Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To have pulled her up on this

101 replies

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 12:53

So I was in Waitroise shopping and as I have a my waitroise card can get a free tea or coffee. So I paid for my shopping and was given my cup to take to the self service machine. The queue was long so the lady on customer services told us there was another machine at the deli counter
I arrived at the deli counter and the person serving started to make the tea.
A deli counter customer arrived and she left my tea to go and serve the customer. It wasn't a quick transaction so I started to get edgy as my car park ticket was about to run out.
So she than left deli counter customer to finish off my tea. She than apologized and pointed out she had only one pair of hands. I said that she should have finished serving me as I was 1St.
So I was I be reasonable to say this or was I rude as I wasn't actually paying for the tea.

OP posts:

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 13:33

Thanking

OP posts:

childmaintenanceserviceinquiry · 09/02/2017 13:36

No I dont think you are rude. Serve one customer, complete transaction, serve the next, complete transaction. etc.

Why in caffe nero can they not do this. They try to serve multiple customers at once. So a couple of times I have said that I am in a hurry so can they just finish my transaction so I can go. I am not rude, I have queued patiently, been polite etc.

expatinscotland · 09/02/2017 13:37

I agree, green. YABU. Hope they stop the freebies.

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 13:37

She could have been covering the counter for someone's break. Plus it's not just customers. She could have been busy with meat preparation/paperwork etc

They don't just stand there doing nothing when there's no customers to serve.

shovetheholly · 09/02/2017 13:37

I think it was rude to mention it - because what good did it do?

It would have been better all round to say something before she served the other customer e.g. "I'm really sorry, would you mind just finishing this - I've just checked the time and my parking is running out!" Said with a smile, it would surely have got you what you wanted without the need for any rudeness.

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 13:37

bigbuttons I was going to leave it even though it was my 1St drink of the day but customer services suggested going to the deli counter. If there had been a queue at the counter I may have left it but it was empty.
I just thought that leaving one customer mid way without explanation to serve another is not good customer service.

OP posts:

mainlywingingit · 09/02/2017 13:38

No YANBU. 15 years in senior management (Harrods and Selfridges) - absolutely she should have finished the transaction with you and politely told the second customer that she will be with her shortly and apologise.

You were right to feel Peeved and give her that feedback.

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 13:39

Shove she didn't give me the chance. She went straight from the machine to where the other customer was.

OP posts:

GabsAlot · 09/02/2017 13:40

im with you op-doesnt matter what her role is she shouldnt abandon one customer for another

she could always have said to the other person sorry for the delay

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 13:42

When you say she started to make the tea what did she actually do before she stopped?

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 13:58

She put tea bag in and pressed button for water and than when straight from the machine to go to other customer.

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 13:59

Don't you usually leave the teabag in for a bit when making a cuppa though?

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 14:00

So it really wouldn't have taken long to finish serving me.
Certainly much quicker than slicing some cold meat and weighing it etc etc.

OP posts:

SomethingBorrowed · 09/02/2017 14:02

YANBU

I would have said something when she went away to serve the other customer.
As others have said, it doesn't matter if the coffee is free or not (I believe you can pay for it if you don't have a Waitrose card). Even if free, it is part of what the store offers its customer, it doesn't make any difference to the store employee that you are paying for it or not.

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 14:03

But what was she meant to do while the teabag was in the cup? Just stand there?

I think she might have been making good use of her time really.

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 14:04

I normally just give it a quick stir as it's normally quite strong. Plus she could have just put milk in and left me to remove tea bag at the other station.
After all they always ask if you want them to remove the tea bag.

OP posts:

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 14:05

Certainly when other members of staff do it they never wait for it to brew.

OP posts:

Aworldofmyown · 09/02/2017 14:06

She was wrong. You don't leave a customer you were serving, to serve another. Doesn't matter what that customer wanted/needed.

If filling the cup was taking time I would have asked if you minded me serving another customer, then I would have said to the deli customer "i will start your order whilst I wait for the cup to fill" enabling me to switch back briefly when the cup was full. You can multi task as long as you communicate with people.

Chloe84 · 09/02/2017 14:07

Good on you for mentioning it.

She prioritised another customer over you without a valid reason.

wideboy26 · 09/02/2017 14:07

This sounds like one of those problems that only Waitrose shoppers have! There's a Facebook page dedicated to things overheard (supposedly) in Waitrose, such as "The instructions for our new kettle said that before using it for the first time, we should boil a solution of vinegar and water. Well, when I looked in the larder we had balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, cider vinegar, malt vinegar, white vinegar....I mean which vinegar is one supposed to use?"

YouHadMeAtCake · 09/02/2017 14:08

YANBU or rude to mention it to her. She should have finished serving you first, as you were there first , paying or not.

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 14:08

Yes but she had no idea how you have your tea, unless you told her first.

When you do it yourself you can do whatever you like. I just think she was serving the other customer while the teabag 'stewed' rather than just showing the water the teabag for 5 seconds.

Seems communication may have been an issue. She didn't know you were in a hurry. She could have asked how you want your tea I guess.

It is literally a storm in a paper teacup.

Sparklingbrook · 09/02/2017 14:09

Certainly when other members of staff do it they never wait for it to brew.

Which other members of staff? That would be a very weak tea.

Original poster

Catlady1976 · 09/02/2017 14:10

Sadly something by the time I realized what she was doing I would have had to butt into her conversation with the other customer which I felt would have been ruder.
But yes sparkling maybe that was her thought process.
The irony is that after the wait I found it a bit stong and Luke warm but drank it as I was thirsty.
Would have been better to have brought a bottle of water.

OP posts:

Jooni · 09/02/2017 14:13

You say you got "edgy" and she apologised and said she only had one pair of hands. It sounds to me like you may have said something else to her as well or looked visibly huffy.

Not a big deal, and yes - I think you were a bit rude.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread