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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:
lazyarse123 · 12/11/2017 02:19

SGB are you really as ignorant as you sound? Did you not get the bit about respecting the dead from every conflict from 1914 to the present day. You don't have to join in if you don't choose to but you do have to respect the choices that other people make. After a!l that is the whole point that we have the freedom to choose.

BalthazarImpresario · 12/11/2017 02:19

I was in work today and although my transaction was done I was still helping the customer get their purchase going (phone) I stopped and I always have stopped. The shopping centre and my employer request we observe the silence and I intend to do just that.

ReanimatedSGB · 12/11/2017 02:19

(as is beautifully illustrated by the post above my last post)

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 12/11/2017 02:12

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ReanimatedSGB · 12/11/2017 02:10

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seaurchin2016 · 12/11/2017 02:07

I think you did right. Well done for sticking to your guns. To serve her, even in silence would have disrespected the sacrifice that people made in order to give us a free country. If people can't give 2 mins silence I say shame on them. If she was that late to catch her train then her time keeping was at fault. Everyone in this country should know that at the 11th hour on the 11 th day of the 11th month there is a 2 min silence and rightly so. If she doesn't like it then she can always sod off to another country and good riddens to that sort of person. We don't want them in the UK. Come on all of you out there - this is a sign of respect and reminds us that wars are futile and cause a tremendous loss of life. Well done to you for not serving this scum!

Beerwench · 12/11/2017 02:04

Would you expect the emergency services to stop fighting a fire/cutting someone out of a crashed car/delivering a baby because of some compulsory but essentially pointless ritual?

What an utterly ridiculous comparison. It's hardly a matter of life and death if someone waits 2 minutes at a checkout to buy some groceries!
Seriously. Get a grip.

lazyarse123 · 12/11/2017 02:01

Reanimated what a fucking disgusting thing to say. Are you actually educated? It's not just about ww1, it includes all conflicts since. No wonder there are so many entitled people about if your attitude is anything to go by. By the way op yanbu I also work in retail and we always observe the silence.

Beerwench · 12/11/2017 01:59

I'm glad you didn't serve her. The silence was announced, her choice not to observe, the shops choice to observe. If she didn't like it she was free to go elsewhere, but not to demand service in that time.
YANBU

ladymariner · 12/11/2017 01:59

What a particularly crass and ill-informed post SGB

The silence is there to remember all casualties of war, not just WW1....oh forget it, there's no arguing with ignorance. You carry on swearing and insulting people, fill your jackboots

Fluffywhitecloud · 12/11/2017 01:54

If it was that important, she wouldn't be stupid enough to organise her day so that a two minute delay would make her miss it.

Some people are just idiots to be fair.

blackteasplease · 12/11/2017 01:49

Yanbu

People can wait 2 mins once a year.

ladymariner · 12/11/2017 01:49

Absolutely YANBU, you were totally right. I'm amazed anyone would think otherwise

ReanimatedSGB · 12/11/2017 01:49

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ThroughThickAndThin01 · 12/11/2017 01:48

Yanbu.

It's great that you observed it even under pressure.

CakesRUs · 12/11/2017 01:44

YANBU good for you!

Battleax · 12/11/2017 01:37

I think the act of Remembrance is more important than kow-towing to a customer.

This.

Mummyoflittledragon · 12/11/2017 01:32

I think it was a good thing you did. The customer is not king and always right. Sometimes there are more important things than satisfying a customer. And yes, she eas very rude to talk and insist you serve her. No one would have wanted to listen the the racket you would have made.

GetYourRocksOff · 12/11/2017 00:54

Oh ok also had a friend who actually got married on 11/11/2011 at 11am aa she thought it was a cool thing to do. I skipped that invite.

worridmum · 12/11/2017 00:54

there must be different sects or something as i have worked (in retail) were some people would refuse to handle or sell both pork products and alcohol and also walk out of a room if people were consuming either products as well (they tried to get management to ban pork products from the staff room as apparently they were not allowed to eat in the same room as both types of food).

GetOutOfMYGarden · 12/11/2017 00:54

If two minutes is going to make you miss your train, you've fucked up. What if there had been a problem with the till? Or if her card had been declined?

YANBU. Scanning silently would have been very disrespectful.

GetYourRocksOff · 12/11/2017 00:52

You were not being unreasonable.

I worked in a call centre for large UK bank and didn't take a call, despite the queues, during the silence on year. We had,the choice even though the silence wasn't being officially observed.

It's two minutes out a lifetime.

Charolais · 12/11/2017 00:49

You did the right thing. A lot of our men never made it to the train home and their mum’s hearts were broken.

Cactusjelly00 · 12/11/2017 00:46

worridmum
You can if you like - most of DH's family are Muslim. Wouldn't have an issue with somebody eating it in a mosque or around them. It's fine to touch it or be near it, they just don't think it's ok to eat it. Big misconception.

Cactusjelly00 · 12/11/2017 00:45

I don't observe any silences or reflections, personal choice. But I wouldn't expect to be served during one either! YANBU.

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