To be irritated by Asda card woman?

Assuming this lady has some kind of SEN and isn’t good at picking up on social cues you just need to be kind but firm with her.

‘Do you need any help?’
’No, thank you’
‘who are you buying a card for?’
’I really just want to choose one on my own. Is that ok?’

If she’s really persistent after that then it might be a good idea to mention to the store that she might need some training.

Oh the pious prats are out in good number today. The same posters who jump in to criticise anybody and anything else for anything at all. Here they are banging a drum that nobody needs to listen to.

It's fantastic that there are schemes available to help people with SEN, I've worked with social services teams who've busted a gut to do the same but it isn't as straightforward as some seem to think that a person can be placed into a role without support and that's what seems to be happening here. It takes collaboration and an understanding of the roles that people with SEN are being put into, along with support, to make it a success. Pinning a 'volunteer' badge on and putting that person into an area where people where to browse, without that support, is what's unkind. Where are all the 'be kind' posters on that?

As PP has said, leaving a volunteer without help or guidance isn't something to be lauded and ASDA should be focusing on that rather than a box-ticking exercise... or what's the oft overused phrase here - virtue signalling? This thread smacks of it.

It doesn't matter how often OP buys cards. Telling posters to 'shop elsewhere' is just moronic. Suggest that to the CEO of ASDA then and see if they agree with you. I suspect not. There is some really pathetic posturing here and it's doing nobody any favours.

So busy that you can't possibly engage with the volunteer for 20 seconds but plenty of time to moan on mumsnet. Hmm.

Years ago I worked at a supermarket who employed a gentleman with additional needs. It's been over two decades since i left and he still comes over for a chat. He shakes my hand, he asks how I am and then we both get on with our day. I'm always in a rush but I take 30 seconds out of my shop.

As I said, I’ve never seen staff do this, you must be asking rudely.

Just politely tell her to leave you alone. No thank you, I'd prefer to choose by myself, I don't want help today.

No. Imagine, if you will, me saying excuse me and Card Lady huffing and taking her sweet time to move a mere few inches so I can choose a nice card.

Not hard, is it?

My god if we could get my brother (asd) a job like this our lives would be made!) Well done Asda for giving people opportunities like this

So you’re saying you ask them to move and they refuse? I’ve literally never had that experience or seen that happen.

Weird that it happens to you so regularly.

Oh. Wow. I totally never thought of that.

Thank you so much.

Oh I hate this. Do I have a loyalty card, no. Do I want one, no. Do I realise that I can save 30% by signing up today, I don’t give a rats behind.
So irritating

I would find this irritating and intrusive too. I'd consider buying cards elsewhere.

Agree with this. A lot of people don’t have capacity for small talk with strangers, they’ll have been doing it at work all day or are stressed out themselves. Ask if you can help but it needs to be left at that

So are you buying cards everyday? Can't you shop elsewhere? I didn't know asdahave this initiative

Their life will be difficult in ways you cant possible imagine, and you are getting annoyed because she is in the card section?

Not because she is there but because she doesn't give the OP the space she wants when she says "no thank you"

OP doesn't mind the woman there so much as they mind the harassing and bothering of customers who have asked to be left alone

You need to ask them to move. They have shelves to fill, they can’t keep shifting for every shopper that doesn’t know to how to use their words!

You don’t have to chat all day, you just say ‘thanks for your help, I know what I need’ and choose a card.

We all have shitty lives unfortunately but to spare 30 seconds of kindness?

I rarely get annoyed by things on here, but this gets my goat massively. This is highly likely to be a person with some kind of learning difficulties or mental health issues. Their life will be difficult in ways you cant possible imagine, and you are getting annoyed because she is in the card section? How often do you have to go in the card section anyway. Cant be more than a few times a year. And some of the comments 'she shouldn't have to go to another shop' for one. What are you suggesting, that we put 'these people' away somewhere so they don't mildly inconvenience our lives? I appreciate I am emotional about this having a brother who has a learning difficulty and works in a library. I have no doubt that he is slow at times etc, but he does his best and the work gives him huge amounts of confidence and purpose and means he is less likely to have mental health issues (Adults with learning difficulties are 60% more likely to suffer form mental health issues than those without learning difficulties). Adults with learning difficulties have just as much right to function in society as you do, and have less choice. You can go elsewhere, this person can not. You have come across as not a very nice person. I hope that if you do complain your complaint is treated with the contempt it deserves.

People like that I find are just not very bright.

I'm not really "techy" but when I'm out shopping I don't like to be disturbed or talked to either. My idea of riveting conversation would be far removed from what the general public tend to strike up conversations about, always the same things in these kinds of settings. Politics, immigration, the weather..... the most boring of subjects, "small talk" for the sake of it, taxi drivers are the absolute worst of them IMO. When they start ranting about politics and immigrants, my first reaction, with no apology, is to ask them to turn some music on.

1. Get headphones. They don't even have to be connected to anything, put the wire in your pocket and if people approach you tap the earphones, tell them you're listening to a lecture or on a phone call.
2. Buy cards somewhere else. ASDA can't be the only place to buy a card, Moonpig is great and you can personalise them for a bit of fun!
3. Be straight with her. Tell her thanks but no thanks. "Just browsing".

That would annoy me. Luckily I have tunnel vision so I’d just grab the card I needed and leave

I actually get the feeling that the issue comes down to lifestyle rather than intolerance. OP might be intoleranf of people with certain needs, or may just be so used to not interacting with the world and just having things done as quickly and easily as possible. This is the sad effect of tech and mainly smartphones tbh. They encourage us to see that life is better when you're not talking to anyone, just mindlessly scrolling/ ordering things with ease. It's all a bit Wall-E.

The OP has said she has already tried that.

This. Maybe try a bit of kindness. Just say ' no thank you'