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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Fortnum & Mason should have better trained staff

105 replies

Poulay · 02/05/2012 17:51

So I went in there to get a couple of hampers, had to take a quick lunch break, so asked at the counter 'Can I leave my basket here please, I just need to go out for half an hour.' 'Sorry we cannot keep baskets' 'So what do you expect me to do then?' After a quick check, no apology, and she changed her mind and took it off me.

Came back after lunch, I asked a man 'Could you tell me where the English breakfast tea is?' He was French, and therefore rude, and waved at it 'It's over there', rather than walking me over to them.

Then went to get the hampers to put the stuff in. 'I'd like a £40 hamper and a £20 hamper please'. So they brought them out, I put my stuff in, and then they started to ring it up. I had three items of china, from Harrods, to put in them. 'Do you have a receipt for that', she asked. 'I don't know', I said. 'It's just that we sell that one, although we don't sell the other'. 'Oh'.

I was quite put out by this, after my purchases were rung up (£176 if you please), I saw they'd actually given me the £30 hamper. Queried this. Oops, well the £20 wouldn't have fitted anyway.

I then went down to the fish counter to ask about caviar. 'Sorry I don't eat caviar, so I can't tell you about the differences', he said.

You get politer, better trained staff in my local Waitrose.

Not as bad as the touristy parts of Harrods though.

OP posts:
Flowerface · 02/05/2012 17:53

This is a joke, I suppose.

Tee2072 · 02/05/2012 17:53
Hmm

I should have such problems.

Sallyingforth · 02/05/2012 17:54

"You get politer, better trained staff in my local Waitrose."

Yeah. They have a better selection of caviar as well.

PoohBearsHole · 02/05/2012 17:55

It doesn't really make any sense Confused

another thread about a thread I suppose

Psammead · 02/05/2012 17:58

French and therefore rude? Hmm

And you didn't know whether you had a reciept?

What 'differences' did you need to know about caviar?

complexnumber · 02/05/2012 17:58

"You get politer, better trained staff in my local Waitrose."

I imagine the customers have better attitudes as well.

'He was French, and therefore rude'

Priceless

(This is a joke isn't it)

Tee2072 · 02/05/2012 18:02

Carviar comes in different types? Isn't it all just fish eggs?

Petsinmypudenda · 02/05/2012 18:02

That's shop staff for you. Uneducated peasants don't know how to treat their betters these days!

Psammead · 02/05/2012 18:03

You get red and black, and from different areas.

sugarice · 02/05/2012 18:03

Are you Liz Jones in disguise?

Tee2072 · 02/05/2012 18:05

Well, then, Psam, that's the difference, right? Colour and location? Grin

Psammead · 02/05/2012 18:06

Oh, apparently the red is from salmon roe. Which can also be called caviar according to local laws. I prefer it to sturgeon, anyway.

Abzs · 02/05/2012 18:06

I never used to be bothered, but now I work in a shop.

It's not as damned hard to be helpful and polite to your customers as some shop staff make out.

Poulay · 02/05/2012 18:07

There were four varieties of caviar in the store. The cheapest was farmed in France (but by an Englishman!), and the others are I think Iranian.

They differ in size of the eggs and I guess other things as well.

In Waitrose they are strictly trained to ALWAYS show you what it is you are looking for, not 'it's aisle 4', 'but it's right this way madam/sir', and they would know better than to refuse to look after a shopping basket (full of their expensive stuff) for you.

OP posts:
DonInKillerHeels · 02/05/2012 18:09

Who eats caviar? (vom)

DPrince · 02/05/2012 18:11

You expect them to look after your basket because you had to go get lunch? Seriously? How long were you in there, that you needed a break? Could you not have finished shopping then gone for lunch or gone cor lunch first. I am sure Waitrose wouldn't hold your basket while you went out for lunch.

LynetteScavo · 02/05/2012 18:12

'Sorry I don't eat caviar, so I can't tell you about the differences'

In all seriousness, this is unforgivable.

You should have gone here for your caviar

I don't get your first paragraph, though, you nipped out for a "lunch break" in the middle of your shopping? Are you a PA? Or is lunch break a euphemism? Confused

CharltonHairstyle · 02/05/2012 18:13

It's a hard life.

DinahMoHum · 02/05/2012 18:16

haha first world problems

LynetteScavo · 02/05/2012 18:16

If this is a wind up, the OP did her research. The French and Iranian bit is true Grin

BonzoDooDah · 02/05/2012 18:17

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

nice one

seriously

EatsBrainsAndLeaves · 02/05/2012 18:17

You are right, the staff at Fortnum and Mason are appalling. I think we should ask MNHQ to start a campaign about this. Maybe invite the manager on here for an online chat? We deserve better!

And am shocked that the assistant did not know anything about caviar. What kind of class of people are they employing nowdays?

LaurieFairyCake · 02/05/2012 18:17

It's just idiotic to have an untrained member of staff selling caviar considering it's £175 for a teaspoon of it.

There really ought to be someone who knows about it on the counter.

BonzoDooDah · 02/05/2012 18:18

Not

"French therefore rude" - invalidates anything you ever say again.

usualsuspect · 02/05/2012 18:19

I hate it when that happens...