AIBU to react upon overhearing this remark voiced by a member of staff in Poundland towards another member of staff?

[SuperFlyHigh]

AIBU to feel that this overheard remark was out of order?

Was at Poundland the other day overheard quite loud a supervisor or manager saying to someone who seemed new (both Poundland staff),

"Yeah well make sure you get them to come down the queue as they often stand there like braindead zombies" it was obvious she was talking about customers not staff... The person saying this then walked away I was a bit shocked and said to the woman she had said this to "that's not the way your customers should be spoken about don't you think?" As i said this the woman who had said the original remark came back but I didn't want to get into an argument but just left the store.

Really put me off if that's how the staff refer to their customers within hearing distance!

I wouldn't care .Ive probably been working in retail too long myself to care tbh

green18 Couldn't have said it better myself.

I worked in retail for many, many years and I STILL don't think it's acceptable to say things like that on the shop floor, whether I agreed with the comment or not. If you think it's okay to insult other customers and you blame it on years of working in the industry that says a lot about you as a person (and let me tell you it's not the years of retail work that did it ). It doesn't matter what the insult/comment was. I think it was inapppropriate to say something like that. Maybe you can see what said manager means but it doesn't matter. It's right up there with not swearing on the shop floor - it's all about being professional. At the end of the day if you deal with the general public, you have to have people skills.

FYI saying somebody is a zombie and saying they are like a zombie is just as bad. It's just semantics, people, and they're both just as bad. How about if your manager said you were 'being like a stupid b*tch' ...? Would you think it was fine because they only said 'like' rather than 'are'? Of course not.

I don't think she should have said it within earshot of customers but I can't help agreeing with her. I have lost count of the times I have been standing in a queue (not just in Poundland but in many other shops) and people seem to go into a trance when they are in a queue. The cashier is calling out 'Next please. Can I help you?' umpteen times and they just stand there completely oblivious until the person behind them loses their temper gives them a little prod.

She shouldn't have said it in earshot of paying customers.

I have never seen this trance like state at the till . I have at a green traffic filter light though. Shop staff should rant in the staff room like teachers

The cashier did have to call me up to the till today. In my defence, I wasn't being a zombie, I was showing someone how to process an avacado through the self-service till.

green I am not overly sensitive, maybe I am in other aspects of my life, but here generally I think it's an appalling statement!

I also think if people think it's fine to say this sort of statement in shops where items are sold cheaply and therefore attract people either with less money or who want a bargain - then equally so it should be fine to say this in higher value shops with people with more money or people who have less money but want to treat themselves.

I've never heard sainsbos, tescos, Waitrose etc staff be rude openly in front of customers (this woman knew EXACTLY where she was standing and the likelihood of someone eg a customer overhearing) it just shows her total lack of professionalism towards her customers and getting her colleagues to show or treat some of customers there with contempt... But of course taking their money at the same time. I have heard the odd spat with a checkout girl being rude to a customer in sainsbos (that was totally different and almost laughable!) but generally no staff are lovely in shops. I appreciate its not easy at all in retail,dealing with the paying customers. And contrary to what some may think working for a high street solicitor you get all sorts from elderly people wanting POA, city banker buying a house or people on benefits wanting to know if we did legal aid. Not to mention people who brought in kids, dogs etc. I like to think I was polite and friendly to all of them and my colleagues likewise.

To me but sorry the way the woman looked at me (whilst saying this comment) and afterwards it was in a mean bitchy way. She also didn't look at all approachable (a quality supervisors in a shop I think personally should have, you know to deal with, customers!) - I admit my comments about her looking like a man etc were unhinged but say if she'd looked at me, seen I'd overheard and had the guts to apologise for that statement (I'm expecting a lot here of course from her!) then I'd probably have been like "yeah that's ok, i know what you mean, dealing with customers can be stressful can't it?" Smiled and laughed and then walked off. Because I had no idea if she was saying this comment in jest, aggressively etc, it just seemed really underhand, snide and totally unprofessional. And completely lacking in respect for the customers there to say it on the shop floor within earshot of them!

If this woman had overheard a similar comment aimed at her (customer) when she was shopping eg in lidl (of tescos or Waitorse etc) she'd be well within her rights to complain.

Manners cost nothing.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties Actually you CAN compare a job as a solicitor to a job in retail. ALL jobs require a level of professionalism - especially customer-facing ones.

Op I didn't say you were sensitive, I agree with you.

No op, you haven't worked retail so you have no idea. I've worked for a large company and heard the same things.
It is mind numbing asking people to come round, or cone to the till and being ignored whilst they look into space.
If you actually think you are better after the things you've written about this woman then you are mistaken.
My old manager had a stern face, however would go out of her way to help anyone.
You are no better.
You put one employee in an impossible situation and bitched about another. No better.

I was in Wilkinsons the other day and there was a brain dead zombie in front of me in the queue. Poor woman on the till was calling and calling for her to go down but she just stood there (and she was looking at the till lady too!). I was just about to poke her with my basket when she moved! Ha ha!

Or she could have been partially deaf. Like me. And like 1 in 7 people in the population.

kali110 - I have worked in retail and for MANY years and I think this was unprofessional. I don't care how sh*tty your job is, you just don't bitch about customers in front of the customers. That goes for ANY job whether it's retail, the public sector, the financial industry .... it's all the same. There is a MINIMUM level of professionalism required and that applies to ANY member of staff whether they're new or a manager or even a CEO.

I hate to break it to you but that 'employee' put themselves in an 'impossible' situation by making the comment on the shop floor in front of paying customers - nobody forced them to say it. And yeah, we all f*ck up sometimes, we're only human - but accept responsibility for it. Don't let people off the hook. Like OP said, if that manager had apologised, she would've understood but the fact that they said it knowing full well they were within ear shot of a customer was HIGHLY unprofessional and if I were their boss I would've fired them for gross misconduct on the spot.

And yeah, maybe OP lost her temper and said bad things about that manager but that doesn't let said manager off the hook. They were still in the wrong. Oh and btw - OP apologised for that statement. More than the manager did.

Yeah, working in retail is sh*tty. It's awful. But it's a job. ALL jobs come with their upsides and downsides and you grit your teeth and work as best you can and as professionally as you can. If you can't do that, quit or become self employed and see how many customers you lose with your sour attitude and then you'll realise how important professionalism is.

"Well it wasn't very polite but I have to ask if you have ever worked in retail?"

"The general population do not cover themselves in glory with their behaviour while shopping."

This. YANBU about her behaviour, but customers are rude to staff many times more often than the other way round. How some people behave towards shop staff, in a way they'd never treat their family or friends, tells you a lot about them.

kathyjoy really? What did the new employee do wrong then? Apart from being in the wrong place at the wrong time it seems....they did not say it.
Op put the new emplyee in an impossible situation.

Oh and yes every job has it ups and downs.
However i have been sworn at, threatened and had things thrown at me whilst working retail.
Should everybody expect that when going into retail or just quit?
I don't think people should expect that going into retail however some members of the public are awful.

Seems like a fair enough comparison to make and honestly if I overheard it I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Working in retail is a shit, soul-destroying way to earn a crap wage. Give them a little slack.

If you were a hospital patient and the staff were speaking about you like this, I might have some sympathy. However visiting a supermarket does not entitle you to be treated like an princess by people who work bloody hard, are paid little and often treated with rudely by customers.

You sound utterly entitled and I urge you to get a life.

kali110 They said the customers were moving like zombies on the shop floor. I don't care how new they were or how mild that comment was, it was unprofessional. Maybe you don't think it was harsh enough insult, but it was still unprofessional to say anything negative about any customer while in proximity to said customers. It's not rocket science. I am baffled by how many people seem to feel this is a case to back up their fellow retail workers when they have actually done something wrong. You back them up because they're not being paid much to do so much, you back them up when they're forced into unreaosnable zero hour contracts ... but you DON'T back them up when they violated the most basic rule (which I might add is on all work contracts) and that is being professional whilst working. That means no saying anything negative about the customers no matter how mild it is.

How is that an impossible situation? What, because OP happened to be on the shop floor where she was supposed to be? Do you think that member of staff didn't know where they were when they said it ...? If they genuinely didn't maybe they're not cut out for the job if they're that out of it and should seek medical help as they may have a serious medical problem. This is not simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is making the conscious decision to say something very inappropriate about the customers ON THE SHOP FLOOR where they can be overheard. OP didn't stumble into their break room and overhear them or something. The staff member who made that comment should've known better and if they didn't well maybe they need a new job because they sure as hell aren't suited to this one if they can't keep their trap shut and not say inappropriate things in front of the customers. This is not an impossible situation in fact it's super easy. Member of staff said something inappropriate on the shop floor, member of staff was over heard saying said inappropriate thing by customer who was on the shop floor, customer rightly felt it inappropriate. This is why that rule in their contract exixts. At the very least they need a disciplinary and to be sat down and told this and if they do it again, they're out the door.

I have worked in jobs where I have had death threats, been sworn at, literally called a whore or a bitch (I worked as a debt collector for a few years - you think retail is tough, that sht's a whole different ball game), but I never reacted in an inappropriate way even though I'd have liked nothing better than to tell them to fck off. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I know for a fact I'm a hell of a lot more professional while in the workplace than that staff member because I have never said anything like that, not even 'man I hate stupid customers' on the shop floor or anywhere a customer could hear it.

Yeah customers can be real a-holes but it's YOUR (as in whoever is doing said retail job) job to deal with them in a professional manner even if they're being unreasonable. You don't like it - quit.

I'm sure the OP has a life but merely suggested that the staff member was rude to talk about customer that way on the shop floor. She is right and there is NO excuse. If you don't like customers, find another job.

People who work in shops are just that - people. It's a crap job with crap wages, few prospects and it's often only a stop-gap on the way to something better. They can let the mask slip from time to time and that is fine.

I used to treat customers the way they treated me. If they were nice, I was nice back. If they were downright rude or aggressive I wasn't prepared to just take it meekly like a good little "professional" - I refused to help or serve them in any way, and the management were fine with that.

BeakyMinder Wait I'm sorry so if one customer facing role does this it's terrible but somehow retail gets a get out of jail free card because 'are paid little and often treated with rudely by customers'? It's part of their job to behave professionally even if a customer is being unreasonable. They're being paid to be there, they knew what the job entailed and they have the option to quit. In fact you'll find it's part of the company rules and is in their contract - if they violate it, it can be terms for immediate dismissal.

For that matter, do you have any idea about the stress and abuse medical staff undergo...? People are at their worst when they're sick, afraid, confused or in pain. Their wages are higher than retail staff, yes, but they aren't half as high as it should be considering what they do how many hours they put in and all the years training they have had and they lose out on so many pay rises due to budget cuts. They sometimes even have patients attack them. By your logic, if retail staff get a free pass because they get unreasonable customers, medical staff should be allowed to drop kick their patients if they 'misbehave'.

Kathy have you missed the part where the OP deliberately avoids confronting the member of staff who made the zombie comment, preferring to tell off the new member of staff who had been the recipient of the manager's comment because, get this, the supervisor looked 'like a man', aggressive, and likely to speak back if confronted? How the OP thinks it was justifiable to pile in on making the situation awkward for the new member of staff is, bizarre at best and cowardly if we're being less forgiving.

DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease I have mentioned numerous times that the OP did go overboard by insulting the manager/supervisor however that doesn't mean that what the supervisor said was any less unprofessional and it does not mean they're off the hook. What OP said is irrelevant. She's not the one being paid to be an ambassador of that company. Also OP has (as I have also already said) admitted she was out of order for that comment which is taking responsibility for a mistake - something the supervisor didn't do. Oh and also she didn't tell the other member of staff off, she simply posed them a question. Yeah it was an awkward question, but still a question. There's a difference.

Maybe OP did put them on the spot but the supervisor/manager wandered off. They weren't there to make the comment to (and I'm starting to suspect the reason they wandered off is because they knew they were overheard and wanted to avoid a complaint - hoping that if they weren't about to be confronted it would be ignored). Yeah, it wasn't the best call to say that to them but maybe what she was hoping for was to be directed to a complaints procedure since said supervisor/manager clearly had no intention of taking responsibility for their screw up and THATS the big issue here 1. They behaved unprofessionally. 2. When they realised their mistake they walked away and didn't apologise for it.

Oh and FYI the member of staff put on the spot, the professional answer to that question by OP was 'Would you like to make a formal complaint with my manager?' See how professionalism works ...? They're not taking sides. They're no agreeing or disagreeing. They're following protocol.

Not being funny but when you work with customers, you have to be professional. It sucks. I know. There are so many you just want to give a few choice words to. But you can't. Your job is to be professional. Now what you can do is to refuse to serve somebody if they're being abusive. You can call a manager to help. But you do not insult them. You do not say something about them to colleagues while on the shop floor. You do not say anything negative about customers while on the shop floor. It's basic rules and it's in every hand book or every place I have ever worked.

I've worked in retail, she could have said far worse.

I've also worked in a law firm. The two are really quite different. You don't deal with the general public at a law firm. The general public are, by and large, complete tossers.

Shouldn't have been making those comments on the shop floor.
Exactly. Keep all unprofessional talk (eg talking about customers, slagging off other staff, relationship breakups, who you shagged at the weekend, gossip, etc) and behaviour (tutting, eye rolling, checking your phone, etc) to the staff room. Yes, customers will piss you off at times, but it's really bad form to let this be known or insinuate as such on the shop floor.

kathy maybe you also missed the part where the op said the woman she decided to tackle was new?
She put a new employee in an impossible situation.
Oh and no in some places customers can be as abusive as they want to because shops no longer care about their staff.