Keeps breaking chairs. What should I do?

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Replies

  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
    I bet if you put in a heavy duty bench or something he'd sit on it without you making an issue.

    I broke a couple of chairs in my day and was MORTIFIED. I always tried to sit in the sturdiest place available.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    Realistically if $ profit earned from big guy < $ for chairs, ban him. It's nothing personal just business

    can I ask why people would be sitting in a game shop?
  • skinnybitchbarbie27
    skinnybitchbarbie27 Posts: 306 Member
    I know exaclty what he is probably doing too, Leaning back too far in the chair in which it can't hold the weight. (I broke a chair like that once x_x ) but this is a very sensitive subject. As a business owner/manager I would personally replace the nice chairs with the cheap plastic ones from like wal-mart but this doesn't help your dilemma and may hurt business. I do not think it is inappropriate to pull him aside and just ask him about the chairs and if there is anything YOU can do to make him more comfortable. In this economy you do not want to play the "blame him" game and tell him to bring in his own chair. I know it sucks but as a business owner (and even though it is not your fault) you need to be sensitive or not only can it lead to legal action if he feels descriminated against but bad word of mouth spreads like wildfire. In my business I actually manage a facility (which my family also owns one) that is a gym for women and when we have an issue we bring it up to the member in the sense of what can I do , as the business, to make it better. It is bringing up the problem without pointing fingers and losing customers. Someone like this could easily tell his friends and before you know it you have lost business over something really stupid as a fat guy getting offended.

    I know this is hard but you need to be sensitive in a way not only for the guy, but for you. The last thing you want is bad word of mouth and reviews taking your business down. The other thing is you don't need to make it a weight issue due to descrimination sensitivities. As a business owner for 5 years I really recommend asking him what you can do to make it a better situation and you never know, he may break down and let you know how f-ing terrible he feels about it.
  • skinnybitchbarbie27
    skinnybitchbarbie27 Posts: 306 Member
    You can't just do that. Lawsuit for SURE. You can't ban someone for having ill effects from his weight, it would be strickly due to a weight issue and that would be a lawyer's easiest case ever.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I'd come at this from a liability point of view. If he breaks a chair, it falls apart, and he hurts himself, he can sue you. You need to face him and have a talk. He can't bring his own chair because that's a liability issue too. He's still on your property in your store and could sue your *kitten* off. Id be careful here. I would look for a specific chair for him that is rated for heavy people, and let him know that that's his chair, if it's worth it to you. If not, tell him he can't come to your store because he is costing you more money than it is worth, and it's a uge laibility.

    You need to really address this issue. It could really get bad. i don't want to see you in the papers losing your bsuiness and maybe having to protect yourself from a million dlooar lawsuit. i can already see it. the judge is like, "How many times did this happen? and you didn't really do anything about it, so the 5th time, the chair break in such a way that a piece of the chair stabs his *kitten*, and he falls on his back and now is in traction, and you thought it was ok to just do nothing? Judgement is for the Plantiff for $5,000,000 in punitive damages plus all medical costs."
    Dude, seriously. this is a big deal.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    Realistically if $ profit earned from big guy < $ for chairs, ban him. It's nothing personal just business

    can I ask why people would be sitting in a game shop?

    Cause they're playing the games....
  • likearadiowave
    likearadiowave Posts: 445 Member
    Stop letting him sit on chairs.

    Bring in a really strong bench.
  • Rasputin
    Rasputin Posts: 4 Member
    My suggestion is talk to him, in private. Keep a non-frustrated/judgemental tone of voice. Tell him it is a difficult thing for you to bring up, but you have to do it. Explain the situation that you have tried to resolve the issue of his breaking chairs, by your purchase of chairs that were made of quality construction. However, this has not resolved the issue. Also, so far, the business cost of buying chairs is something that you need to resolve, as you cannot afford to continue doing so. Ask him for feedback; perhaps he has some suitable suggestions. If he does not respond well, try to stay calm, but explain to him that need to resolve the issue and may have to consider more serious actions, e.g. banning him. You do have that right, since it is private property. Hopefully, it won't come to that; he may be able to give concrete suggestions: he will contribute 50% of the cost of a new chair that he knows will work, etc.
  • RumpusP
    RumpusP Posts: 163 Member
    Not a game shop, a gaming shop. People don't go their too just (or not at all) buy a game. Depending on the type of gaming shop, there are tables for people to play multi-person games together at or computers to play games on. People go there to play games in the store.
  • Litlbeast
    Litlbeast Posts: 340 Member
    I don't think there's anyway that you can tell him "Dude, stop putting your butt on my chairs and breaking them." without sounding like a size-ist.

    Perhaps pull him off to the side and come up with a solution together. I'm sure it's an embarrassing situation for him as well. And I'd just say "Look, I know there's no good way to say this, so please, try not to be offended. But we need to come up with a solution for the broken chairs. What do you think?"

    I really think this is the way to go. It's tactful, yet you're not being a doormat. Stuff costs money...

    Also, being a gamer myself, I hate to say it but some of our distinguished population are either a) totally socially clueless b)uncaring about social responsibilities or c) both. The d00d may be like 'hey free chairs' because you're not saying anything, and he may play the fat card if you talk to him, but he damaged property in your shop. Sayin'.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    I think you're being sizeist in not raising it as an issue... if a skinny guy kept coming into your store and breaking stuff, you would charge him.
  • knwitall
    knwitall Posts: 420 Member
    Tell him that he can not come back until he pays for the broken chairs and if he breaks anymore he'll have to pay for them too. I mean he did break them so he should have to replace them. Also suggest that he buys or helps pays for a sturdy chair for him to use. I know it's got be embarrassing for him to keep breaking chairs.
  • jimpoleshuk
    jimpoleshuk Posts: 2 Member
    It's awsome you run a gamming shop!
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    Not a game shop, a gaming shop. People don't go their too just (or not at all) buy a game. Depending on the type of gaming shop, there are tables for people to play multi-person games together at or computers to play games on. People go there to play games in the store.

    Gotcha... we don't have those in our area
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Honestly, I think you should ask the guy to bring his own chair. I think it's quite inconsiderate of him to have broken 4 of your expensive chairs without feeling any sense of responsibility. It might be the wakeup call that he needs to make some changes.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    neverstray has a good point...you may want to seek out some legal advice on this one
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    Move the arms closer together so he can't get his fat *kitten* into it

    HAHAHAHAHA!!
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    I run a gaming shop. I have mentioned this before, so don't switch off! This is my problem.

    I have a regular gamer who is 6' 4'', he is also very overweight, so far he has broken 4 of my chairs. He broke 2 wooden folding chairs, a solid metal padded conference style chair and a solid office swivel chair. These chairs aren't cheap chairs, they are good quality and I've not had one broken before. We have other large gamers and they haven't broken anything.

    How do I deal with this without sounding like I am being size-ist?

    Honestly- just tell him if he breaks any more chairs he is going to have to pay to replace them. You think you are the only person he is doing this to? He is well aware of his problem
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    I'd probably not bring it up to his face to avoid losing a customer. Maybe try getting a bench put in like the person above says...

    i say lose the customer. he is costing the OP money
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    First- Why tune out because you work in a game shop? That's freaking AWESOME! Your place of employment does not ruin you as a person.

    Second- Well, there's really no NICE way to go about it. But you could invest in a chair with a higher weight limit, or perhaps a bench like stated before. Just make sure if you opt for a bench it has full support because if he sat in the middle it could snap.

    You would think that he would be a bit embarassed about breaking chairs and maybe do something. But you have no say over that, if he's a regular and talks to you though maybe you could start slipping in words about how you're working on your fitness and you're on this great site.

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