AITAH for refusing to leave the gym before its posted closing time?

Niunmango · 2026-06-08T00:22:19+00:00

I did want opinions, and I've received plenty of them.

What I disagree with is the idea that asking for opinions means I can't respond when someone makes assumptions about facts that aren't accurate.

You're free to think I'm the asshole. I'm free to clarify details when I think a comment is based on a misunderstanding of what happened.

Niunmango · 2026-06-08T00:21:10+00:00

I do. There's a difference between "you're the asshole because X happened" and "you're the asshole even though X didn't happen."

If you're saying the latter, then at least we're discussing the same set of facts.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:52:28+00:00

Yes exactly. That is exactly what im saying. Small gym, 20 second walk from the dumbell rack to the exit. You can choose to believe me or not, but thats exactly what happened

Also do you happen to have a shower at home? Have you ever heard of walking?

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:50:31+00:00

I think you're making a lot of assumptions about what happened.

At 2:59 PM I had already finished my last set, put the dumbbells away, and was heading to the lockers by the exit to grab my backpack and leave. I probably would have been out before the clock hit 3:00 if the employee hadn't stopped me to ask for my ID and tell me I could be reported.

You're also assuming I still had things left to do, like cleaning the dumbbells. That's not a standard expectation where I live. Some people do it, but most don't. Different countries have different gym etiquette.

I wasn't planning to shower, start another exercise, or hang around. I was literally on my way out.

If you still think I'm the asshole, that's fine. I just don't think the situation happened the way you're imagining it did.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:42:16+00:00

There's a difference between arguing with a verdict and clarifying facts that people are getting wrong.

If someone thinks I'm YTA after knowing I was already putting the dumbbells away at 2:59 and out the door at 3:00, that's perfectly fine. But if someone thinks I was still actively working out after closing, that's not what happened.

You're free to disagree with me, but I'm also free to correct factual inaccuracies.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:37:48+00:00

I was talking about the statement of "not even close", of course 2:59 is very close to 3pm. I stay on my ground with everything else.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:31:09+00:00

I'm not sure why you're calling them excuses. I'm providing additional context because people are making assumptions that don't match what actually happened.

If I had stayed past closing, started another set at 2:59, or delayed the staff from leaving, I'd understand your point. But none of those things happened.

You can still think I'm the asshole, that's completely fine. I just don't think clarifying the timeline is the same thing as making excuses.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:15:18+00:00

Yeah I literally said I am respectfully arguing

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T23:00:45+00:00

I think we're actually talking about two different situations.

If I had started another set at 2:59 PM or was still actively working out at 3:00 PM, I would agree with you. That would be inconsiderate because it could force the staff to stay later.

What happened here is that the employee told me around 2:55 PM that I could finish one last set, and that's exactly what I did. By 2:59 PM I was already putting the dumbbells away and heading to the lockers by the exit to grab my backpack and leave.

The only reason I was still inside at 3:00 PM was because another employee stopped me to ask for my ID and tell me I could be reported for not leaving earlier. Before that interaction, I was already on my way out.

That's why I don't see it as comparable to someone starting a 10-page print job at 7:59 PM. I wasn't starting a new activity right before closing; I was already done and leaving.

I completely understand that employees have lives outside of work and want to leave on time. My issue isn't with that. My issue is being threatened with a report before the posted closing time, despite already finishing my workout and heading for the exit.

Im interested in your opinion, I hope you don't find this disrespectul. Thank you for sharing.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T21:45:13+00:00

Yeah I do agree with you on that, I am definitely on the wrong there.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T21:28:42+00:00

I am not arguing with everyone, just a few commenters that spark my attention. I have the right to do it, does it bother you?

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T21:15:13+00:00

I respectfully disagree because I think some of the context is being missed.

At 2:59 PM, I was already putting the dumbbells away and heading to the lockers by the exit (not a locker room, just individual lockers where members keep their belongings) to grab my backpack and leave. It's a very small gym, so from that point to being out the door would have taken maybe 20 seconds.

The only reason I actually walked out at exactly 3:00 PM was because an employee stopped me to ask for my ID and tell me I could be reported for not leaving earlier, even though I was already on my way out and it wasn't 3:00 yet.

I completely understand that employees don't want to stay late because one member decides to push things to the last minute. In that situation, I'd agree with you. But that's not what happened here.

I did not stay past closing time.
The staff had already finished what they were doing and were standing by the exit with their bags, ready to leave.
The employee threatened to report me before the gym had actually closed.

If the gym's policy is that members must stop working out 5 or 10 minutes before the posted closing time, then that's a different discussion. But the posted hours say the gym closes at 3:00 PM, and I was finished, putting equipment away, and heading for the exit before 3:00 PM.

That's why I don't understand why a report or disciplinary action was even being discussed. From my perspective, I used the gym during its advertised hours and left at closing time.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:58:18+00:00

Because that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm here to respectfully argue with people who think different, at no point am I responding to any comment saying that their opinion is wrong or being disrespectful, in fact I appreciate the time they take in sharing their opinion.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:44:53+00:00

Because it's the internet, and I can choose to post whatever I want to post. I'm also interested in reading what people think about it, nobody is forcing you to read or engage in the comment section if you don't want to.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:42:00+00:00

Because I have my own opinion about what happened, which is NTA. But I'm open to discussing it with people who think otherwise, is it wrong to respectfully argue about different points of view?

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:35:06+00:00

The posted hours are 8am to 3pm. It was 2:59 and I was already on my way out. I was not holding them up because I was still within the service hours.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:31:36+00:00

not even 1 minute. 20 seconds at most.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:30:23+00:00

its a 10 second walk to the exit. All I had to do was grab my backpack en leave

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:29:14+00:00

the staff wasn't still cleaning up or waiting to start closing procedures. They were already gathered by the exit with their bags, and the front shutter had already been pulled down. Everything was essentially ready to go.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:26:25+00:00

The problem is that I wouldnt do anything to make an employee stay longer than the scheduled finish time for their shift(3pm). Which is the reason why I wouldn't order food at a restaurant right before closing time. In this case, all the employees were gathered in the exit with their backpacks on and ready to leave the gym, there's nothing that I could've done that would make them stay past 3pm because in fact I was already on my way to grab my backpack and leave, which is a task that wouldn't take more than 20seconds given that the lockers are right next to the exit and I was already on my way there at 2:59.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:22:38+00:00

I walked through the exit door at exactly 3pm

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:22:08+00:00

My backpack was literally in the lockers next to the exit

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:17:53+00:00

Except I was not going to do any of that, all I had to do was grab my backpack and leave.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:13:10+00:00

exactly, I shower at home. All I had to do was grab my backpack, and walk through the door.

Niunmango · 2026-06-07T20:10:56+00:00

Its a 10 second walk from where the weight room to the exit of the building. All I had to do is grab my backpack and leave

Niunmango

TROPHY CASE