Was I Rude To This Customer?

[zukiecat]

I work in my local shop, mainly on the tills, this morning as I was just finishing serving one customer (handing him his change, saying Thankyou etc), another one came up to the door beside my till and barked something at me, which I didn't hear

So I said "I'll be with you in a second Sir, just let me finish serving this gentleman first"

So he stomped out in a huff, saying loudly about "Fucking Rude" and lots of "FFS" and other mutterings

His wife stayed in the shop, and they wanted to know if it was too early to buy alcohol

All I asked him to do was wait a wee second!

So was I rude by not answering his question straightaway, although I didn't hear it properly?

Of course not.

Nooooooooooooooo, he sounds like an arse. Just forget him.

Nope, YWNBU at all. Some people are just impatient fuckers.

Not remotely. It would have been far ruder to the customer you were with to interrupt your transaction to deal with someone else.

Ok thanks everyone!

I thought I wasn't, but I do have anxiety issues and can overthink things

Thanks for the replies

Of course you weren't being rude.
He behaved like an entitled king.

No you weren't rude.

I was in a charity shop recently and after I waited to be served, halfway through serving me the man stopped to answer someone else's question. I thought he was rude not to tell them to wait 30 seconds til he'd finished serving me (but I'm not a twat so I didn't say anything)

No, you weren't rude. You dealt with his interruption very politely and quite appropriately.

He was the one who was rude, not you.

You weren't at all rude.

No, he should have waited his turn. It would have been more rude to take your attention away from the customer you were serving to deal with the interrupting fuck-nugget.

not rude at all they were the rude ones op

I've worked in retail for over 30 years, and have come across this scenario quite a few times.. Seriously OP, you were not in the wrong, he was! You did the right thing.

Sounds like he maybe needed alcohol. Addicts are often irrational and rude.

Nope, nope and nope. Sound like he was just embarrassed at having to repeat it. Not your fault. At all.

No, of course not. Unfortunately being shouted at by alcoholics is just one of the things you have to get used to when working in retail.

No OP you weren't rude at all; quite the opposite. I worked in retail for 15 years or so during my younger days and there was always a twatty customer who could spoil my day - not every day, because people are generally nice. One rude one though .... Arghhh

You weren't rude.
He was.
His wife wanted to buy alcohol because she lives with him.

You were absolutely not rude. I don't work in retail but I imagine it can be a real trial, particularly if you have anxieties

I'm guessing if they thought it was possibly too early to buy booze that there were other factors at play, and your manners had very little to do with it.

I often 'ignore' the entitled twats who stand right by my till and expect me to stop everything just because they want my attention - even when I am very clearly serving or helping another customer.

It's not rude, I give them my full attention when there is nobody else, but if they want to talk to me they can fucking QUEUE like everyone else has to! Hate the buggers who think just wanting one or two things means they can cut the queue and just jump straight in front of me. And, clearly the rest of my customers agree. You weren't rude, OP. He was. And he was a dick.

No, unless you said it in a really exasperated voice (although I would understand if you did .

Had it today - nice young lad in the shop went with me to see if they stocked an item, shop was empty. We must have been a minute maximum. When we got back a man was queuing at the next till along which was empty so the young lad said 'sorry, Sir, it's this till'. As he started to ring in the bloke said 'Humph - I've been waiting 5 minutes ' which was an out and out lie. At that point I may have just lost it slightly by doing an exaggerated arm movement and telling him that if his time was so precious then he was welcome to go ahead of me. He then backed down and mumbled about staffing levels......when there was still just me and him in the shop......

Thanks for all the replies everyone

I've worked there for three years (and worked in retail since leaving school, apart from time as a SAHM)

Nothing opens your eyes more to just how rude people can be to shop assistants!