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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Rude, I am fuming

68 replies

Leafitout · 21/05/2015 10:27

Just been into a Sports Direct shop and asked the lady staff member if she could please let me see a bag on the top shelf. She walked off not saying anything to the other side of the shop. I was left standing there. Anyway she then said "where are all the bloody poles in this shop" she found one and knocked the bag of the shelf onto the floor infront of us both and then said " there you go" and backed away from the bag went to talk to other staff member. Aibu that she has been rude

OP posts:
Original poster
Leafitout · 21/05/2015 12:38

Rudeness isn't a crime
Are you realing going to stew on this all day?
No it isn't a crime and never said it was. Just that I was fuming or should have said annoyed at her lack of manners therefore rude. So what you are saying is that I should shrug my shoulders accept her shit behaviour at her dropping the bag on the floor and walking away. No wonder why customer is shit!

OP posts:
nequidnimis · 21/05/2015 15:16

I'm surprised at the number of posts excusing the appalling rudeness and blaming the poor working conditions.

If I was being paid a pound an hour to scrub toilets I wouldn't take it out on the customers.

It's a bit chicken and egg really - are they rude and ignorant because they work at SD, or do they end up at the only place that'll employ them because they're rude and ignorant?

Maybe we can't expect SD staff to be going above and beyond the call of duty, but basic manners and actually doing the job they're paid to do is a reasonable expectation IMO.

And all the 'you get what you pay for' posts are grating too. Just because someone's trying to kit a couple of kids out on a budget doesn't mean they should expect to be treated like crap. If they could afford to flounce off to John Lewis for a superior shopping experience I'm sure they would.

BeCool · 21/05/2015 15:49

So what you are saying is that I should shrug my shoulders accept her shit behaviour at her dropping the bag on the floor and walking away.

Well the most obvious "thing to do" would be to say something at the time - but I'm guessing you didn't.

So instead you are fuming all day and looking for others to fume with you.

It was just rudeness - and maybe she is a dreadful person, rude to all who encounter her, maybe she was having a bad day, maybe she just found out her zero hours contract was being cut, maybe she didn't like the look of you? Who knows?

Point is, she was a bit rude. She wasn't even very rude. Sports Direct pull things down with poles all the time - what upset you is she just left it in front of you, rather thank bending over herself and passing it to you. So a bit rude, not extremely rude. One of the least rude rude things I've read about on MN and MN love rolling eyes at "Rude". Rude is the new Smug.

Really if you didn't want to accept her behavior you would have done something in the shop at the time. Or you can do what lots of people do and decide not to shop there again.

How is starting a thread about it on MN to share your fumes doing anything about it?

BigRedBall · 21/05/2015 15:53

Are you pregnant?

Fudgeface123 · 21/05/2015 15:59

bigredball seriously?????

I'd also be pissed off but not fuming, manners cost nothing despite working conditions and the other excuses people have made.

If this is what some people expect them I'm at a loss. Broken Britain indeed

nequidnimis · 21/05/2015 15:59

You could say that about a great many threads on MN becool, sometimes people need to vent and sometimes they're genuinely interested in whether other people would feel similarly annoyed.

Tbh it's been an eye opener for me, never realised so many people would be willing to tolerate such poor service, must be why they stay in business I guess.

Fudgeface123 · 21/05/2015 15:59

*then

passmethewineplease · 21/05/2015 16:48

Bad working conditions are no excuse. I used to work in a cheap card shop on a zero hour contract. Was never once rude to a customer.

VelvetRose · 21/05/2015 17:00

Same here passmethewine. It was bloody rude. I can't stand rudeness in shops, I usually walk right out. I too would be fuming about it.

I was in SD yesterday. I did end up waiting for ages for some help with trainers but when the assistant came he was really efficient and polite. So they are clearly not all the same.

LondonRocks · 21/05/2015 17:07

Fuck's sake, she was RUDE.

I'd have given her a mouthful. Who the fuck pays their wages?! Erm, customers, I believe.

ConfusedInBath · 21/05/2015 17:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotAnotherNewNappy · 21/05/2015 17:16

Your sports direct has staff? I've been in our local one loads of times and never met any.

morethanpotatoprints · 22/05/2015 15:21

Just had to post as previously like others had shocking treatment at Sports Direct.
Today I have been stunned, having trained in Customer care many moons ago and from the old school, know good service.
I was greeted by a lady (Polish) who told me her name, smiled and set about finding what I wanted. She got the manager when she couldn't answer my question and was cheerful and happy to help.
I was so happy with the service I bought items I would have bought from other shops.
She went through every swimming costume, told me which other stores and online where I might find it etc.
In fact far better service than I got at Debenhams, BHS and M&S, the latter being atrocious.

McDreamyMcNastyMcHottie · 22/05/2015 15:30

Fat Mikes shops are renowned for being terrible employers, if I had to work there with the three strikes and you're out policy, never allowed time off sick and on a crap zero hours contract I probably couldn't muster up more than the bare minimum of social niceties.

BackforGood · 22/05/2015 15:45

I would say something at the time.
I was in our local one recently - after some cricket trousers so not a lot of options as to where I could go.
They have no changing room to try things on, and a policy that if you take something back you only get a credit note, not a refund if they don't fit, so I generally avoid them as that is just so unhelpful when you are trying to buy for growing dc.
Anyway - I found these cricket trousers. Except, they were actually selling them unhemmed - I thought at first they were damaged stock, until I saw a note on them giving you some tape to put in and iron to hem them yourself Shock. The bottoms of these trousers were filthy - clearly been trodden on a few times and then just hung back up. The assistant couldn't understand my incredulity that they wanted to charge me full price for such an item...... sums them up really.

Oh, and min wage / zero hrs doesn't always = poor service. I get smiles and polite, helpful staff in the vast majority of shops I go in.

26Point2Miles · 22/05/2015 15:58

Just a thought but why didn't you call her on it? I work in retail and often think some direct feedback there and then could be thought provoking!

Or

You could say you are a mystery shopper

Icimoi · 22/05/2015 16:37

OP, you seem to be implying that you didn't accept the assistant's behaviour and walk away. So what did you do?

NRomanoff · 22/05/2015 17:00

yes she was rude. But you could have complained there and then. You didn't.

I think its an over reaction to be fuming, tbh.

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