To be annoyed at the Aldi staff

Staff are great at our local Aldi. There is one assistant in particular that is great to chat to while he is serving (he still keeps the Aldi speed though!).

Our local Morrisons, on the other hand has shockingly bad staff! They make it seem like you have really put them out whenever they have to stop their conversation to approve alcohol or remove a security tag etc.

I agree. I think people are taking Downton Abbey a bit too seriously….….

They absolutely are. I like to pretend not to have noticed the headsets and join in with the conversation.

My Aldi staff are brilliant. Helpful. Friendly. Just wish it was a bit bigger. But by far the best supermarket where I live.

Never heard them talking about anything other than work but as above they’ll talk about when a toll is closing, where there’s a palette etc in the middle of you talking to them and it’s just off putting!!

Meh. Get a life OP.

Course it is.
Why mention it was an Aldi at all?

They do this at my local supermarket (Morrisons if you’re interested) too.

The only time it would bother me would be if they were ignoring or really delaying me to finish their conversation as that’s just rude.

Other than that, I’d cut them some slack- probably been dealing with arseholes all day.

Why shouldn’t people chat to each other at work?

You always take the weather with you.

Ours are lovely.

It wouldn’t bother me, it doesn’t impact on their speed and makes the day go faster for them.

Shop at Waitrose then.

Last time I was in Aldi they were actually discussing another customer over their headsets. Along the lines of why does she shop in here, she’s absolutely minted, do you think she wants a toyboy?

Do they do their jobs properly? If so, why shouldn’t they chat as they work? Sounds like a bit of snobbery to me-the staff not being deferential enough…..

You need to ask to speak to the manager.

Yes! It's embarrassing the number of times I've said "sorry what was that?" thinking they were speaking to me but then realising they're talking on their headset. Doesn't usually bother me as long as they say hello first and then wrap it up when I'm paying. Although on one occasion the cashier didn't say a word to me the entire time but spoke to her colleagues on the headset. When she'd finished scanning she carried on chatting and didn't say what the total was or even look up, so I just stood there until she eventually realised I was waiting for her to actually acknowledge me. I didn't say anything but I did think that was really rude.

I think it’s common now in lots of stores. I must admit I don’t like it. I used to work for M&S and it was an absolute no no and the supervisor had a black book of really shot tasks which she’d give you if she caught you doing that. Essential work conversations only in front of customers!

I am old, and have worked in many retail jobs.

I do remember in the early 90s I began work at Sainsburys and the training on the check outs was very thorough, it included actual customer service. We were forbidden to talk to each other unless it was work related - i.e. asking for a code/price or whatever.

I still shop in there and it's definitely not the rule now.

I’ve noticed this too. It’s so awkward and rude.

Well exactly. You don't want minimum wage staff talking to each other.
My local Aldi is fine. Sometimes the staff talk to each other but so what? It doesn't stop them serving me. Aldi is not well known for customer service. It's quick service. If you want to chat go somewhere else.

The staff are the same at my Aldi as well, it's extremely unprofessional. I don't take any notice though because it doesn't effect my experience as I use the self checkout tills. It's annoying when you are using the checkouts though and they are talking about their weekend over the headset while serving customers.

This would bother me too. I haven't noticed it myself but I'm all about customer service (also having worked in customer facing roles). It seems so rude to be having a conversation with someone whilst serving someone else!
Some people's only interaction that day could be at one of these shops and I'm sure we all like to feel like a valued customer. I definitely choose where I shop depending on how I am treated. I'm surprised management hasn't picked up on this.

I work in a supermarket in Ireland and my Polish colleagues speak in Polish to each other while serving English speaking customers. I think it’s extremely bad manners but when management asked them to speak English on the shop floor one of them brought in some nonsense in writing about it being her “right” to speak Polish on the shop floor.

Never any bugger on the tills in Lidl.

Ive got 2 local Aldis. One does this, and the other doesn't. I find it as rude as if I was on my phone while they are scanning my shopping. It's 5 minutes, I don't want to hear about how pissed you got at the weekend. Just wait until you've finished serving. Doesn't bother me if they're stacking shelves, but its just plain rude when serving a customer. Why can't people do anything these days without constantly having to phone someone and tell them all about it? 🙄

They are there to work, not to socialise. I hate it when I'm in a shop waiting to be served and the staff are ignoring you to have a private conversation.