To ask you all to abide these rules when shopping

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

I've namechanged as my boss is a mumsnetter-

I work in retail at a large pharmacy/beauty shop and I'm disgusted at the manners of mostly female customers. So if everyone could justfollow these I would be very grateful!

1. Please don't throw your credit card down on the counter - you know how to use a chip and pin machine
   

1. Don't call me a bitch because you don't have enough points on your loyalty card to pay for your disgusting perfume - I do not make the prices.
   

3.please acknowledge my presence as a human being - a simple nod will suffice although I am willing to wave this for busy mums with screaming kids and those on their lunch hour

4.do not accuse me of stealing £3.50 of your gift card, it is physically impossible for me to do so.

5.please and thankyou are expected.

1. Please do not answer calls in the middle of my serving you ad completely stop what we are doing and immediately ignore me. You're decision of wholewheat linguine or organic canneloni can wait.
   

I love my job but all of these examples are from 30-40 year old well dressed women. It's baffling and demeaning.

[sparkle101]

Have worked in retail since leaving uni 9 years ago (with a degree but am still only a shop worker)

When working for Tesco a good few years ago - word got to the tills that if anyone bought grapes we had to politely decline the sale and take them off them. Not sure why, we did as we were told. Told later by the manager an elderly man suffering from dementia had come into store and weed all over the whole grape display.

Agree with all the OP says and a lot of what other posters have said about what they expect in return. Fair is fair.

I too have been accused of stealing £10 from a customer as I had "short changed" them. My till was spot on so customer wanted me searched - in front of them - to prove I had taken it!

At another job a customer was swearing at me so I politely asked her not to swear at me - she replied "I'll fcking swear at you if I fcking well want".

Have been called a fcking bitch who doesn't fcking know what they're doing when working in food retail as I had served their onions on their hot dog wrong. My DH was there at the time and said "I would have told him to f*ck off!" I wish!

OP - you raise good points however some people will always do some of your points. Best way to get them is to ask loadsssss of questions so they have to speak to you. And be overly friendly to the point of sickening. Can't get told off for being too nice!

[MsSparkle]

Some of the people on this thread have prompted me to do up a sign for dps shop to say "No mobile phones to be used in the shop."

I thought that most people on their phones whilst being served in the shop (hence egnoring what the staff are asking them)and holding up the que was because the phone call was really important and couldn't wait.

Now i know it's because some customers don't give a shit about whether they are rude or not using their phone and will use them no matter how trivual the call is so i think a ban on mobile calls in the shop should put pay to this.

[scoobytoo]

That would be so customer friendly Ms Sparkle you must not need to increase sales at all then?

[MsSparkle]

The shop is always very very busy scoobytoo because we offer really good product at very reasonable prices.

My local chippy has a no phone sign up and they are the busiest chippy around. It's really a huge request is it? If you can't go without your phone for 5 minutes then you have a problem, not the shop!

[MsSparkle]

It's not really a huge request is it?

[scoobytoo]

Good for you and your chippy. It's not a huge request if you asume all your customers lives are not as busy or important to them as your shop is.
Would you put the phone police on the door checking for white trainers too?

[scoobytoo]

But the shop wants my business not the other way round you really have a strange customer focus!

[scoobytoo]

Would you expect people to go out without their phone or switch it off at the front door just in case it rings whilst they are in your shop...good grief you seriously have an inflated opinion of your shops importance in peoples lives.

[MsSparkle]

Pmsl

It's a small shop with a que out the door everyday. But if your on you phone when you are being served, it really slows everything down! The assistant in the shop needs you attention because they are asking you questions.

If your phone rings, it can wait 5 minutes. If not, go outside and we will serve someone else. Other people shouldn't have to wait longer in the que because your at the front yacking on your phone and not lisening to the assistant.

If it were different cicumstances and you didn't have to answer questions about what you want, it would be different. But i have served too many customers in my time who when you ask them something, they say "hold on a sec" to me and say "sorry what did you say" to the person on their phone. Meanwhile a shop full of pissed off looking customers are standing behind them thinking get off your phone and lisen you idiot!

[TheChamomileLawn]

Here's a tip for anyone who finds themselves talking on a mobile phone when their turn in the queue comes....wait for it...simply say "can you hold on a moment" or "can I call you back"
As simple as that.

[MsSparkle]

TheChamomileLawn that would be the obvious answer wouldn't it but it seems to much of a request to some people!

[Rockbird]

I admit I've skimmed this thread (am saving it to settle down with when I get home!) but I am absolutely appalled at some of these stories. I have worked in retail, back in the day though and never had any trouble. I really don't know what to say. Everything I've skimmed is second nature to me (not taking calls while at checkout or cancelling ones I am making, please and thank you etc). I really am stunned.

[SantasMooningArse]

I don;t always speak above please and thank you becuase of my low level AS; in fact I am speaking but quite oftren as a result of nerves I open my mouth but teh sound is non existent. That is just bad luck.

The rest though stinks and I would never do it.

I might skip thanks though if like a recent assistant you move my shopping to the back of the belt so your mate can unload a huge trolley there without even a look at me. (I did complain, to no effect).



So to sum up- I am never nasty or demeaning to shop assistants and never would be. But I do find they are often as rude as their customers.

[MsSparkle]

"I also wanted to add that part of the problem is that many shops nowadays are not specialist there is nothing made on site or sometimes even in this country. This detatches the shop assistant to the product unlike the days where the shopkeeper bought or made his own product. Shops are also so automated that very little conversation is needed, we self serve, filling our own baskets and trolleys and sometimes even check ourselves out."


I just read that and want to say that is what my dps shop is. It's a rearity i know, but everything is made on the premises daily and we don't do self serve at all. The shop assistant serves you (real service i know!) and dp knows the answer to any querys from customers because is a specialist in his trade

[Emsyboo]

I've worked in retail mostly for clothes stores and found people to be very rude that is why I am always polite when in shops, both me and DH alwayss try to be polite and make conversation with whoever is serving but sometimes this is acknowledged with grunts, or being ignored while they talk to their friends even had someone talking on the phone while serving me!
Last night the person in Asda didn't speak once we said hello, hows your night been and he never spoke we asked for bags and he threw them at us he didn't even tell us the total we were just expected to pay. He wasn't mute as he had spoken to his colleage.
I think everyone should just behave with good manners whether they are serving or being served isn't this what seperates us from neanderthals and animals?
I agree it is polite to give someone your full attention and not use a mobile phone whilst being served but to ban them completely is a bit silly and not workable.

[TheChamomileLawn]

MsSparkle it's obvious to anyone who's not extremely ill-mannered

[SantasMooningArse]

Oh and please don;t rub your hands over my food when complaining to your colleague that the boss wouldn;t let you go home with your eye infection

gross

(not to OP at all, just a random)

[MsSparkle]

Do you think they are same people who answer their mobiles whilst driving because their phone call cannot possibly wait?

[MsSparkle]

SantasMooningArse eww!!

[scoobytoo]

okay ms sparkle we are speaking the same language then. I do think it depends on the type of shop mostly I would cut the phone off but even if I was on the phone I would always say please and thank you and engage with the sales assistant.

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

I don't mind mobiles too much- I had a ladytoday who covered the phone and said 'i'm so sorry' and gave me a nice smile and answered my questions said please and thankyou-
yesterday a woman answere the phone and just stood there yabberibg away, looking right through me- didn't respod when I asked if she'd like a bag, when I asked for payment she didn't even register... Just carried on about fucking pasta.
Grr. I don't let it bother me too much but it crushes some of the younger staff,all I know is I feel sorry for these rude people and their families- at least I get to wake up everyday being me and not them!

[byanymeans]

I have to say I have worked in Supermarkets, pubs and shops when I was studying. Doing the crap Friday night sifts, very very busy Christmas eves, dealt with the good and bad (including seeing a knife being pulled on another till lady to get alcohol with out ID in a supermarkets).
But if my phone rings when Im at the till I will answer it, see who it is and ask them to hang on a minute.
I hate being told to just not answer my phone by some one who has no idea who it is, a lot of my phone calls can not be just 'rung back later'.
I always say sorry, please, thank you, have a good day etc but I will not be told to put my phone down on my cousin in Afghanistan or sons pre school just to pay for shopping.

[byanymeans]

Well said Ladyofthehousespeaking. I think you put it alot better then me.