To find this incredibly irritating and rude?

What a cunt. If the item was in a trolley or basket, it would have been fitting to replace it out of his reach.

He’s just a bully who never grew up. I can’t imagine mocking someone’s accent, it’s utterly disgraceful.

I suppose people think this is ok if they are bullies.

I live in the E. Midlands and have an RP accent which is consistently mocked. Annoys me but now I ignore it. Dweebs.

Totally ignorant 🙄

I’d be minded to ask him if he knew the Welsh for twat.

Fwiw - I’m autistic and mimicking others’ accents / speech patterns is something I do sometimes in ordinary speech (not deliberately). But I am sensitive to people with accents that are prone to being mocked or irritated and clamp my mouth shut if need be.

I would have put the item back on the shelf 🤣
I had this conversation with my husband. It's bizarre that people only see this being offensive if it's a couple of languages/accents. Eg, if you did it to an Indian or African accent - racist. Do it it to a Welsh or Italian accent and it's funny?
I'm southern England and had people taken the Micky out of my accent and it doesn't bother me but I do find it weird there seems to be double standard

Try being Scottish….

endless sweaty jock, auch aye the noo and bag pipe related “jokes”

people trying to mimic your accent and requests for a translator every time you speak. It’s grim.

Yeah 😄, I think the same, he was loving the accent and forgot himself for a sec, it happens 🤭

Were you not tempted to take the items off him and put it back on the shelf. And say a cheery "there you go guvnor!"

I'm almost certain it's a class thing, I'm Scottish and it happens to me too. Almost always from someone English. They seem to think they're superior with how they talk and that an accent is something to be looked down on and laughed at.
Even in Edinburgh I've noticed middle class kids will poke fun at the 'local' accents.

yeah, this is horrible. I've had people mock my accent before and I absolutely hate it - it makes me feel really embarrassed and like they're laughing at me. I have a couple of friends who make fun of my accent because they've cleared it with me, and I make fun of them back - it's totally different if it's a stranger.

It's especially rude considering the 'accent hierarchy' going on in Britain - the idea that a southern accent is the 'best' one to have. Obviously complete bollocks, but some people are going to be horrible about it.

I’ve had the exact same thing op. One from an ex who not only used to mock my accent (I live in England now but it came out stronger after speaking to family for example), but in the complete wrong dialect. Imagine I’m from Bangor (for example) and he used to do this awful mock Cardiff song-song type accent. It’s like mocking a Manchester accent by doing a Somerset impression 🙄. I don’t think people realise how ridiculous they sound when they’re taking the mick.

I have a midlands accent- it’s not even that strong but plenty of people mimic it in a really gormless way. You’re right, it’s bloody rude. I don’t know what response they think they’re going to get from me.

Meh, I’m Irish and people comment on my accent all the time, I don’t get worked up over it.

It does seem rude to mock someone's accent. I know me and my good friends who have different accents sometimes jokingly speak in Scottish/cockney etc accents when talking to eachother. But only because we're very close.

I feel you. I just can't help myself but I totally immerse myself in the country/language/culture I'm in. I switch from American to British English depending on who I talk to (I'm neither British nor American so English isn't my mother tongue which might have something to do with it) and I even start waving hands when (making an attempt at) speaking Italian. My DH pointed it out and it was so embarrassing because I realised how ridiculous it must look 😳. But I'm honestly not aware at the moment.

The rude ungrateful old git! Why on earth would he think it's acceptable to speak to somebody like that, especially somebody who's helping you?

I agree with pps, you should have taken the item out of his trolley and put it back on the shelf (or a higher shelf!)

No one should be commenting on other people's accents. It is completely rude and it shows they're not listening to what you're saying, only HOW you're saying it.

I am living overseas at the moment and I get "oh I just LOVE your accent" and my response? " Thanks, I love yours" which is often met with a puzzled look.

As an English person who has lived in Wales and then England again I cant even begin to tell you the tales of the absolute hatred I experienced from the Welsh towards hating anyone ENGLISH, you're complaining about someone mocking your accent. I have a 100 stories of pure vileness experienced from the Welsh.... but I guess that's ok-it's actually never spoken about either.

It's so rude. I'm from Liverpool. My accent gets repeated back to me any time I go out of Liverpool, when I'm on holiday. It's tedious.

I tend to like most accents, including Welsh - I am sure yours is lovely.

I have a West Midlands accent, and sympathise - throughout my life it has been mocked and impersonated to my face on regular occasions - my second husband (a southerner) used to be quite nasty about it. When I taught in a school down South the students often mocked the way I said things too - sometimes affectionately, sometimes less so.

I am not convinced everybody who does this means it to be offensive/unkind. Nontheless, it's one of those jokes you should only really make if you are certain you know the person well and feel 100% confident you won't offend them.

I have moved back to the West Miss, where most people have a stronger accent than me, so it rarely happens now thank God!

Just be proud of your accent and your heritage and your beautiful country, OP. When it comes down to it I think often these things are motivated by jealousy - that on some level people without much of a regional accent themselves on some level envy us the sense of belonging and solidarity it can bring.

Because wherever I am in the world, if I hear someone with an accent similar to my own, I owYs get that feeling that I am amongst friends......

It’s not racist but very irritating. I still remember a posh boy imitating my cockney accent to his girlfriend..snobby git. If I was you I’d practice a mocking eye roll as a response.

I’ve had British people hear my accent and say - why would you leave that great place to come to this godawful town?!?!??

"Don't be so fxxking rude" in a loud voice is very very effective.

I would definitely have put the item back and told him off for it. I think it’s really ignorant when people do that. I would look them straight in the eyes and ask them if they meant to be so rude.

My very thought!