To eat my lunch sitting at the cash register (small charity shop)

[BlackNoSugar]

Sorry for any typos, I'm on my phone.
I work one or two days a week as a volunteer in a tiny charity shop in our small town. It's usually pretty quiet. The shop is open until mid-afternoon.
Today I was having my sandwich at the register, the shop had two or three people browsing. One came up to me just as I'd taken a bite, and I smiled behind my hand, swallowed as fast as I could, then greeted her with a jokey "sorry about that, can I help you?" At which she tutted at me, frowned at my sandwich, and said "you shouldn't be doing that, when you've got customers."
Problem is, I'm the only person here. I either eat at the register when the shop is quiet, or go the day without food.
Would you be offended by this if you were the customer? She's the first to ever comment about it.

some people are indeed just miserable.
and some people on here are very easily offended.

When I worked 12-5pm shifts I just had a large filling brunch (such as beans on toast or an omelette) and then dinner later. Unless you're diabetic or on medication or something, you should be fine, surely? Take a smoothie or something you can have discreetly in case you start to flag.

If you were working an 8-hour shift then fair enough, you have to eat. But 5 hours isn't too long to go without food, and a customer has complained, so I wouldn't do it again.

We are friends with the people who run our local kids charity shop. It's a great little shop.

If the manager is there on her own and we are passing, she often offers my dd a few crisps or a banana!

Obviously, it is healthier to leave your place of work for a stretch, change of view, eat, drink, toilet... But not always possible.

As long as you are not sticking mayo all over the clothes, crumbs all over the floor, generally making a mess I don't see it as a problem.

And as long as you are doing your work, then nothing else should be a problem.

I think yabu. I would not want to take something or hand over to have someone munching, crumbs around or might spit something out. If you have no time for a break then you take it up with your manager. I would be put off tbh. You wouldn't really do this in any other type of store.

The type of store that pays a wage you mean.

"Old bag" is an ageist and sexist slur.

Hahahahaha....

Bloody "ists", coming over here & commenting on our threads.....

Especially funny as they've no idea how old you are or what sex you are - but the one thing we do know is that the customer was an old woman and was was described as such.

"Old" is accurate and "Bag" is, well - wasn't aware it fitted into an "ist" anywhere.....

So who ARE we allowed to say anything unkind about, now?

YABU. If it's only 5 hour shift you should really be eating outside of work hours. If you absolutely feel you can't do 5 hours without food at least try not to eat while customers are in the shop.

You might want to look at this article by Geraldine Bedell of Gransnet:

www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/geraldine-bedell-lack-of-respect-for-the-old-is-the-real-problem-6266950.html

And this quotation in particular:

"Ageism is widespread and almost invisible, and its most casual, innocent forms lay the ground for pernicious cruelty. Everyone who makes a casual ageist remark, despises someone for not being young, or fears growing old (which is not the same thing as dying) is a little bit culpable of these acts of violence and disdain."

It's the "othering" of older people that is so dangerous and it happens through the cumulative effect of casual, even jokey, remarks.

Or they have a sense of humour & can laugh at themselves.

God I work in a shop and I'm always eating! Usually things like nuts and seeds/fruit to tide me over between breakfast and lunch. I have my breakfast around 7.30 and it's often more like 2.30 before I get my lunch break! I've even been known to stand eating porridge with my boss on a really cold morning! It's only food, we all need to eat.

I agree with you 100% allnewredfairy and yes, I have worked in shops. 5 hours without eating was never a problem. Unless the OP has a medical reason to eat more frequently, which hasn't been mentioned, just wait until you've finished work.
Mind you, I suppose I am an "old bag".