Two minutes silence and refusing to serve customer

The more observance of a tradition is enforced, the more important it becomes to mock it, ignore it and even disrupt it. There are way too many times when 'it's tradition' is used to either justify or glorify racist, sexist, imperialist bullshit.
Yes, there are valid reasons for supporting the poppy appeal and observing a silence (either on Remembrance Sunday or November 11th whichever day of the week it is.) There are equally valid reasons for wanting to distance yourself from the whole thing.

There are no valid reasons for pestering other people to participate in your ritual, in a public place, when it is either meaningless or distasteful to them.

@spiney - Yes, she shushed her. That was rude, regardless of the context. The OP was imposing her view of acceptable behaviour on the shopper.

The shopper equally didn't "bitch slap" or wrestle the op to the ground. She rudely interrupted the OP's observance. Both OP and shopper were rude. Both tried to impose their viewpoint on the other.

Aren’t all employees within their rights to refuse to serve people providing they have a legitimate reason?
This clearly was a legitimate reason.
I’d have maintained my stance and at the end of the 2 minuets I would have made it clear that I found her attitude disrespectful, rude, entitled and offensive.
Just because you’re behind the counter does not mean you lose your voice. Staff in shops need to back themselves more rather than just taking whatever arseholes throw at them. Customers assume you’re like the palace guards and cannot react to them if they insult you or act inappropriately. You can. YWNBU

Nomoretears the op's scenario has been done. Store needs to do more/be more clear but all you will do with your posting like that is alienating people. Do what you want and leave other alone to do the same. Neither observers or non-observers should be berating anybody into doing what they want. Your views and wishes don't trump anybody else's.

I observe, I did today, I didn't yesterday, I did last week and the month before that when I drove past a cenotaph. Silent contemplated, reflection and thanks... nothing to do with anybody else.

If the non-observers are silent then they're not distracting or disrupting anybody else. Leave them be.

Wiggypudding.
You're really not worth my energy dear

nomire

Not dad, or husband, or brother?

i appreciate it must be incredibly difficult for you

No, you telling people to STFU if they haven't got a child in the forces is disrespectful.

They mademe.** OP shushed her! OMG! Are you serious? How OUTRAGEOUS? During a Remembrance Day silence!

She didn’t wrestle her to the ground and bitch slap her FGS.

Wiggypudding

Because you then get the idea of what it's like to have a child (young man) go away to somewhere dangerous with the possibility that they might not return! Your question is disrespectful in the extreme.

When you have a son in the armed forces feel free to spout you ridiculous hippy dippy ideas, until then STFU

What has having a son in the forces got to do with anything?

I agree with maisys last two posts

And just about everyone who says the OP was not being unreasonable

God almighty, it's one day, for 2 minutes, that's all, I refuse to believe that anyone is so busy or that they are so important that they can't be take 2 minutes out of the the day to be quiet and think of others, what has become of us?

When you have a son in the armed forces feel free to spout you ridiculous hippy dippy ideas, until then STFU

Well, since you asked so nicely...

@Chocachoo - The only one trying to force the other either way was the customer by trying to compel you NOT to observe it.

The OP also tried to force the shopper the other way by shushing her. Neither OP nor shopper come out of this scenario covered in glory.

ButchyRestingFace
When you have a son in the armed forces feel free to spout you ridiculous hippy dippy ideas, until then STFU

YANBU. She's free not to observe it and can choose to leave her purchases if she's that concerned about the train. The only one trying to force the other either way was the customer by trying to compel you NOT to observe it.

The silence is only 120 seconds Sentimental None of those reasons you listed make late phone lady seem any less rude.

It’s true she might not have noticed initially because she was on the phone, but she still pushed on and then berated the OP.

Yep she’s rude.

the least we can do is observe a couple of minutes in contemplative silence to remember their ultimate sacrifice

People can remember the war dead in a contemplative silence any time they choose.

Not everyone subscribes to the notion that that silence should be one imposed on them from on high.

I wouldn't have served her if she was on the phone in any case. Most stores have policies in place for this lack of respect.
You were not unreasonable, in the slightest. Going ahead and serving her in silence would have defeated the object. Carrying on what you're doing whilst literally being silent isn't observing the silence. It's supposed to be a moment of contemplation. In the city I was in earlier, everyone at 11 stopped dead in the street and paid proper respect, it was very moving.
If she had a train to catch, she was in the wrong place.

YANBU AT ALL

Couldn't care less what her reasons were, young men went off to fight and some never came back, the least we can do is observe a couple of minutes in contemplative silence to remember their ultimate sacrifice. I think that trumps whatever her reason was for wanting service "right now".

It has probably already been mentioned but this is in the DM now

See this has made the Daily Mail.

I can’t believe how self satisfied and judgemental some posters are on this thread. You have no idea at all what that woman was running for the train for, maybe she was on the phone because her babysitter had rang as she was about to get on the train and said her child wasn’t well and could she pick up some calpol. Maybe her period had started and she had to pop in to get some sanitary towels and as she went into the shop her work rang her and she had to take it. Maybe the silence isn’t a priority for her or she just forgot and she needed to get a connecting train but she also needed to ring her husband and tell him something at the same time as buying a mars bar.

Jesus wept, there’s loads of reasons why she might be in a hurry and on her phone and not have noticed the signs or the tannoy, but please keep shouting ‘entitled’ and ‘scumbag’ because that’s obviously going to bring more peace into the world

Completely reasonable. Surely the beeps from the barcode scanner would have been heard across the entire shop.