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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this shop assistant was being xenophobic?

37 replies

Birdylade · 30/03/2012 19:18

I was in my local charity shop last week and there was a young foreign guy buying something but trying to explain to the shop assistant he would like to bring it back if it didn't work. After he left she said loudly (shop full of people) that there were so many of 'them' nowadays and the country is a mess and no one speaks English. The younger woman working with her then chipped in that they shouldn't be allowed in if they couldn't speak English... I actually couldn't believe they were being so rude.

While I think it's important to learn the language of the country you live in I don't expect every foreigner to be fluent in English and think this woman was being rude and unreasonable.

OP posts:
Jinsei · 30/03/2012 19:22

They are certainly not doing the charity they work for any favours by spouting vitriol like that on the premises. Hmm

DoubleGlazing · 30/03/2012 19:23

YANBU of course! Report them via the charity's website if they have one.

Debeez · 30/03/2012 19:25

YANBU. Put it this way, I assume the gentleman spoke English well enough for you to understand his request, he is attempting to be part of the society he now finds himself part of, the woman on the other hand.....

lisad123 · 30/03/2012 19:27

I heard someone else say the same this week. I asked them if they speak Spanish and greek when they are on holiday? Hmm

Birdsgottafly · 30/03/2012 19:30

What was he buying?

I thought charity shops no-longer took electrical goods?

I did have a similar incident in the bus station, from their staff, but dealt with it there and then, so they and the other customers who were joining in, knew it was wrong.

puds11 · 30/03/2012 19:30

ah the pigheadedness of the british. come to our country and you must speak english, but we can go to yours, throw up in your streets, trash the place, and we will speak british only louder so that you can understand us! Hmm
no wonder other countries dont like the british

mamij · 30/03/2012 19:33

YANBU. I feel embarrassed to be called "British" when you hear of these incidents. And yes, maybe you could write into the head office to let them know as it may make the staff think before they talk (as it also makes the charity look bad if their staff are spouting comments like that).

Birdsgottafly · 30/03/2012 19:35

Oh, i see, now its going to turn into an attack on UK citizens.

puds11 · 30/03/2012 19:36

nope just an attack on the ignorant xenophobic ones

Birdsgottafly · 30/03/2012 19:41

Well word it better, you posted 'the british'.

It is on;y 'the British' en mass that can be slagged off on MN, without a reaction.

puds11 · 30/03/2012 19:47

apologiese, my post was aimed at the select members of our nation who believe they can speak in such an out and out offensive manner when someone of another nationality is attempting to converse in a language that is not their mother tongue

blush12345 · 30/03/2012 19:51

Yanbu

gordyslovesheep · 30/03/2012 19:52

YANBU - report them

complexnumber · 30/03/2012 20:05

Birdsgottafly The OP did not mention 'British' at all! Do you have some other agenda?

GavisconJunkie · 30/03/2012 20:47

Chy shops can take electrical items if they have an electrician to test them. As volunteer electricians are hard to come by, many don't bother.

They were being horrible. Birdsgottafly you are being oversensitive & stirring IMHO

runningforthebusinheels · 30/03/2012 20:55

OP YANBU. I would have walked out in disgust and put in a complaint to the charity.

Busyoldfool · 30/03/2012 21:16

complexnumber - I think Birds was referring to puds11's comment ah the pigheadedness of the british

Birdsgottafly · 31/03/2012 00:09

Complex-read my posts and stop looking for something that isn't there, though, admittingly, i am sick of the casual racism directed at the British across MN, at times.

runningforthebusinheels · 31/03/2012 00:52

Yes, I agree with Birds as well - no reason to make it about 'the British' either.

WorraLiberty · 31/03/2012 01:10

Well said Birds

Brits seem to be 'fair game' lately when slagging off people of a certain race.

OP, the shop assistants were being totally ignorant and there's no excuse for it.

I have to say though, when I worked as a shop assistant in Barking Essex for a while, I would have days where I would be literally worn down/worn out from trying to complete a simple transaction with someone who spoke little or no English.

However, I would never have said what those shop assistants did...no matter how much I wanted to bang my head against a wall sometimes.

It became 'part of the job' and as stressful as it was some days, it was still a job I chose to do...maybe the assistants should realise no-one's forcing them to work there.

minimisschief · 31/03/2012 01:30

rude yes. but they have a point. my fiancee works in a casino that is mainly populated by chinese people who own all the takeouts and restuarants in the area and 90% of them have lived here for years and they havent even attempted the language.

pohara · 31/03/2012 01:35

No minimisschief they do not have a point. There is a never a point in being rude, it is just ignorant.

As for your Chinese community, how would you know what attempts they had made? Your post reeks.

thecook · 31/03/2012 01:39

Ooh some of those charity shop workers fuck me off. I went into Scope in West Hampstead once with some Whistles clothes (washed and ironed of course). They were happy. Then I gave them two Immunology text books which were 3/4 years old but they covered the basics. Whilst I was browsing at the book display I saw one lady chuck them in the general rubbish bin behind the counter. I said 'Why have you binned my books, they would be suitable for someone doing life sciences or medicine? She looked a bit sheepish and said 'that those books didn't sell well in West Hampstead' Well fuck me. Why didn't she just decline and tell me when I offered them or at least wait till I had left the shop to bin them?
I complained to Scope, did not get a reply. l was annoyed cos my mother has done a lot of charity work for Scope in my hometown in the north. Maybe none of the West Hampstead residents ever think about medical science?

Spuddybean · 31/03/2012 03:13

I really hate this attitude - especially when someone is trying to learn and get by, as i presume this customer was, as you managed to gather his gist.

DP invited a friend (whom i had never met) to visit us. We met in a pub and the barman (not a native English speaker) took our order, but when she ordered an alcoholic ginger beer (in a non local accent) he struggled. He took out a non alcoholic one and she sharply said 'NO' and corrected him then turned to me (DP was in the loo) and said right in front of him 'why don't THEY try learning English' i was Shock and then before i could splutter how rude she was, she said 'that's why i hate London - too many immigrants'. I said 'that's one of the reasons why i love London' and gave the barman a big smile and she looked disgusted. DP arrived back to us eyeballing each other.

DoubleNegativePanda · 31/03/2012 05:22

It is on;y 'the British' en mass that can be slagged off on MN, without a reaction.

This is a very entertaining statement, as I am certain that it's Americans who are fair game to be slagged off at every opportunity Wink

As an American on Mumsnet, my advise is to grow a thicker skin or move on if this bit of unhappiness with stereotyped "bad behavior" is really going to bother you so much. Every group of people is going to take a bashing at some point, some more often than others. Personally, I really can't think of many instances when UK citizens were slagged off. Many US bashings come to mind, though Grin