Have you noticed a change in supermarket workers customer service?

[pretzele]

I know they are working really hard at the moment but the past couple of times I have been in the supermarket I've been shocked at how rude the staff are being to customers.

Obviously not all of them.

For example I asked someone where an item was as I couldn't find it anywhere. Their reply was ' I don't know' and that was it. This is someone who has worked in this shop for a good few years.

I tried to clean my trolley with the spray and cloth provided and a member of staff shouted at me that it's already been cleaned. I hadn't seen them do it and had already sprayed the handle bar so continued to wipe it so they tutted and shook their head.

This is just to name a few.

I get it that they are all overworked and tired but its bad when people haven't been out for weeks and when they do they get talked to with little respect.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I copied and pasted your post @Undercoverworker06 and sent bit to friends and fellow supermarket colleagues, gave them all a good laugh.

I never exactly enjoyed going to the supermarket before now, but I didn't find it an actively unpleasant experience. Since this has happened, I have just hated the atmosphere in there and noticed a lot of people on my town's Facebook group recommending this large farm shop that I never knew existed, less than 2 minutes' drive away from the major supermarket. After going there for the first time (and three times subsequently), I can honestly say I will never be setting foot in a supermarket again. They have everything I need in terms of food, and I can get baby milk, toiletries, pharmacy etc from Boots in store or online.

Washyourhands48 in a good way, I hope!

I will say that pre CV19, 99% of customers are lovely but since the queuing and social distancing rules have come in, there's been a lot more rudeness and sniping at us poor checkout staff, often from people you'd least expect it from.

I find being in the supermarket (marks and Spencer’s at that! ) stressful and tension-inducing even for just 10 mins right now. Without fail, there’ll be some FUCKING IDIOT who didn’t get the memo and is slithering past everyone at zero distance and/or snaking around at top speed so you can’t predict where they’ll go. Stressful.

Or, they’ll slowly continue moving in your direction while you’re standing looking at something, meaning that you’ll have to back out of their way so they can occupy the space you were using and look at the items you were browsing, while you then stand and wait. So you end up being slowly shuffled round the shop by inconsiderate arses. Stressful and annoying.

Then there are other people who are similarly stressed and anxious, walking with their head down and eyes to the ground.

Cannot imagine having to negotiate this shit for full shifts at a time, every day. Appreciate where you’re coming from, that it could be upsetting to encounter unsympathetic-seeming staff when you’re in isolation/lockdown, too.

I love shopping at our local Morrison’s. I don’t mind queuing to get in and I like that there is only one queue for check outs and you are directed to the next free one. I always smile and chat to the staff and it has always been returned.

M&S and Lidl are grand. M&S ladies continuing their nice chat at tills from behind their face shields, staff on floor pleasant and doing a great job of moving around customers without making it seem difficult.
Lidl seems very similar to before, hard working and no nonsense but doing their jobs well.

Tesco rather awful. There's a really weird extra tense atmosphere in mine, staff super on edge and seem "brittle". I wonder if it comes from the management above and their attitude or if they've had more awful experiences with bad customers than in the other stores? I'm close to not going there again and just sticking with M&S as it's generally quieter, seems better stocked and they are still doing fab yellow sticker deals at the end of the day.

@Undercoverworker06

Totally in a good way! I’ll stop fangirling and tagging you now 😂😂

I have found them to be lovely in Lidl (only supermarket without a massive queue)

Till staff at local Tesco as pleasant as ever. ‘Supervisors) verbally abusive and intimidating

I still don't get why anyone would want someone to fuck off and die!
At a time like this it's a horrible thing to say.

Everyone is feeling the pressure of this, I know, it's definitely put me off shopping certain places.

I really sympathise my the shop workers. Have encountered a mix of lovely and snappy. I have a lot of my shoulders myself (residential carer) so when shop staff have snapped I’ve had to hold back the tears.

I am quite laid back but going into work at the moment (essential worker who cannot work from home) is stressful. It is made worse by the odd co-worker whose stress is coming out in the form of snide comments, glares and eye-rolls, and those who seem incapable of keeping to the 2m rule and the need to do a lot of overtime.

Thank God I don't work in a shop or the NHS etc, I couldn't cope with the pressure. It is so easy to hide behind the safety of a keyboard and to criticise those who are putting themselves at risk so that you can continue to shop etc. You think that staying home is tough? Try putting yourself in their shoes.

Washyourhands48 never been "fangirled" before, thanks!

Working in a supermarket is just a horrible, horrible job. The absolute disrespect you get from customers is astounding.
It's not a job I would ever do again. I've done it twice & that was enough!
I have huge respect for those of you who do!

No, if anything I'd say the opposite. More cheerful and chatty than usual, in the face of much adversity

I don't clap but if I were to, it would be for the frontline workers who've been thrust into this position of dealing with some pretty awful and discourteous members of the public. As PP has already said, such workers didn't sign up for this, aren't trained for this - and have no choice. It's shocking.

The least we can do is remember that whilst standing in a queue isn't great, that's short-term and then we get to go home. Supermarket workers and other frontline staff, don't. I've witnessed some seriously aggressive and nasty behaviour from some members of the public - complete with children present. Shameful.

I shop for my Mum, and so am using shops that aren't in my immediate vicinity. The staff at the Lidls and Tesco where Mum lives have been charming, courteous and good humoured. The check out staff always have a chat as I unload my stuff. I make a point of thanking them each time, as they are doing sterling work.

Sorry, haven't read the while fucking thread..

I've had the opposite problem re groups of young people (sorry if that's ageist) having a kind of party and completely flouting social distancing rules. I've been completely ignored as if I'm not there, a gatecrasher at the party. I can't count how many times I've had to ask a member of staff if I can pass through because they're standing there chatting to their pal/colleague. They look surprised!

It doesn't help that I'm wearing a mask and so much communication is through facial expression.

I'm really happy they're happy, I really am. It's shitty times. But I do mind having my health jeopardised because I'm in the way.

They don't have masks or protective clothing, they have to police ignorant cunts that can't observe shopping singly or two metres apart from each other and people lean right across them to get what they want or stand tutting until they can move out the way.

Yes, exactly. I thank them for keeping on working. I'm mostly safe at home on lockdown, not having to deal with the general public and risking my health for minimum wage.

I think I can understand why they might be short with me. If they're rude to me, well, I"m a big girl - I can take it. My self-possession does not depend on someone in the supermarket being "nice"

I think you need to suck it up, OP - supermarket employees are doing it hard, compared to a lot of the rest of us.

Markses staff are as lovely as ever, if a little harassed looking at times. Same for staff in our tesco metro - probably relief because that particular store is usually rammed.

Staff at our big coop are as surly as ever.

I still don't get why anyone would want someone to fuck off and die!
At a time like this it's a horrible thing to say.

Everyone is feeling the pressure of this, I know, it's definitely put me off shopping certain places.

It's an expression and not to be taken literally FFS.

I went shopping for the first time in about 6 weeks today. Went to 2 supermarkets and was surprised at how very cheerful and positive all the staff I encountered were. They seemed more attentive than usual and went out of their way to be helpful.

I have shopped online for nearly 20 years now and had been in a bit of a panic about having to do a proper big shop again particularly as I had read so many horror stories on here about aggressive staff and customers and it was much much better than I expected. Very short queues, most items in stock, not very busy, a nice calm atmosphere and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful.

@slashlover it may be just an expression, but it's a really shit thing to say when hundreds of people are dying every day.

it may be just an expression, but it's a really shit thing to say when hundreds of people are dying every day.

There was a post recently where dozens of people were joking about laying a new patio so the could put their husband under it. When someone posts on AIBU about a neighbour, people will post all sorts of outlandish stuff "Tell her to fuck off!" etc.

Have you ever worked a customer facing role? After 8 hours of people treating me like scum I was the same. I left about 3 years ago and even before then I used to get verbal abuse, pervy men making comments, people threatening to wait outside for me when the shop closed. I can't imagine what it's like for the poor staff now.

As a front line COVID nurse, I’d rather be at work than in a supermarket. The ignorance, refusal to adhere to social distancing and downright entitlement and rudeness of people is staggering. It’s no wonder staff are grumpy.