I'm gonna side with the workers on this one. People need to be conscious about what time it is, and they need to know when a store closes before they walk in there. Try to be considerate. Repeat offenders are the worst.
That being said, I also think workers should be happy to stay an extra 15-20 minutes every once in a while. I do this at my job - have to take a call at 4:55 and take care of a situation before I go. That's part of life.
It's on both parties to act professional.
There's a certain point where it's a bit unreasonable....if I need to get a whole cart full of groceries, I shouldn't be walking in 5 minutes til close.
But I think there's nothing wrong with greeting customers and letting them know "we are closing in x minutes, make sure you're ready to check out at that point". Because you don't know if a customer just needs 5 minutes to grab a few things, or if he needs to take 30 minutes to a full-on shop.
20 minutes before close, though? Nobody should be turned away at that point. That's complete bullshit.
Completely agree ---
"Impossible is just a word to let people feel good about themselves when they quit." - Vyse, Skies of Arcadia