Are waitrose employees the snottiest supermarket staff? Which is the friendliest? Light hearted?

[Mollyringworm]

As I've just commented on a thread regarding the staff at waitrose and then realised it was a zombie thread I would like to start my own supermarket related thread to sate the appetite of all those wanting to have a right go at waitrose (Or indeed, praise it).

The staff at my waitrose are very snotty sometimes, often don't say hello or thank you, look really really bored and uninterested when scanning your stuff (look, I know it's tedious but how hard is it to smile and say hello?), tut when u ask for extra bags (even though I'm paying for them) - one woman regularly gives me 2 bags to load about 10 bags worth of stuff and then looks majorly put out when I ask for more. Once had a member of staff tell my dd to 'get down' with some venom when perching on a low shelf to get some cakes. My dd age5 often asks for 3 of the green charity-coin things cos she's very altruistic and wants to put one in each box. She has been told 'no' on more than one occasion.
A friend of mine has a daughter that worked there briefly and she said she hated it as the customers were so snotty and rude. Maybe the staff are a reflection of the customers.

By absolute contrast the staff in my local co-op are absolute legends, I love 'em. My favourite memory being when my car ran out of oil and two of the guys came and helped me refill it 'cos I didn't know what to do (I will point out here I'm blonde and big of boob - also sorry to conform to stereotype)

I would like to hear all your supermarket staff-related stories and we can later on have a vote on which has the best employees.
Apologies if this is a recurring theme I'm relatively new to mn and wanted to get my growing annoyance at waitrose off my chest (I'd stop shopping there but they're the only supermarket locally selling chabonnel&walker pink Marc de champagne chocolates, to which I am addicted)

Disclaimer: I'm not being sponsored by co-op, honest.

Our waitrose are all very polite and nice and helpful... M and S on the other hand could do with getting a lesson from waitrose (or indeed Next if I am allowed to deviate from food shops!) M and S often feel like they are doing you a massive favour by serving you - and its not just one store I get that from!

I meant to post on that thread! Just to say 'it ain't all that' ! I saw a big fat juicy fly on the meat counter, it wasn't on a lead or anything! The beans were over priced too!! It was about 14 years ago though in Wilmslow

Waitrose has generally been the most friendly that I've found.

I made a complaint to corporate offices of Sainsburys over my local store as we had a few utterly inappropriate comments from their staff to and about my child with SNs, even after making a complaint to their manager.

Local Asda's staff couldn't be arsed, with one exception that was lovely.

We've since moved to a new area and are having mostly delivery shops, so not sure how they are here.

Waitrose staff here are really helpful and friendly. Tesco usually fine too. Iceland staff are friendly but there aren't enough of them on a shift so they are always rushing.

I haven't really got any complaints about supermarket staff - generally they are doing their best in a low paid job with uncertain hours. You get good and bad everywhere.

Waitrose customer service is brilliant everywhere I use is. Use Waitrose a lot in my travels (4-5 times a week in different cities). Have never not been greeted or treated curteously.

I've never been in a bad Co-op. I assume they train their staff to be warm and welcoming.

Ditto Waitrose.

Ok, so far I'm getting the gist it must just be my local waitrose then.

I agree with posters also mentioning the snottiness of some m&s staff. There seem to be a lot of 'hyacinth bouquet' types working in my local branch. A friend of mine recently witnessed a woman in front of her trying to get a refund on a pair of trousers. Two hyacinth types behind the counter were quibbling the condition of said trousers. One of the women then picked up the trousers, sniffed the crotch and shouted "these have definitely been worn"!!

I work indirectly in the retail field and have generally found if you are friendly and polite to who ever is serving you, in nearly all the mentioned chains, you will receive good polite service. There will obviously be exceptions, but in most cases you get the service you deserve, as they are not pre-programmed robots, but real people reacting to an individual customer.

I find most shop staff just fine, the few bad eggs or really exceptionally good ones seem to be down to individuals than anything else. Though I have been in a couple of shops where the manager was an absolute bastard and though the staff were polite enough, you could tell they hated being there.

I just re-read my note and it sounds really prissy - sorry didn't mean it to, I just meant most want to do a good job but they are human!

Waitrose staff are usually pleasant and friendly as are Sainsbury's. Our local co op staff are somewhat over familiar and the Tesco staff run if they see you coming - anything not to engage.

Where I am, Sainsburys seem to have the friendliest staff.

Waitrose staff like to run the store for their own benefit.

Lovely Waitrose staff round here, always complimenting the kids for saying thank you for the green tokens!! Asda though, are how you described Waitrose, pile the stuff so quickly through checkout I can't keep up and ask me to pay when I've still got about twenty things needing packing - I am pretty fast at packing so I don't know how this happens every time!!!

Our local Asda, Lidl, Poundland and Wilkinsons have the bestest shop staff.

Waitrose are all friendly and polite here. The one and only time I went in Lidl the man on the tills told me I had to put the trolley in a certain place so he could see I wasn't trying to get away with not paying for items! I won't be going there again ( and if I was going to take up shoplifting it would be from somewhere a bit more excludive than Lidl, Harrods maybe- Lidl no!)

I'm in Cornwall and the worst staff are in Iceland (bloody hell they are rude), and Marks & Sparks (think having to actually serve people is beneath them).

Yankee one day she will say something to the wrong person and end up getting a smack.

My sister works in Asda she used to work on customer service and got loads of abuse.

Our local Aldi has brilliant staff -polite, efficient and friendly. The big Sainsburys in town here is awful. They mainly completely ignore you, are rude or have faces like slapped arses.

Never been in waitrose. We dont have one locally unfortunately. I think I would like it.

Our local massive Tescos has the worst staff I have ever met. One or two friendly ones but most seem really off. Either talking to their mates in the queue or the next checkout or staring around in a daze. I actually apologised the other week for inturrupting a conversation between the lady who was serving me and a supervisor (I presume) who were discussing rotas and covering someones sick leave. I only wanted another bag! I think the 'sorry for interrupting...' was lost on them as she just chucked a bag at me and carried on.

Best staff locally is Aldi. Fast and no prisoners taken when it's busy but as long as you can talk and move your stuff as quick as them they will chat.

The staff in my local co-op are friendly but rather clueless.. Seriously, I was told 'we're recruiting at the moment, do you want an application form' three times in a row.
If there is an unemployed 'look' then I clearly have it
It's become embarrassing to tell them that I have a job so now I go to the Tesco local where no-one ever speaks.

I don't go to big supermarkets - Ocado delivery men are lovely, though.

Our local Waitrose staff are generally courteous and polite, serve with a smile and a little light chat.

Similar the Tesco express I go to - relatively chatty, smile and polite.

Not been on more jab 3 or 4 times but the staff in the local Aldi were sullen and almost rude with how quick they throw the food through till. No chat, no smiles. I won't return. It wasn't a pleasant shopping experience tbh.

Morrisons and Asda were so so. Till staff not too bad I suppose.

Not been to a proper Sainsbury's for a while but the small one locally is quite nice in terms of staff, as is the Coop. Spar less so.

Waitrose staff fantastic. Polite, human, always say please and thankyou, helpful, friendly.

But generally it depends on how you treat them.
I work with the public sometimes and the number of people who treat me as if I am utterly beneath them is beyond belief!