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Original poster

Two minutes silence and refusing to serve customer

805 replies

BalugaBelle · 11/11/2017 23:06

At work today I was on the checkout (large retail store) and the silence was announced over a tannoy.

A woman (on the phone) came up to the checkout during the silence, so I shushed her. Motioned to poppies next to till!

She then said, "I'm going to miss my train, please continue serving me!"

I refused, shook my head and sat silently for the two minutes.

At the end I put her items through, she moaned at me and called me rude and petty and then went on her merry way.

So was I being unreasonable to respect the two minutes silence, even if it meant a customer was unhappy at me doing so?

I know good customer service is needed but surely the two minutes silence takes priority? She clearly had no respect!

Quite frankly I didn't give a damn about her train, I was paying my respects as was everyone else in the shop. It was literally almost silent apart from young children (understandable) and general noise, i.e., heating making noises!

OP posts:
Original poster
BalugaBelle · 12/11/2017 16:02

We are told as staff that the silence should be observed. Tannoy announces it. Everyone is still.

My manager didn't specifically tell us what to do if a customer demanded being served- Just that if we remained on the shop floor we should be respectful and maintain the image of the company. I Ian find a store that continued serving through the silence would be frowned upon!

OP posts:
ButchyRestingFace · 12/11/2017 15:59

Our local sainsburys had a sign up saying the till staff would not serve during the 2 mins but customers could use the self checkouts on silent

That sounds sensible. As does allowing the staff to step away from the tills to observe the silence.

It would hopefully reduce occurences such as that in the OP.

Mittens1969 · 12/11/2017 15:59

Darling, the rudeness was in talking loudly to her friend on her phone throughout the 2 minutes silence, and laughing. Basically taking the Micky out of those who were observing the 2 minutes silence.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 12/11/2017 15:58

Mittens, I didn't miss that the announcement had been made on the tannoy but that - and checkout staff moving away from the tills as Waitrose did - would have added gravitas and understanding for those who'd missed/ignored the tannoy.

Fairy, if they've been deleted then I've obviously missed them. I don't see though that the non-observers much care whether others observe but it's not the same the other way around.

spiney · 12/11/2017 15:58

Give me strength.

PortiaCastis · 12/11/2017 15:57

Perhaps the station staff and train driver were also paying their respects so 2mins would not have made a difference

Animation86 · 12/11/2017 15:57

Our local sainsburys had a sign up saying the till staff would not serve during the 2 mins but customers could use the self checkouts on silent.

To be honest the woman should have given herself more time but she cant force the situation no more so than if a traffic light turned to red or she ended up in a jam.

ButchyRestingFace · 12/11/2017 15:57

Darling - yes but right through the 2 minutes silence

It’s not mandatory.

spiney · 12/11/2017 15:56

Darling - yes but right through the 2 minutes silence!

MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly · 12/11/2017 15:53

She then said, "I'm going to miss my train, please continue serving me!"

To be fair, not very rude.

TheFairyCaravan · 12/11/2017 15:51

From what I can see on this thread, all name-calling is from observing posters who are denigrating those who don't, or who haven't said they do. It's not very respectful either is it?

Well you'd be wrong there you've also missed the very offensive posts that got deleted earlier on today. They weren't from people who observe the silence.

I observe the silence at home, we always did when I was a child too. It makes me cry every single year. I think about the families, who were just going about their business expecting their loved one back at a certain point, as I have many times, then they get the news that they're not coming. And it breaks me. I don't know how they coped.

Original poster
BalugaBelle · 12/11/2017 15:51

Not my shop no but in Ordinary circumstances I do not have to serve rude customers- there have been times in the past where I have refused to serve customers, with the backing of my manager.

I am paid to serve customers yes but this does not mean I have to become an emotionless robot and put up with rude and vulgar behaviour. My salary doesn't make me a doormat! Grin

If someone is very rude to me, I will stand up for myself, being paid or not. I shall be polite and courteous in doing so, however.
I am still human.

Retail can be the pits sometime, however thankfully I am only working in retail for a year to fit around (never went earlier in life) university. I admire those who work full time in retail. It's not all bad however and right now everywhere is very Christmassy and mostly pleasant. Smile

OP posts:
Madbengalmum · 12/11/2017 15:50

Mittens, i agree, i have said the same, but been insulted for it!

Mittens1969 · 12/11/2017 15:47

It was announced on the tannoy, though, the shop was observing the 2 minute silence. If the OP had served her someone else would have complained. Some of you are refusing to see this. Hmm

NextInLine · 12/11/2017 15:47

Yanbu.
I don’t understand the whole ‘serve her in silence’ . You don’t have 2 minutes silence just to be quiet Hmm, it’s to reflect on the lives lost and to honour our fallen servicemen and servicewomen.

spiney · 12/11/2017 15:46

As we were walking back to the car after DC football match we looked round and saw the next 2 teams on the pitch lined up and standing in silence. This is parks football and the ( mostly )boys looked about 12. It was 11 am. Everyone stopped and waited. ( course they didn’t have to - maybe some were just respectful of others traditions) It was a very moving moment. And the image of it keeps coming back to me.

‘Enforced’ traditions can still carry great weight and humility.

Sentimentallentil · 12/11/2017 15:46

Italic fail

Original poster
BalugaBelle · 12/11/2017 15:46

Furthermore I know the silence doesn't feed or house homeless veterans or help fund their treatment for PTSD or similar... but it's still an important moment. Many people don't realise the enormity of the wars and what these people did for us, therefore the two mintutes we take in respect is not a waste of time or fruitless. If it gets people to appreciate and understand, then great.

The fact we need more support and funding for those who fight for our country is also a prominent issue but just because we desperately need funding it doesn't make the two minutes silence null and void.

I've seen lots of poppy collectors today and near my local store there's been a mini parade, all the children from cadets and the like have been out marching and in my local area there has definitely been a strong Remembrance Sunday display and recognition. I hope a lot of money has been raised. I will always do my two minutes silence but I am aware it doesn't raise money.

That was just to address what a few people said about funding being needed for veterans- and you are 100% right.

OP posts:
Sentimentallentil · 12/11/2017 15:45

^Thinks whole country should be silent for two minutes twice a year and everyone who doesn’t do this is a ‘bellend’

Also thinks there’s too many ‘entitled’ people around who just want everyone to bend to their whims. ^

Hmm
MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly · 12/11/2017 15:43

It wasn’t the OPs shop thought, it was a large retail shop and at the end of the day she was being paid to serve customers.

Unless the retailer specifically said do not serve during the silence then the OP should have served, even though the customer was clearly being an arse. She could have been late for an important medical appt, collecting children from somewhere, we don’t know why she was in a hurry - and although the silence is important to some people, it isn’t to everyone.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 12/11/2017 15:42

Beluga, you need to speak to your store manager so that better systems are put in place next year. It's not difficult for tills to be closed and staff to move away for the 2 minutes.

ButchyRestingFace · 12/11/2017 15:41

How doea fame feel this merry Sunday, BalugaBelle? Grin

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 12/11/2017 15:40

Bubble, if posters want to tell you, they will. They don't have to. I don't have to. This thread is quite aggressive and I'm really not interested in that. We all do what we want to do at the end of it all and we're free to do that.

Original poster
BalugaBelle · 12/11/2017 15:39

Also will say I understand those who DON'T observe the silence. I understand everyone has different thoughts about it and that some people will pay their respects in their own time, in their own way. This isn't a debate of whether one should observe the silence itself, but more that a person should allow others to observe the silence freely without interrupting them or being rude. To some people it is very important and a time of deep thought. Some people won't feel like that and that is fine, but you must remember that to others we like to take the two minutes to remember. Smile

OP posts:
PeiPeiPing · 12/11/2017 15:39

@BalugaBelle

Saying I enforced my views on her- could you flip it over and say she was forcing her views on me to not observe the silence?

This exactly. ^

The type of woman you are on about (like some people on this thread,) only see THEIR side of the story though, and think things should only go THEIR way, and everyone should bend over backwards for THEM.

Everyone knows at least one little special snowflake like this.