To think "well you don't have to shop here do you?" Isn't appropriate from a shop worker?

[littleblackdoggg]

Just that really. It's very inappropriate isn't it!? She was a young girl as well and I don't want this to sound 'ageist' but I do find a lot of younger employees rather rude? They seem to have a lot of attitude.

AIBU to complain about this girls attitude?

OP has run off because she's been proved wrong. Or maybe she's gone out to a different shop to purchase her urgent cucumber....

Pengwyyn, I'm sure this situation is far from black and white (excuse the pun!) But I've given my thoughts and I'm going to bow out now!

The shop assistant dealt with an overbearing, rude customer poorly and was unnecessarily rude herself.

Does that sum up the situation?

She needed to word her request carefully so the assistant didn't say "you don't have to shop here" like a huffy twat. Have heard it all now!

I genuinely think customers reckon there's a replica shop in this fabled "out back" where any member of staff can just nip over and pluck their item off one of the perfectly ordered, fully stocked shelves

Pengggwn, it sounds from the OP'account that it wasn't clearly explained. She was told at first that it was in stock. On further questioning, that she couldn't get it because she was on the till. It wasnt until further questioning that she was told about the delivery status.

Retail is one of the crapist jobs I've ever worked. You put on a uniform and your no longer a person to the public. The abuse you get! Oh my god, and usually about things that aren't your fault.
I last worked retail when the bag charge came in and Jesus the amount of people who'd argue. We had one women who stood their for 5 minutes, because I wouldn't not charge her for it. It's 5p and goes to charity anyway. In the end I said to her, "do you want the bag or not, cause your in the way."

People are horrible to retail workers.

Sexcauldron Or she's asleep?

I doubt the assistant could help OP get her cucumber. But her answer is rude, and not in the customer's or company's interest.
One step away from "Computer says no".

Poor shop assistant, she doesn't have to work in the shop dealing with customers asking for products to purchase - she could get another job

Do people really join MN, or name change, to post about things like this?

I bet the "young girl" was about 20 years old or something. Even at 18/19 you can't call them a young girl because they are not a girl!
It's so patronising when people call a young woman a girl. At what age do you qualify as a woman? When you look about 40?

Pengggwn

Its then not unreasonable for the OP to ask if there is someone else who can get it.

To be fair to both the OP and the shop worker this sounds like a rubbish situation for both of them. The OP couldn't get the stuff she wanted and the shop worker got frustrated because the OP was asking her for stuff she couldn't do.
I would have asked the manager about the delivery there's no point berating the shop staff if they have a policy they have to follow.

OP sounds unpleasant and entitled

My sympathy is with the young woman working there

I work in customer service and if someone tells me they want to go to a competitor I tell them how they can do that. I'm not allowed to beg them to stay like they want me to because it would be giving advice and obstructing the client from withdrawing or changing provider. Plus I'll be happy not to have to deal with them again.

If I was working on a checkout, earning minimum wage, and someone badgered me about a cucumber, I would likely have said the same.

'NEED CUCUMBER, NONE OUT'

'No cucumber'

'BUT I NEEEEEEEED ONE'

'No cucumber'

'BUT WHYYYYYYYYY OMG IT'S ESSENTIAL'

'No cucumber because XYZ'

'GET ME A CUCUMBERRRRRRR'

'Piss off'

Pengggwn

Maybe more effective communication between both parties could have avoided any rudeness.

Perhaps the assistant should have simply apologised for being unable to assist and offered to call manager or similar - who presumably would have been able to give a fuller explanation and/ or resolve matters.

I do get where the OP is coming from. In my town there is one supermarket accessible by bus. Before I drove, that was the only place I shopped. If they didn't have an item I couldn't go elsewhere I had to go without. Luckily it didn't happen often but it was incredibly frustrating.

As a general point I do find customer service is pretty lacking. In a well known high street retailer yesterday I heard a lady asking an assistant if the shop had any completely plain childs white t shirts (I suspect sports day!). Assistant just shrugged, gestured to the kids section and said she'd (as in the customer) have to look around as she didn't know.

The girl was rude as there was no apology. I often find that people struggle to apologise for not being able to help you these days. For example, if the girl had said 'oh I'm ever so sorry but we can't get anything from the deliver yet because it has to be checked in, it should be ready around 2pm' or something, that would have shown the customer she actually cares, (even though she probably didn't), and told her when she could get the stuff she wanted.
I went out for lunch with friends the other day, we ordered pudding from one waitress and it didn't come after 1/2 an hour. When we asked another waitress for it she asked the former girl who merely said 'oh I forgot' as if that was ok. I did a lot of waitressing, when I was younger and realise that mistakes happen. However if it had been me, I'd have come over to our table and profusely apologised and offered us a free cup of tea or something. However a lot of the millennial generation 'seem' to think that 'well mistakes happen' and if I've admitted it, no rectification is necessary. Please note, (before I get jumped upon) I know it's not all millenials and there are many that have great customer service skills, but there are also many who get away with being rude because no one seems to challenge them.

I've never wanted a cucumber so badly that being told I can't have one made me feel like shit.

The checkout person was not being rude when she said the stock had arrived but not unpacked yet, nor when she said she could not leave the till to go and fetch the item(s).
However, when she told the OP 'well, you don't have to shop here, do you' she crossed a line. By using that wording, she was basically telling the customer to fuck off.
Now, I realise some customers are more difficult than others but it's part of the job in retail to be able to deal with them politely and she should have had training in that.

Managers are very aware that customers have chosen to come and shop in their store and they value that highly, it's a dog-eat-dog world in food retail.