History Main / WhosWatchingTheStore

** You may as well assume that there's no customers during that day, for if there is, Mr. Krabs would flip out over losing that much money.
*** He ''does'' flip out: in the episode where Spongebob convinces himself and Squidward that Mr. Krabs is a robot. Before they tie him up, he asks them what they're doing, and the last question is in frenzied panic about who's watching the cash register, effectively lampshading this trope.

* On the Britcom ''AreYouBeingServed'' the staff of the mens' and ladies' departments are frequently shown having their lunch and coffee breaks together. It is highly unlikely the store closes for lunch and breaks, so who is serving customers while the sales staff are eating?

* On ''{{Wings}}'', Joe and Brian are the only two pilots for Sandpiper Air, but half the time they're either just hanging around the airport or flying the plane for their own personal use without any passengers. It's no wonder that Joe could only ever afford one plane.

* TheSimpsons uses this one with the Kwik-e-Mart numerous times. It's almost always answered as well. Either it's Apu's brother, or his infant nephew (he had a gun) or James Woods or... The one time this is played straight, Snake steals the store.

** This trope eventually came back to bite them in the behind, however, [[spoiler:as it became impossible to keep the girl from finding out their secret after leaving her to handle the pizzeria alone so many times.]]

* The 1980's show ''Alice'' had the entire cast leaving Mel's Diner a few times during business hours with no explanation given.

* On the Britcom ''AreYouBeingServed?'' the staff of the mens' and ladies' departments are frequently shown having their lunch and coffee breaks together. It is highly unlikely the store closes for lunch and breaks, so who is serving customers while the sales staff are eating?

[[AC:Film]]
* ''ComingToAmerica'': [=McDowells=] hires two people in one day, obviously needing the employees. Then, during the rest of the movie, most of the known employees of the restaurant are shown to be away from work.
* Parodied in ''{{Airplane}}'' when Ted Striker leaves his cab at the airport just as a new fare gets in. Ted says he'll be right back and starts the meter running, but he instead gets on a plane. At the end of the movie, hours later, the man is still in the cab with the meter still running.
* {{Clerks}}: Dante and Randall close their respective stores to play hockey on the roof and go to a funeral, among other things.

* QuestionableContent has seen Coffee of Doom abandoned at moments of high drama. It really ''is'' abandoned during these moments, too, since there are no background extras. Fortunately, it doesn't happen often, since roughly half the cast works there, and there's ''almost'' always somebody not involved in the hijinks of the moment to watch the store.

* The creators of ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' made the main characters bar owners so that they could believably get into hijinks during the day. Even still, the trope is lampshaded in one episode where a newspaper reviewer writes that patrons of Paddy's Pub tend to serve themselves because the owners are too busy arguing with each other to actually tend bar.

* The creators of ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladephia'' made the main characters bar owners so that they could believably get into hijinks during the day. Even still, the trope is lampshaded in one episode where a newspaper reviewer writes that patrons of Paddy's Pub tend to serve themselves because the owners are too busy arguing with each other to actually tend bar.

* Whenever The bartenders on ''{{Cheers}}'' went somewhere during business hours they often had to point out who was watching the bar.

* ''[[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' sometimes has a problem with this. They send the entire main cast on away missions occasionally, and it seems like that's everyone of any authority on DS9.
** Other StarTrek installments have also appeared to do this. It wasn't a problem on the original series because they left Scotty and some competent secondary characters behind. On [=NextGen=], it was Captain Picard left behind -- but that show has sometimes come close to this. And ''Voyager'' and ''Enterprise'' have sometimes had the entire known command staff leave the ship.

* In one episode of ''CuriousGeorge'', George picks up takeout from a new family-owned Asian market/take out place across the street. The ''entire family'' that runs the market help him carry the food home and then are invited to stay for dinner by the man in the yellow hat - they accept.

* ''MrMeaty'': Often the main two employees take long breaks and go around the mall.

For example if all of the characters work at a restaurant, and they all decide to go to dinner together, then WhosWatchingTheStore during one of the most profitable times of day for an eatery?

* ''ComingToAmerica'': [=McDowells=] hires two people in one day, obviously needing the employees. Then, during the rest of the movie, most of the shown employees of the restaurant are shown to be away from work.

* On the Britcom "Are You Being Served?" the staff of the men's and ladies' departments are frequently shown having their lunch and coffee breaks together. It is highly unlikely the store closes for lunch and breaks, so who is serving customers while the sales staff are eating?

Often it is necessary to get the characters out of their normal environment so it does not seem boring. This is not a problem, but if the show has not set up a suitable number of background employees whom the audience can believe are capable of operating the business when everyone is out, it can stretch the viewer's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief.

*''ComingToAmerica'': McDowells hires two people in one day, obviously needing the employees. Then, during the rest of the movie, most of the shown employees of the restaurant are shown to be away from work.

Often merely {{Handwaved}} or ignored. Sometimes [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] [[WhoIsDriving for a little humor]]. Often comes to mind during FridgeLogic. Supposedly being able to abandon a workplace in part or entirely is some sort of higher level of UltimateJobSecurity.

** In one episode Spongebob and Squidward deliver a pizza for Mr. Krabs, presumably leaving

Mr. Krabs to run the entire store himself.