MovieChat Forums > Clerks (1994) Discussion > Why would he bother making an 'I assure ...

Why would he bother making an 'I assure you we're open' sign?


He's not even supposed to be there that day. Woken up at 5 for the job he hates, he's walking at noon. His paycheck is the same no matter how many customers come in. If he doesn't make a sign, he can pretty much hang out half-asleep and not have to deal with anyone.

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True but then we wouldn't have an absolutely hilarious movie to watch then, would we? ;D

Although, the real reason is that he tends to take crap from others so it is well within his character to do the "responsible" thing such as actually work his shift. However, if I were him, I'd have closed it down the second I learned my boss lied to me about coming in and relieving me at noon(the boss snuck off to Vermont if you recall)...but that's me. :D

I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.

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However, if I were him, I'd have closed it down the second I learned my boss lied to me about coming in and relieving me at noon(the boss snuck off to Vermont if you recall)...but that's me. :D


I would have done the same, but its mentioned many times in the movie that Dante isn't good at opposing people and just takes everyone's *beep*

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

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It was actually another employee who took off to Vermont at the last second (Dante was only supposed to work until 2pm). He should've said he had obligations he couldn't get out of. I agree that it was in his nature to do the "responsible" thing by making the sign.

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It was actually another employee who took off to Vermont at the last second


It was the boss. The boss is the one who calls Dante to go in and then promises to be there at twelve.

Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.

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Yea but if he didn't have the sign, he'd just be answering the phone every3 1/2 seconds with a 'yes! We're open!'

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how do you work that out?

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yeah i wanna know that too because despite making the sign nearly every customer who came in asked "are you open?"

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Because if he didn't, then people would constantly be filtering through the door asking him if they were open.

Sure, he could've kept the doors locked and/or ignored the customers. But then he'd be out of a job.

Anyone here mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips.

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He maybe also figured if he didn't make a sign, and the store barely did any business that day, he'd probably end up taking $ht from his boss about it at some point.

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Because Dante thinks that he has an important, moral responsibility to the Quick Stop and that the world will stop turning if the Quick Stop isn't open or if people don't know that it's open.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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My thought on the sign (back then and now still) was that he made it since someone had jammed the gum in the locks and he couldn't get the key in to unlock them. Without the shutters being unlocked and pushed up it would obviously look like the store was closed and people wouldn't come to shop and they would lose money. As mentioned above also, Dante felt the moral responsibility to the store which was in his nature.

A small in-joke is made about this at the end of Clerks 2 also. I went to see it with a friend (she was about 49 when Clerks 2 came out) and there also were about 12 others there (almost all 18-22) and when I laughed at the end I explained why because they were all looking at me like "huh?" lol.

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what a dumb q .... oh screw it

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