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Was I rude for dismissing a stranger who interrupted me on the platform?

685 replies

KookyLemonReader · 23/05/2026 10:46

About a year ago I started a new job in finance in the City which has been very intense. The previous week I have been working very intensely to meet an end of week deadline. I am contractually required to be in the office at least one day a week so on Thurs I dragged myself out to the office. In the early afternoon I was at the local tube station platform waiting for the train and on my laptop deep in work mode when I noticed someone trying to get my attention in my peripheral vision. I turned away from my laptop removed my headphones and listened to the man. He was asking me where my handbag is from. I was very irritated that he interrupted me with this when I was clearly deep in concentration and replied in a cold way ‘I am working’ and went back to my business. A few seconds later I felt bad (also this man was an ethnic minority and I’m a white woman so I worried about that) turned back to him and said I’m sorry I was a bit rude what did you ask. He again asked where my bag is from. I told him the brand (vintage Italian designer). He made some random comment like oh I can’t buy that here I guess. I didn’t engage. Went back to my work. My concentration was lost and I was very annoyed by the whole exchange but also questioning myself. Was I awful or is it fair that he should not have interrupted a clearly full of focus person with a silly question?

OP posts:
SixSevenShutUp · 23/05/2026 10:51

He was probably hoping to chat you up. A sliding doors moment, for sure.

inmyhair · 23/05/2026 10:52

Yes you were being unreasonable.

Have you got something nice planned for the bank holiday week-end?

EasilyPleased · 23/05/2026 10:53

Unnecessarily rude, I’d have said, given that no one is going to be in deep work mode on a tube platform when presumably waiting for a train — but yes, it was an idiotically unnecessary question to have asked someone clearly focused on work.

PullTheBricksDown · 23/05/2026 10:54

I wouldn't have expected someone with headphones on, typing on a laptop, to stop their activity to answer that question. Male entitlement on his part.

estrogone · 23/05/2026 10:54

This reply has been deleted

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Rbof · 23/05/2026 10:56

Don’t ever come up north. Strangers speak to each other all the time. I think you have issues if you think you are so important and your time is so precious you can’t spend 10 seconds being civil to another human being.

amber763 · 23/05/2026 10:56

I dont want random men trying to.engage me in conversation either. You were on your laptop and obviously busy. Don't give it another thought

andnowwhatdowedo · 23/05/2026 10:56

Really rude of you. The tube system is not a library or workplace and you could easily have been watching a video.
Yes he was probably trying to chat you up and it was reasonable to say after answering his question that you needed to work.

Daisypod · 23/05/2026 10:57

Don’t most tube trains run every few minutes? How deeply involved in your work could you be?

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 23/05/2026 10:57

Woman know your place, an important man wanted to talk to you. You should jump up and pay him immediate attention (sarcasm).

Took me forever to teach my predictive text to not capitalize man, in my world you were polite I would have told him to fuck off and not bother me.

NConthe · 23/05/2026 10:58

Why did you leave it until the afternoon to head in to the City? (gasp, the City, get you!)

I think you’ll be marked as a lazy sod by your bosses now. And rude too

CurlewKate · 23/05/2026 10:58

Think of all the work you could have got done in the time you’ve taken to write out that long post and bizarrely wondering whether you were racist-compared to the time it would have taken to tell him the brand of your super special vintage bag…..

Rbof · 23/05/2026 10:59

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 23/05/2026 10:57

Woman know your place, an important man wanted to talk to you. You should jump up and pay him immediate attention (sarcasm).

Took me forever to teach my predictive text to not capitalize man, in my world you were polite I would have told him to fuck off and not bother me.

This is a really weird take.

ChaToilLeam · 23/05/2026 10:59

FFS! You were clearly busy and you didn't owe him your attention.

NConthe · 23/05/2026 10:59

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 23/05/2026 10:57

Woman know your place, an important man wanted to talk to you. You should jump up and pay him immediate attention (sarcasm).

Took me forever to teach my predictive text to not capitalize man, in my world you were polite I would have told him to fuck off and not bother me.

What? 😂

Mayflower282 · 23/05/2026 10:59

If this happened years ago it must have affected you quite a lot. Do you feel responsibility for others feelings around you a lot? Sounds like this was out of character for you. Maybe even something you need to do more of - your feelings matter too!

Orangemintcream · 23/05/2026 11:00

I think he was incredibly rude to interrupt you working and I am astounded people think anything else.

Rbof · 23/05/2026 11:01

Orangemintcream · 23/05/2026 11:00

I think he was incredibly rude to interrupt you working and I am astounded people think anything else.

It was a train station, not a library or office.

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 23/05/2026 11:01

Orangemintcream · 23/05/2026 11:00

I think he was incredibly rude to interrupt you working and I am astounded people think anything else.

I'm with you i can't believe so many people are saying she should have been nice to him. She didn't owe him her time, he shouldn't be pestering strange women to that extent.

Notmyreality · 23/05/2026 11:01

So what you really mean is you’ve suddenly realised he was trying to chat you up and you missed the boat and are kicking yourself?

onmylastnerveseriously · 23/05/2026 11:03

He was unreasonable, men are not entitled to interupt us just cause they fancy a chat. Your behaviour was perfectly fine.

Topseyt123 · 23/05/2026 11:03

Rude and presumptuous of him to ask you that.

I wouldn't have responded to him, or if I did it would have been curt. I'd have wanted to be left alone and I would have wondered a little about his intentions (theft etc.).

Myoldbear · 23/05/2026 11:05

I think you did exactly the right thing by briefly re engaging after realising you'd been a bit short with this person.
You handled the situation perfectly.

Nottopanic · 23/05/2026 11:06

He was rude to interrupt you. You were clearly busy.

Rbof · 23/05/2026 11:06

I don’t know how some of you get through the day. What is wrong with a man speaking to a woman? It’s weird you all assume they fancy you or think they are important. It’s normal to speak to strangers and life is easier when you treat people in a decent manner. I’m no pushover but some of you are frankly insane.