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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to hate it when cafe workers and shop assistants say....

142 replies

burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 10:57

"are you all right there?" when they mean 'can I help you?'
it makes me feel like shouting 'DON'T I LOOK ALRIGHT? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING YOU FUCKWIT? ARE YOU SUGGESTING I LOOK WEIRD OR SOMETHING?'
but of course i don't ......(or else they could have a point!
i often say 'fine thanks and are you all right there too?' which makes them a bit Hmm
another one that grates a bit is for example they put a coffee in front of you and you say 'thank you' and they say NO WORRIES!!!
GRRRRRRRR!!!

OP posts:
KittyLane1 · 23/07/2013 11:14

Ginocchio trust me, people do that.

SoupDragon · 23/07/2013 11:14

Would you prefer them to say "What the fuck do you want, bitch?"

To be fair, that would make for an interesting visit.

TheCrackFox · 23/07/2013 11:15

Have you thought about sticking to online shopping?

Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:16

yes well everyone is self indulgent sometimes at least i gave you a chance to vent some of your excess bile malcolm, and for that you should be grateful cos you seem to have a lot of it. Have a nice day!

OP posts:
Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:16

Grin @ soupdragon

OP posts:
livinginwonderland · 23/07/2013 11:20

Problem is, we don't have a choice. I work in a supermarket and it's policy to ask anyone within 10-15ft whether we can help. If they ask us to show them where, say, the eggs are, we have to walk with them and make small talk, and then ask if there's anything else we can help with. It's all on the mystery shopper checklist and if we are mystery shopped and fail, we'll get pulled up on it/disciplined for not asking the right questions or saying the right things!

ANormalOne · 23/07/2013 11:21

i gave you a chance to vent some of your excess bile malcolm, for that you should be grateful cos you seem to have a lot of it.

After your OP that's pretty hilariously hypocritical.

FeckOffCup · 23/07/2013 11:23

The general public can be so arsy over nothing sometimes, when I worked on a bank counter I had a man shouting at me for saying "no problem" when he asked to do a transaction, a man storming out when I dared to ask if he planned to do any dangerous sports while trying to quote him for a travel insurance policy (a quote he had asked for btw, not trying to push something on him he didn't want) and someone else telling me I was no better than the nazis for following bank policy which was set out to us by the FSA Hmm.

nannynewo · 23/07/2013 11:24

wow I did not think how we word things would be such a big problem!

I have worked in many cafe's and restaurants in the past and we can't please everyone. We are told what to say to customers and I do not think it matters whether we say 'are you alright there' or 'can I help you'.
And what on earth is wrong with no worries? Perhaps I would say no problem personally but what would you rather? That waitresses just point blank ignore you?
Gosh, it's people like you that make waitresses jobs more stressful for no reason.

Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:26

ah but normalone my OP was not entirely serious....

and i can imagine that the great British public including myself is actually a PITA

OP posts:
Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:27

and nanny i am always perfectly polite to shop and cafe workers having worked in cafes and pubs myself.

OP posts:
Fakebook · 23/07/2013 11:27

I wish they wouldn't say anything at all. I normally walk out of a shop where I'm approached. If I need help I'll ask for it.

Alambil · 23/07/2013 11:29

my colleague says it to me every bloody time she sees me, even if she only asked me 3 minutes ago! It drives me to distraction Angry

Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:30

once my sister introduced to me to her new BF and guess what he said!!?
yes! it was 'are you all right there?'
Grin

OP posts:
vladthedisorganised · 23/07/2013 11:31

I still have the scars from being told to ask every single customer "How do you wish to pay today? Do you wish to pay by cash or credit card?" We got told off if we didn't ask both questions, even if the customer proferred their credit card first. Madness.

AdorableAardvark · 23/07/2013 11:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fecklessdizzy · 23/07/2013 11:35

Two words OP, mystery-bloody-shoppers! ( OK, three ... )

Bane of our lives. Your average shop assistant would be more than happy to totally ignore you until you wanted to pay but if you get one of these buggers and don't flutter around hanging on their every word you get slated in their report.

As for objecting to " no worries ", you do really need to unclench a bit!

Scarletohello · 23/07/2013 11:36

Ha you should go to India! The shop assistants literally follow you round the shop, show you everything in it, tell you where everything was made, tell you what good luck it would be for them if you bought something from them ( and sometimes even ask you out...)

ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 23/07/2013 11:37

The heat is really annoying everyone!

So many threads I read and go 'wtf, really?' Grin

I dont think it matters

WhispersOfWickedness · 23/07/2013 11:40

I used to work in retail.

The best one was having a manager rant at us all because we had had a bad mystery shopping report and following it up with 'but the biggest issue is that the assistant in question did NOT wear their name badge, so we don't actually know who this was...' Hmm
Funnily enough, it didn't exactly encourage us to wear our name badges Grin

Original poster
burberryqueen · 23/07/2013 11:41

Grin to you all, i am off now but thanks for your input - it must be the weather!
byeeeeeeeeeeeee xxxx

OP posts:
ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 23/07/2013 11:44

Has the heat brought the 'xxxxx's out as well?

Grin
FreudiansSlipper · 23/07/2013 11:45

should they not be saying 'may i help you?'

Snazzyenjoyingsummer · 23/07/2013 11:46

I get unreasonably irritated by 'I'll be with you now'. If you were with me now, you'd actually be here now'. 'I'll be with you as soon as I can/in one moment/when I've put this heavy box down' would at least obey the laws of time and space.

StuntGirl · 23/07/2013 11:47

i often say 'fine thanks and are you all right there too?'

Ahh, you're one of those fucking idiots. You average perhaps one every two days of these types.