What would you do if a customer refuses to leave your store?
Of course, you can always ask them nicely or maybe you resort to more imposing means. But what if your customer weighs more than a hundred pounds, has four legs, and jowls that can bite your arm off?
Speaking of dogs in stores, here’s a story from a dollar store owner from Florida who might have encountered the exact situation.
Police from Bradenton, Florida, received an unusual phone call.
There was a “shopper” in the local Dollar General that just refused to leave. It turns out, this last customer for the day is a 135-pound St. Bernard.
The dog walked into the dollar store. Maybe sensing that he’s not really aggressive, the store staff just let the dog be.
The dog then stayed and walked around the store for a few hours.
But eventually, all good things had to end. The staff didn’t know if the dog was looking for some great and once-in-a-lifetime deals but they were sure of one thing – they had to close for the day.
The store had no choice but to call the cops. He was too big to be grappled with and the store staff don’t have the means to leash their customer.
The police arrived at the store moments after.
And with the dangers that their job entailed, we bet that this is a welcome dispatch for them. They even posted the case on their Facebook page.
“Officers responded to a call about a customer who pawsitivily refused to leave at closing time.” The caption said, “The shopper was Bentley, a giant pooch who wandered away from home, into the store & spent hours browsing.”
They also posted a video of the entire situation.
Thankfully, compared to other customers, the dog was much calmer. His tail was even wagging the whole time. He was excited that he was finally getting the attention.
With the dog his size, the police had no choice but to herd him toward the front entrance. At one point, the St. Bernard even walked inside the back office. We’re not sure why he wants to speak with the manager but we’re pretty sure that he’s going to complain about the store hours.
Eventually, after some reinforcements and a bigger collar, they managed to secure the dog.
The dog, named Bentley, apparently escaped his home. According to another post from the department, Bentley “broke through a gate and walked a few blocks to the store.”
Fortunately, Bentley had a microchip which made it possible for the police and store staff to return him to his worried owners.
“Officers found Bentley’s owner & returned him – no receipt required!” they said in the post.
People on the internet were so amused at how the events turned out.
“Honestly respect to the store owner for not just forcing him out and instead of trying to get him home.” One commenter said, “The poor little guy would have gotten hit by a car if they didn’t take the time to call someone and just threw him out in a hurry to close up.”
“He is adorable. Glad he finished some shopping and spent some time with the local PD, before going home,” said another.
Watch how the police “got rid” of a 135-pound customer from a dollar store.
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