I'm clutching my pearls.

[Pyjamaramadrama]

As this is the second time I might complain to a store today I'm starting to wonder whether I'm just a misery guts and need to get a grip.

Just been to Sainsburys with ds, on the way out caught the tail end of a conversation between a Sainsburys employee and the two regular security guards.

Sainsburys employee says to security guard "she's just a fucking bitch mates so I'm just telling you before anything happens", loudly enough for me to clearly hear.

I wouldn't speak like at at work and I'm not dealing with the public and don't really want to hear it when I'm doing my shopping.

I'm not even bothered ds was with me as I'm sure he will hear a lot worse but I just think it's so inappropriate.

Get over myself or complain?

No it's not appropriate! It wasn't just swearing - eg saying the f word when something bad happened, it was being abusive to a woman/ Its ugly at any time. I think you should complain.

Do you mean the employee wanted to get your trolley coin??!! That's a bit off, although enterprising! Not sure whether to or

Mind you, they'd only get a token with a picture of a cat on it from me.

Think of the children!

As friends with managers in retail, I can promise you that if you make that complaint, they'll tell you what you want to hear and then laugh at you when they hang up the phone.

They were talking to a security guard about a possible disturbance. I don't see the big deal to be honest. You can say far worse and cutting things about a person without using any swears at all.

That said, yeah people should be using good language at work. But if it's not a habit and they're not dropping a cuss word frequently, it doesn't really warrant a complaint.

No sorry YANBU at all. But you should have said something at the customer service desk straight away. I worked at sainsburys for 8 years. Who cares if its minimum wage it also not that stressful a job, I loved it. Go in scan some stuff have a nice lunch with your mates go home.
Who cares if that person gets reprimanded, unless they've already been told off for it before several times OR the store wants rid of them because they are a bad worker they won't lose their job. But language like that is not acceptable and how will people learn how to behave politely if they don't get told.
I regularly have to interview people now who have no idea of what is acceptable work behaviour and if you don't point it out how will they learn?

Well princessbabycat, maybe the managers would laugh, and maybe that's why most of their staff are shitty, rude, weird, and maybe that's why the shops been dead since an Asda and an Aldi opened nearby.

Anyway as I said I didn't like it, the clutching pearls was tongue in cheek, and even if a cashier serving had passed a comment about something a bit sweaty I'd have probably laughed, I think 'fucking bitch' in the middle of a shop is a bit much.

But I've already said I won't bother to complain.

A bit sweary, autocorrect.

I used to work in a supermarket and overheard the fruit and veg manager talking to a Colgate Palmolive rep, referring to the floor staff as 'a shower of stupid cunts'. I walked out and never went back. There's no excuse for language or attitude like that in the workplace.

I would complain, I had 10+ years in retail management , and dp is a store manager.

Both if us would want to know.

princessbabycat - they placate and then laugh about their customers, the ones who pay their wages, being a bit offended, and likely not to shop there again? Hmm. If they do that a lot, wonder how long it takes before someone puts 2and2 together and comes up with , I dunno, some customer service?

I once walked past the fish counter in Tesco, behind which the fat, sweaty server was swearing loudly at a colleague and sticking the middle finger up.
I never get fish from there if he is on duty. No complaint made, but I remember.....

I think it's a shame that we have moved into a society of 'complain later and let someone else have to sort it out' types. Speak up at the time if you have a problem. It's not as though the comment was aimed at you and they probably didn't think/realise that their conversation was being overheard by those it might offend. You didn't give them a chance to put things right (apology/explanation/whatever) so it's a bit of a coward's way out to put in a complaint later.

I'm going to clutch my pearls on your behalf OP - I can't believe how many people are saying it's not worth complaining, get over yourself, the management will just laugh behind your back etc.
IT'S NOT OK OR ACCEPTABLE. Why should we put up with such appalling manners? I don't care if it's 2014, how did we let bad manners and rudeness become part of the fabric of our society and say nothing????!!!!

What Lara2 said. Although I'd most probably have marched up to them and said something at the time.

I just hate bad customer service/lack of professionalism. Vote with your feet.

I worked in retail for many years. In my very first job we were told right at the start of our training there was to be no swearing, no eating/chewing on the shop floor and no talking amongst ourselves when serving customers - we chatted with the customers.

Three things which demonstrate politeness, good manners and respect for the customers, without whom there would be no business to work in.

If only that were the case these days!

What Lara said, from me too.
I do think I'd have said something at the time - bit more difficult to follow up if you phone or go in a day or two later, than if challenged at the time - but it should be challenged, and I think PrincessBabyCat is wrong, and that any half decent manager would want to know if their staff were offending (and therefore possibly losing) customers.

princessbabycat - they placate and then laugh about their customers, the ones who pay their wages, being a bit offended, and likely not to shop there again? Hmm. If they do that a lot, wonder how long it takes before someone puts 2and2 together and comes up with , I dunno, some customer service?

There is a difference between being rude to a customer and providing terrible service and a customer happening to over hear a staff member say the word "bitch" while explaining a potential security concern to the security staff. Especially if you're calling to make it a formal complaint.

There are serious complaints that need addressing such as clerks being rude, and then there are complaints that make people look petty like over hearing a conversation and disagreeing with a word. Calling a customer a fucking bitch, huge deal, fire them. Verbally abusing another employee and calling them a fucking bitch, big deal you don't treat people like that. Getting a little colorful in a conversation to security staff about a concern or potential shop lifter where no one is being mistreated or verbally abused? I think it's a little petty.

To be fair, retail tends to attract some of the worst types of customers who have no problem trying to abuse the whole "customer is always right" when acting ridiculous. There's a fair number of people that complain just to get free stuff or store credit, and generally the bigger the pain in the ass they are they more successful they are at getting it because a little store credit or a free meal is not worth the headache even if it is blatantly obvious what they're doing. I think getting colorful when explaining a security concern could be warranted in quite a few situations.