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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this shop assistant was bloody rude!

104 replies

BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts · 29/09/2012 15:51

AIBU? I was in a shop today...it is a nice shop, a large independant one that sells homewares.

It has a long aisle in one part....not terribly narrow but it was busy with prams, trolleys and people....I was walking near to one side of the display...going along at a normal pace, when I see that coming towards me from the far end is a big, tall, shop assistant...a lad of about 22 or so...he's going like the clappers and is heading right fr me as he's also hugging the sides of the aisle to avoid the trolleys etc.

[disclaimer...I don't have big fat legs in woolly tights as my username might suuggest....there's not much of me at all)

As he gets closer he does that thing people do when they stick one arm in front of them to sort of force you aside....and said "Scuse me!"

And I said "No....you excuse me." and stood my ground.

Who's he to make the customer walk into the onslaught of buggies, prams, people and trollies so HE can get past like his time is more important?

He sort of giggled as he was so surprised and then he went round me.

WIBU? Why should I go around HIM? I was taught when I worked in shops that you waited for the customer to finish what they were doing or went the long way round!

I've noticed this in loads of shops lately...assistant who rush around like the clappers and practically shove you out of the way.

OP posts:
Smeghead · 29/09/2012 16:22

He wasnt rude, he said excuse me. You were though, and sound very snotty tbh!

cumfy · 29/09/2012 16:26

If these prams and shoppers had created a sort of one-person wide corridor that he was nipping through and just got to the end of and you were just about to enter and you only needed to pause for a second before you entered that "corridor", then YABVU.

Otherwise probably YANBU.

TidyGOLDDancer · 29/09/2012 16:28

I'm afraid I think you are being a bit OTT with this one. It's not like he yelled 'get the fuck out of my way' is it? He said excuse me. He is probably overworked in a shop that is understaffed, most poor buggers who work in retail are. Your snippy response was mean.

OldGreyWiffleTest · 29/09/2012 16:29

Ah well, next time he'll probably just say "get outta my fucking way".

BupcakesAndCunting · 29/09/2012 16:33

This is why I hate working in retail :(

Jemma1111 · 29/09/2012 16:38

Op, so you saw him coming from a distance and knew he was in a hurry yet you deliberately waited until he got to you to 'stand your ground' as you put it .

Would it have killed you to just let him pass ? No it wouldn't , and Tbh I don't know who you think you are , the Queen maybe ?

SammyTheSwedishSquirrel · 29/09/2012 16:46

Sounds like you were the one being bloody rude.

SecretNutellaFix · 29/09/2012 16:52

He can't help how bloody tall he is. What do you expect him to do? Saw his legs off so his height doesn't intimidate people?

Would you have found his actions "aggressive" if he had been 5foot and a fart?

BupcakesAndCunting · 29/09/2012 17:29

LOL at5foot and a fart Grin

StuntGirl · 29/09/2012 17:37

Retail is a thankless industry, I hope I never have to go back to it.

In an ideal world he shouldn't have been ruahing around like that. but in an ideal world he wouldn't have to. I suspect as others have said he's doing 2 people's jobs in a four hour minimum wage shift and has to hurry himself up or else the manager would question why he was taking so long to do things.

Sassybeast · 29/09/2012 17:46

He could have been rushing to alert security about a shop lifter, he could be the store first Aider on his way to deal with someone ill or injured, he could have been doing a thousand jobs at once.

complexnumber · 29/09/2012 17:56

What was he pushing? Was it particularly heavy? Would it have just been a little easier for you to move rather than him (have you come across Newton's Laws of Motion?)

bellabreeze · 29/09/2012 18:00

YANBU it is their job to provide a service. 'The customer is always right' he should be trying to do a good job and keep customers

complexnumber · 29/09/2012 18:02

...Sorry, nowhere is it stated that he was pushing anything.

My assumption.

happyinherts · 29/09/2012 18:02

Doesn't scuse me come with a please these days?

I don't think it's good enough for anyone to think scuse me is good enough to go ploughing through customers at all. I've seen it lately in many shops and customers having to move out of the way of staff.

Standards have fallen in all walks of life over the years. Excuse me used to be followed by please. It isn't any more and I don't think you are being unreasonable in the slightest

squeakytoy · 29/09/2012 18:06

Maybe he had SN, because a lot of the daytime employees on the shop floor in my nearest supermarket do, and their conversational skills are sometimes limited, but he said excuse me, and was also trying to do his job, whereas you just decided to be an arrogant customer. Hmm

chipsandmushypeas · 29/09/2012 18:09

Yanbu, I have assistants walking into me all the time, even at John Lewis the other day! And I'm 7 months pregnant, I stand my ground too.

Also was at a petrol station a couple of weeks ago, opened the door to leave and a guy barge though it! I said "well, after you!" and he said "well, sorry I'm very busy!" bastard.

usualsuspect3 · 29/09/2012 18:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RandallPinkFloyd · 29/09/2012 18:17

I would imagine the reason he was rushing was because he spends his whole shift rushing.

Probably for the same reason that 5 minutes layer he was stood behind a till with a queue a mile long.

Working your arse off for minimum wage in conditions you rarely see elsewhere is shit.

Spending your whole shift being complained at for going too fast or too slow depending on the customer is also shit.

Maybe he could have stopped and let you pass first. But maybe he's spent all day trying to get from one side of the crowded shop to the other, in a rush, a million times.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 29/09/2012 18:20

Lol at 'even at John Lewis', just because its a naice store it doesn't mean their staff are any different to Wilkos you know! Its all minimum wage being treated like shit no matter how posh the shop.

Joiningthegang · 29/09/2012 19:08

Please get over yourself.

No-one in any situation, is more important than the other.

He could have been rushing for any number of reasons. You saw he was in a hurry but stood in his way really obstinately.

Frankly, he sounds muc
H nicer than you do

bringbacksideburns · 29/09/2012 19:15

Christ Almighty! Pick a bigger issue.

Have you ever worked with the public or in retail because believe me it's bloody hard work trying to be nice to snotty patronising public. He was not particularly rude - he just annoyed you because you obviously have a very very short fuse!

bringbacksideburns · 29/09/2012 19:17

I see you did work with the public. Now if he'd ignored you or pushed you over or belched in your face you might have had a point.

Icelollycraving · 29/09/2012 19:53

God,he said excuse me. Yabu.
Not as good as the shelf stacker who had gone to find a product for an elderly lady & came back shouting 'hey! Biddy!' :o

BridgetBidet · 29/09/2012 20:06

You were rude. In fact you were a total utter twat.

If shop assistants had to spend all day moving out of the way of customers and letting all the customers have right of way in front of them they'd never get anywhere so you would never get served, you'd never get assisted in the shop and waiting times everywhere else would be far, far longer because the staff wouldn't be able to efficiently get where they needed to be to do their job.

In fact I would say it's a totally ignorant attitude to assume that just because you're a customer you should be able to go hold up staff and go where you want and they should all dive out of your way - people like you shouldn't be allowed in shops in my opnion.

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