Should this checkout assistant have done something?

[ICameOnTheJitney]

Was in the CoOp today...had to get hundreds and thousands for this evening's bonfire celebration... (eye roll) and as I entered the empty shop I almost slipped on the threshold...was slippy as it was raining and the threshold was a big, flat stone thing...not a step.

I went in and as I passed the girl on the till I said "That entrance is very slippy...I almost fell." with a smile and she said "Oh." in a bored way.

Went and got my things and came back to pay...she was leaning on the counter....I again said "I think it needs seeing to...an older person could fall" and she said "Oh....right."

I went out and went into the deli over the road and could see as I queued that she never checked or anything!

Pissed me off...all she needed to do was mop it over...it was slimy I think due to wet leaves and rain...

You say girl rather than women, was she very young?

Perhaps she doesn't grasp the hazards some have the foresight to see? If she's young, perhaps to her wet weather means be a bit more careful. She may not have had life experiences which make her think how a person with reduced mobility or balance problems would manage.

She may not have the common sense (and this can be true of any age) to manage the problem. She's on the counter ergo entrance is not her remit.

I'd have grabbed a manager if possible. She should have done something but not everyone does as they should.

Just after we moved here we saw (from afar) that our older neighbour had slipped over in the supermarket nearby, she died from the injuries a couple of weeks later

Before it she'd lived on her own and was really independent.

They just can't take the risk, you were right to say something.

No manager about Kung, she was young but even at 17 or 18 she should know the basics if she's left in charge. I saw a lad in the back unpacking things....but that was it. He was young too....

The Coop would not like this.
You should write about the incident to head office and tell them they should warn staff about the implications of beind sued and what that means for the company and staff.
They obviously need to train their staff better on this kind of thing.

Chances are, a mop & bucket/slippy floor sign were out the back, and she couldn't leave the tills unattended.

Even though this seems like a simple situation ('floor is wet' 'right, i'll sort it out'), if you want to get anything done in a retail situation, bypass disinterested-seeming staff and ask to speak to a manager (who was probably in the office, they hardly left two teenagers alone in the store). Seems idiotic, I know, but having worked in a number of retail roles, that's how to get things done!

Young, busy or not, she actually ignored what you said, a couple of times. If she is old enough to work she is old enough to have manners and common sense. That alone is not acceptable. The safety aspect makes it worse. Call head office.

I don't think a call to head office would be unreasonable. Not everyone has common sense but if that's the case being left in charge is silly. Even if she'd explained "I can't leave the counter but when I can I will see to it"

I work in retail and as soon as the floor gets wet we have to put the yellow floor wet sign near the door/wet areas. It doesn't matter what age a member of staff is, they should be aware of health and safety risks as well as potential lawsuits and therefore should at least notify another member of staff if they can't do it themselves.

The manager would've been my first option, but if you weren't able to speak to them, I'd write to head office to explain the situation. It's not about getting the girl on the counter into trouble, it's about preventing something serious from happening in the future. They should do something about it before it comes to that.

If you could only see the two of them they probably couldnt leave their posts

The counter in our CoOp is regularly left unattended....she could have called the lad from the back to get a bucket couldn't she/....I think I will complain actually...it may save someone's hip!