To be irrationally irritated by Morrisons trolley collector today

[pippa737]

I know he meant well, but he really pissed me off!

I had a bunch of stuff in my trolley - about 60 items... shower gels, shampoos, chocolate bars, crisps, talc, washing powder, fruit, cream crackers, tinned food, veg, frozen food, fridge food (like milk and yogurts,) bread, etc. I pushed the trolley back to my car and I started pulling everything out of the boot, and opened my cool bag for the fridge and freezer stuff. I had bathroom and kitchen stuff, smelly stuff, frozen items, fridge items, tins, packets that would easily crush, so was taking my time.

I had packed about a third of my stuff away, and this guy comes up to me and says 'can I take your trolley Madam?' I said 'er no thanks, I am still unpacking...' He said 'I'll wait,' and stood there while I carried on pulling the stuff out (and making me feel under pressure to hurry!)

So then I said 'the joints in my hands are a bit inflamed today, so I will take a while putting it all away, so it's OK I don't need you to take the trolley, I can take it back in a few minutes......' So then he said 'I will help you then,' and proceeded to start picking my foodstuffs and goods out of my trolley, and shoving it all over my car boot. Tins of beans on top of my bloody crisps and cream crackers and all sorts! Which are now somewhat crushed!

So I gathered up everything as quick as poss, and lumped it all in the boot just to get rid of him!

'Here's the trolley then' I said. 'There you go, saved you a job taking it back haven't I?' he said smugly!

The more I thought about it, the more bloody annoyed I got. I TOLD him I didn't need - or want his help, and he kept pushing and pushing, making me feel flustered and rushed and irritated.

So if any MORRISONS manager is reading this, please tell your staff to not do stuff like this! If you offer someone help, and they say 'no thank you,' respect their decision. Don't push it on them. It's patronising and rude, and puts people under pressure.

To add insult to injury, because I was irritated and flustered, I didn't zip up my cool bag, and my frozen food had started to thaw out by the time I got home!

Sorry, I needed to rant somewhere about this! And hopefully someone from Morrisons sees it!

(nc for this by the way. Didn't want to use my regular username sorry!)

[pippa737]

I don't want to go to any other store by the way. I am happy with Morrisons (usually,) but this one thing irked me!

[redexpat]

Annoying yes.

[AliDran]

Tweet them, and hopefully they will read it!

[Scatteredthoughtss]

YANBU but I have to wonder if he didn't have some issue to have not taken what seems like a very obvious hint to bugger off.

[Blanchedupetitpois]

I think that he would probably have stood and waited quietly if you hadn’t mentioned your hands - I can see how he could have interpreted that as you suggesting that you needed help while he was just standing around. It really does sound like he was just trying to do his job and be helpful, albeit in a way that ended up being annoying. Just say next time that you don’t need help.

[SpockPaperScissorsLizardRock]

I have a friend who collects trolleys at Morrisons. This sounds exactly like something he would do. He is Autistic. You should have just let him wait.

[cushioncuddle]

Was there a chance if you made it very obvious you didn't need him to take the trolley that he may have had an additional need of some sort.

Our local supermarkets are amazing at inclusive employment. So this just crossed my mind.

Perhaps you needed to be more aware of the situation and have given him some patience or very clear instruction of what you wanted to happen.

You said your hands were hurting he may have wrongly picked up that you therefore needed help.

People don't harass to get a trolley back. That's not being rude. That's being trying to be helpful and getting it a bit wrong.

[ToffeePennie]

The trolley blokes at my Morrison’s all have some sort of additional need. It is stressed to them that they must try and be as helpful to their customers as possible and they are all lovely lads. My brother works there and he’s always stressed how much training they are given on ‘good customer service’.
Sounds like this chap has just got it a bit wrong today.

[eloliphant]

If you told him the joints in your hands were inflamed today whilst he was stood watching you pack then I expect he thought that was a hint you DID want help ( which it would sound like to me too). He's not going to walk away or stand and watch after you say you're in pain.

[SemperIdem]

Morrison’s often has people with additional needs as trolley collectors etc so it might well be a case if he quite simply did not understand that you really didn’t want assistance.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

Like pp have said morrisons employ trolley staff with additional needs.

[parkermoppy]

As has been mentioned by a few people, it is possible the man got it a little bit wrong due to additional needs. Our local Morrisons has a trolley man who is very jolly but a little 'too helpful', i don't think he means it but I just take it as him taking his customer service training a bit too literally. I know its not ideal if you are in pain but try to be patient

[Mermazing]

Whatever you do, do NOT tweet them!!! Yes I agree it could be annoying but he was trying to help you!! Jesus can’t do right from doing wrong these days

[SemperIdem]

Of course he might not have had additional needs - but not helped a customer previously and been told off for not doing so.

It can be a minefield, working with the general public. Plenty say one thing and mean quite the opposite

“No no I don’t any help” translates as “of course I need help, why haven’t you already offered” and so on.

[Purplelion]

On a side note-Hiw far away from the supermarket do you live?! I’ve never taken a cool bag and never had stuff defrost

[pippa737]

He didn't seem like someone who had 'special needs' but then you can't always tell.

I think next time I will be firmer and just say 'no, I don't want you take my trolley and I don't want you to help me', thank you anyway.' If he persists and makes me feel agitated and stressed again, and grabs all my stuff (when I have not asked for help) I will have no choice but to talk to the store manager.

Not be to be mean or get anyone in trouble, but I don't want people hovering over me, waiting for my trolley when it's two-thirds full still, and grabbing all my stuff when I said 'I don't want you waiting as I will take a while,' (because of getting it all out and putting it where it needs to go, and my hands hurting.

I feel that even if I had said nothing about my hands hurting, he would still have tried to grab everything and 'help' me.

Additional needs or not- people don't want someone hovering over them while they are trying to put a trolley full of shopping away in their car, and insisting on 'helping them' when they didn't ask them to!

At no point did I say I want him to help. In fact, I pretty much said I didn't need or want him to take my trolley as I am going to be taking awhile putting the stuff away. I don't know how that translated to 'I want you to grab all my stuff and shove it all skew-wiff in the back of my car!'

And as for customer service people 'not being able to do right for doing wrong'... Sorry, but that's nonsense. All he had to do was respect my request when I said 'I will take a while, so don't want you to take my trolley.' It's not that hard... If you offer someone help and they decline - then please do respect that.

Thanks to the posters who understood how irksome it was, and sympathised. I just needed a rant!

@purplelion

Re, the cool bag.... I live half hour's drive away, but I had to do a few other things afterwards. So didn't get home for about 2 and half hours after leaving Morrisons. And I had left the bloody cool bag open because of this man bugging me. So the some of the frozen stuff had started to defrost!

[Blanchedupetitpois]

All he had to do was respect my request when I said 'I will take a while, so don't want you to take my trolley.' It's not that hard... If you offer someone help and they decline - then please do respect that.

But I think he did respect that. He was just waiting. He only started to help when you made the comment about your hands which I think it would be easy to interpret as a request for help.

YANBU to be annoyed because you’re entitled to feel how you feel, but I also don’t think he did anything wrong.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

You were/are being really mean. Your flipping crackers are not more important than someone’s well being.

[pippa737]

Fair enough. He didn't really do anything 'wrong' and was probably only trying to help. But I didn't ask for help, and I didn't want it, and he made me flustered and I felt like I had to rush. And then some of my stuff got crushed, and my cool bag ended up being left open because I felt harassed.

As I said, next time I will say a firm 'NO thank you, I don't need your help, or for you take my trolley.'

[DaisyDando]

I thought you’d be at least a bit embarrassed when people pointed out that he possibly/probably had additional needs.

[pippa737]

Of course I am not being mean. I am entitled to feel pissed off about it, as many posters said!

[UsedtobeGinger]

Was there a coin in the trolley, which he took as a "tip"?
A couple of years ago I heard of 2 trolley collectors getting into a fight as they kept offering to take trolleys for the £1 coins and got a little competitive!

[florafawna]

Your hands have recovered!!!!

[MyDcAreMarvel]

I am entitled to feel pissed off about it, as many posters said!
No they haven’t.