To think that I am worthy of acknowledgement or even polite conversation whilst doing my job.

[PrettyVacant1]

I work in the wonderful world of retail and yesterday a woman came into my store speaking on her mobile phone.

Usually I'd say hello but as she was having a conversation I just made eye contact and smiled.
She completely ignored me and went to pick up her purchase.

She then went to the till continuing her conversation.
As she was on the phone I hesitated to go and serve her.
She then waved the purchase at me and motioned that she wanted to pay.

I walked over, smiled, apologised and said that I'd wait until she'd finished her call as I felt rude speaking to her whilst she was on the phone.
She stared at me blankly and said it was alright, she was going to continue talking.

I couldn't help but overhear and she wasn't exactly giving instruction on how to safely drill a hole in someones skull.
More like "My god!"
"Really!"
"So what are you going to wear next time?"

So I just spoke over her to interact like my company asks.

I gave her her a free sample and as I was explaining what it was she paused, glared at me again and said to the person on the other end that she was sorry and she will be able to talk properly in a minute!

I wasn't pushy or rude I just think that if the call was so important she should've finished it before wanting me to serve her.

AIBU to think that it's the hight of bad manners to not even give someone the courtesy of holding a call for one minute whilst they provide a service and do their job.

Rant over.
As you were.

Well i think i would have read you quite well, you would have shot me a 'don't approach me glance' as you entered the shop.
I would have let you browse, quickly processed your shopping without a fuss and probably not dared to put anything extra in your bag.I would have said a cheery 'thankyou, bye now'
and let you leave happy.
Then my boss would have approached me and asked why i hadnt approached you or given you a sample!
Aaaaaargh

Well if the OP is BU I think all stores should just install self-serve tills. So that the rude people who can't be arsed to acknowledge there is a human being behind the till don't have to.

goodmorning, you see, that's why i avoid shops that are all sampley, because its not your fault I hate being approached at all whilst shopping, and I wouldn't want to get you into trouble for being a good reader of people.

Orm, I love self-serve tills, so much faster than the very very very slow cashiers at my local supermarket who stop after scanning every item to continue a conversation with the girl on the next till.....

Actually I like them too. Because it's quicker and I don't have to chat and I am often listening to music. Otherwise I feel obliged to be sociable. Someone looking at me and talking to me requires me to be friendly and polite.

Surely the OP could just smile, point at the sample and drop it in the bag? The customer could easily check what it was on the catalogue/website assuming it had a label on it?

Personally, I think scripted sales patter is far ruder than a telephone call. As a customer, it is quite honestly not my problem that your company says you must tell me about xyz. I absolutely loathe places like WH Smith who try to sell you extra crap at the till. I'm in a shop to buy what I need and get out.

Actually, my Victoria's Secret experience completely put me off shops. Most shopping is much easier online.

It's one thing if you're in a nice corner shop and would like a pleasant chat. It's another if you're serving in a high street chain and want the customer off the phone so you can fulfill your scripted sales pitch. /That/ is rude, even if it is your job.

Being on your mobile doesn't mean you're not acknowledging them, I will smile and interact, answer relevant questions but I don't want to get into a conversation about free samples, membership cards etc.

And to whoever said is my time more important than the person serving me, it's not really comparable, I am there in my free time as a customer and they are paid to be working.

I would LOVE self serve machines everywhere, make things much easier all round!

PrettyVacant!

Thebossofme - Like good morning said, if you had been a mystery shopper where the OP works, I can guarantee you that they get high scores by asking if you need help, offering samples and so on. If the OP hadn't done this they would have been marked down!

It took me so long to type that (got distracted!) that my point is a bit invalid now

Oh and a teacher or doctor would be more deserving of my time because they would be telling me about something I wanted to know or hear about, surely you see the difference between a doctor and telling someone about a sample?

And again the toddler group thing would be something where I chose to spend time, not something I had to do in order to get something.

Oh and I spent two years working in retail so I know what it's like, I just could never be bothered to get worked up about someone purchasing something whilst on the phone or listening to an ipod. I would assume they didn't want to hear about the crap I was peddling anymore than I wanted to sell it to them!

iloveponyo
very true!
I meet hundreds of fascinating people and really enjoy it.I also know when someone isnt in the mood-and we leave them well alone!
And most people love freebies even if they dont want a conversation.

On a practical not though, it works, it makes money, therefore it wont stop!

I used to love working there too goodmorning!

I also used to be very generous with the samples when I had a paticularly lovely customer, perk of the job!

And you're right, as far as sales go, it does work, I can't imagine the people high up wanting to change it

I accept that the customer was rude by waving her hand at you to get you to serve her but really can't see what the big issue is.

Your job is to take her money and give her change. No more, no less. It is her choice as a customer to decide whether she wants to interact with you. Personally, I can't stand being forced to interact with anyone. I will chat to someone if I choose to do so and not because it is the ethos of the shop/restaurant/bar etc I have entered or because the shop assistant/waitress feels they want to talk to me. I don't want to be your friend or discuss how my day is going. I have my DH to ignore me chat to about such things.

"your job is to take her money and give her change.No more, no less"

Thankyou for clarifying my job role.

Iloveponyo,myself and OP would probably beg to differ.

YANBU.

Shop assistants are human beings and should be treated with common courtesy. This means giving them your attention while speaking to them, and preferably smiling and chatting a little too.

If someone is making a call they should finish it before going to the till, or offer to call the person back.

I think in some cases it's a kind of status display that the customer feels they are so much better than the assistant.

Shop staff also dont want to be customers friends either, however a bit of interaction is courteous-on both sides

YANBU. I am a fellow till tart and I HATE being treated like this by customers I have never anwered the store phone while serving a customer as it is incredibly rude imo.

Wouldn't mind quite so much but the ones who jabber away on the phone while you serve them are ones having the dullest conversations. If you're gonna be a rude bitch/git gimme something juicy to eavesdrop accidently overhear!

Yuck being "friends" with any of my customers makes me involentarily shudder eeek!

But I still always smile and make eye contact. If they want to strike up conversation I'lll chat back but otherwise I stick to "that'll be..." "please enter you pin now" and "thank you! have a nice day!" My ex swears I've said all 3 in my sleep! I NEED a new job!

IMO it is rude to not smile or otherwise acknowledge the assistant but it is also rude to refuse to serve someone who is on the phone or to talk over them offering samples/ vouchers/ store cards etc if they have made it clear they are not interested.

Well put goodmorning!

I have been known to say to people on their phones "when you are ready" and serve the next person ,Rude me? you betcha, I don't get paid enough to be nice to everyone

I think if someone did that to me in a shop I'd just leave and go elsewhere, and be unlikely to want to return. No huge loss to either of us I know! But the world doesn't stop turning just cause I've entered a shop.

It says a lot that people expect "good manners" from those they are paying, but are not prepared to use similar courtesy themselves. Real manners are not the sort that vanish when you're talking to the "servants" and they are not something you pay for.

I do agree, completely, and am quite that I have inadvertantly so rude. For what it's worth I am the type to be overly polite to anyone and everyone, and wouldn't contine a conversation were it not important. (Work related calls in my old job couldn't always be postponed, but neither could whatever I was doing.) I guess having been on the other side of the counter as well and never having been bothered by people on the phone, chatting to friends or whatever I assumed everyone felt the same. (Provided it was done politely which is possible, i.e.: smiling and indicating to the cashier that you're sorry etc.) Now I no longer work in the kind of job whereby others have such demands on my time that I might be phoned I will rethink now I know it bothers others! It sounds like the customer in the OP was rude in the way that she handled the situation, but I do think it is possible to carry on a conversation (if important) and be polite at the same time.

To be fair I work in a cafe not a shop..just pointing at the coffee machine while talking on your phone doesn't help me in the slightest ...black/white/ to drink in or out? ...I can't mind read

Slight mixed bag of responses
Thanks for support and advice, I do understand were some of you are coming from.

I love my job too, I'm passionate about it tbh.
What happened wasn't a big deal and certainly didn't spoil my day.
As it does occur time to time I've often wondered what the MN jury would make of it.

In my defence though
I did say that I felt rude talking to her whilst she was on the phone.
Her response in this particular example was "it's alright"
So yes, I did carry on.
She didn't say she wasn't interested, she didn't say much to me
She did leave happy as I got the impression me trying to make a point had little effect and carried on yapping as she walked out.

As it happens a similar incident happened twice today.
One customer was already on the phone and made their excuses and finished before reaching one of my team to be served.
The other, phone rang whilst I was with them and they said they'd call back as they were just about to buy something.

I am a member of Management and pride myself in having coached not just my own team but others too on customer service, reading the need and being passionate about what we do.
99% of people enjoy shopping with us and my team regulary gets compliment emails/letters.

Chatty Annie on Sat was just an exception.