there should be emergency exit plans around the store, including in the office, if not, thats their fault.. emergency exits are for emergency/possible emergency situations so i would say you arent in the wrong..quick question for you guys...
here's the scenario.
Saturday night, about 6.50pm.
The store is closed and I am about to finish up in the cash office. Only night fillers and a couple of deli staff left.
The fire alarms go off.
Our emergency meeting point is outside the liquor store (which is still open - its attached to the supermarket but on the OUTSIDE of the shopping centre).
The liquor store is on the exact opposite corner of the store to where I am sitting in the cash office, which is down stairs. Because the store is closed this is the only way out of the store.
Do you:
a) leave through the closest emergency exit (which in this case is the staff exit door upstairs) knowing you will set off the security alarm.
b) walk along the entire back dock, through the whole store to exit through the liquor department (which as I'll remind you is at the opposite end of the store)
What do you reckon?
I chose a). I then had to run around the back of centre in the pouring rain to get to the meeting point. I get there only to be told off by the nightfill 2IC (I think he's 2IC? - he wasn't in charge that night) and a liquor staff member for using the emergency exit. They tell me that on Monday (today) the security footage is going to be reviewed and I am going to be in SO much trouble and why the hell did I leave through that exit blah blah blah.
Once the all clear was given I went back into the store and passed through the staff exit door, having my stuff checked by the night captain, as is protocol.
I was pretty annoyed because I have never been instructed on what to do if we have to evacuate and I'm in the cash office - I did what I thought was right in this situation and I basically got accused of breaking the rules and doing something really stupid by staff who really don't have that much authority.
PS. As a side note there was a fire in the centre, outside our store only last year.