on the top shelf in the back of the store
I located the Christmas tree on the sales floor. The snowman display had no boxed inventory underneath, and because I was the only retail worker on duty, I could not leave the floor to check the stock room.
I called on the radio for assistance from the restaurant side, as there was no retail manager on duty. A restaurant shift leader was the acting manager. No response came through the radio.
While waiting, I engaged the guest in conversation. He shared that he was staying at a nearby hotel, was on vacation, and that the items were meant as surprise gifts for his wife. He remained patient, but several minutes passed with still no response from the shift leader.
Attempts to Obtain Assistance
I asked a server to locate the shift leader and inform her that I needed help in retail. Servers sometimes assist, but often appear irritated by retail requests. One server eventually returned and said, “They are outside.” I asked the server to please tell them I had a guest waiting and needed help retrieving merchandise from the stock room.
The server appeared put off by the request.
I continued speaking with the guest, hoping the shift leader would return. He remained understanding and even shared similar experiences from his own workplace.
Shift Leader Returns
As I began writing the guest’s name to hold the items later in the day, the shift leader and a long‑time restaurant employee finally entered the store through the front door.
When I said, “Hey guys, I need some help here,” the shift leader gave me a look that suggested irritation, as if I was bothering her. I explained that I had called her on the radio. She replied, “I didn’t get the call.”
I showed her the snowman display and explained that either she or I needed to go to the stock room to locate the boxed inventory. She went to the stock room and returned with another Christmas tree, not the snowman.
I clarified again and pointed to the snowman on the top shelf. The guest even said he would take just the one snowman from the shelf and purchase the second elsewhere. I asked if she could reach it or if we needed a ladder.
She rolled her eyes.
The guest approached and said, “That’s okay. I’ll get them somewhere else.” He thanked me for my efforts and added, “That line about not getting a call was just a line.” He purchased only the Christmas tree and left.
The retail shop lost at least one sale due to the delay and lack of support.
Earlier Incident That Morning
Earlier in the shift, I had placed a phone call back to the same shift leader. Again, no answer on the radio.
I walked to the dining room entrance and saw her in the back dining room eating. I called out, “You have a call on line 1.” She looked irritated, and although I could not hear her exact words, her expression and lip movement suggested she said something like, “Well what are you doing?” She got up slowly, again appearing bothered by the interruption.
Overall Impact
Guest service was compromised.
A sale was lost.
Radio calls were repeatedly unanswered.
Assistance was delayed despite being urgently needed.
Shift leader displayed dismissive body language and reluctance to help.
Retail worker (Connie) was left alone without support during a guest request requiring stock room access.
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