Does anyone else get ignored in shops?

[mydogmymate]

This morning I took the dc for a fry up at a local cafe. Loads of people waiting to be served but just two young girls chatting behind the counter and ignoring everyone. This went on for a good 15 minutes, I was there before anyone else, then another woman came out and barked at me to join the queue. I said I’ve been here for 15 minutes and she just looked through me. I was so mad that I grabbed the dc and stormed out.
Next, the chemist. Three people working, no customers, stood there for a good 10 minutes before saying “excuse me” really loud. I was eventually served by a reluctant pharmacist.
Then, the bank. Same thing, being ignored. Two cashiers, no customers.
Is it just me? It seems to be in nearly every chemist I go in. They’re busy and customers get ignored for ages. I have a customer facing job and if I dated like this I’d be sacked 😡

I often get ignored at the unmanned checkout in my small local co op.

So why not say something? In my local co-op the staff are expected to do everything on the shop floor so it's not unusual for them to be in a nearby aisle so everyone knows to just give them a shout or walk the few steps to the end of the aisle they are working on and get their attention.

I work in a large supermarket in customer services but I also help out our cigarette kiosk which is right next to me ... when it's quiet our kiosk colleagues have to re-stock the cigarettes which requires them to have their back to the counter. There have been times when I've been on the phone (so unable to help or say anything) and I have seen customers walk up, see my colleague is busy and hasn't noticed them appear (especially if they stand in such a way that they are hidden behind lottery stand and so not immediately visible from their angle) and then just stand there in silence, making no effort to get my colleague's attention (and sometimes it's so quiet you get engrossed in the task and stop checking over your shoulder for customers every 10 seconds) ... then they start getting huffy or start being rude or sarcastic "Is anyone ever going to serve me?!" which then gets their attention but by this time the customer has been waiting a while, when a simple "Excuse me" or "Can I get X when you've finished that" when they walked over and realised she hadn't noticed them would have got them served almost immediately.

I realise they have things to do, but when I had a customer-facing job you served customers first, and did other jobs when there was nobody waiting.

That's not always possible though and sometimes customers do need to realise that just because the previous customer has left the counter doesn't mean they can always be served immediately. I work in retail customer service and whilst we do generally follow the "customers first, paperwork later" principle if there is a queue waiting, there are still some things that I have to record immediately - and even if there isn't, there are still things I need to file/put away/clear up/put in a specific place to follow up later.

While the part of the transaction involving the customer is finished, the entire transaction often isn't and customers need to wait for me to finish clearing the decks of the previous transaction before they launch into theirs and a bit of courtesy by waiting a few seconds wouldn't go amiss. It's why I sometimes wish we had a "Please wait here until called forward" line, so that I could get things finished without someone glaring and leaning over me because I haven't immediately dropped everything to deal with them.

While we're on the subject of service,does anyone else get pissed off when shop assistants/receptionists answer the phone when they've got customers waiting?

I work in customer services and I will answer a call if it started before you reached my desk because they were technically first in the queue ... equally when the phone rings that puts them next in line. So if nobody is waiting, as soon as I finish serving the customer in front of me the customer on the phone is next ... if in the meantime other people have joined the queue they have technically joined after the person on the phone and therefore they will be dealt with, in turn which means they have to wait until I have dealt with the person on the phone.

If someone is at my desk and I'm already dealing with them I will generally let the phone ring out, unless I can see on my caller display it is either my manager (who only rings me if it's important), the store manager or someone returning my earlier call with an answer to another customer's question. In those cases I will ask the current customer if they mind if I just grab the phone, especially if I'm just waiting while they fill in some paperwork or we're waiting for someone to bring something over for them anyway.

Queing to order a takeaway. Phone was ringing non-stop. Waited while three calls jumped in front of my food order before I rang them myself on mobile. Very confused person took my order and I kept him on phone and asked people behind me in queue if they'd like to order now too. Job done, phone goes back to ringing non-stop.

He was ignoring the waiting customers so completely that it wasn't until I was halfway through my order that he twigged and looked up to see my mouth moving.

Grab a pastry and free coffee from Waitrose on way to work. Pain Au Raisins are 68p at mo, so very, very cheap breakfast! Still doesn't excuse my waiting 10 mins while 2nd in basket queue while cashier and customer chatted about weather yesterday. FFS, I've seen continents drift faster!

I work in a shop touching me or my colleagues does not get us on side we universally hate and complain about you and how customers invade our space in such a rude way. Do not touch strangers its rude.

'Hi, are you serving?' Or 'Hi, can I pay for this' said in a friendly way usually works.

Post office staff with head down tapping away on their computer behind glass annoy me most.
I usually stand right in front of the glass screen, stare & say one of the above! I've come across too many if norant PO staff obviously!

'Ignorant'

When I was a student, I once spent about half an hour waiting to be served in a crowded bar. The people either side of me got served several times over, but I was steadfastly ignored. By the time I was finally served, I moved away from the bar and found that my friends had moved on assuming that I'd headed off for the last regular bus home, so I had to neck the frigging drink to head out in the street to phone and check where they'd moved on to. It was one of those bars where you have to yell to make your order, so trying to get attention by calling out was not helpful!

Being built like a 12 year old is not advantageous for attracting attention!

Today at a Costa: 'How much is the the caramel shortbread?'
Assistant on till: 'I don't know', - pause while I'm assuming he's looking it up. Silence for a few seconds...then he asks "Do you want me to find out?"
Erm, that would help...

Where I work we have self service as well as a regular till, but the regular till has to help out other staff the second they're done serving.

So I'm often very busy in the middle of dealing with the second part of the order (non till part) for customers who've already paid when others come up.

Most of the time I notice them and just say "I'll be right with you", so they know I'm just finishing and will be straight over.

Sometimes, though, it's so busy I don't always notice immediately, and people can get really pissy. It's not like we're stood around chatting; we're quite obviously rushed off our feet!

I'm always polite and apologise for the (minute at most) wait but it often doesn't appease.

Oh and I agree with a pp; don't touch staff, or strangers in general. It is exceptionally rude.

AM I BLOODY INVISIBLE???

Went with my Mum to help her buy a posh outfit for my brothers wedding. We trailed round dozens of shops, largely ignored by chatting staff.
Eventually walked into a small privately owned boutique where an older woman said " you look tired, have a seat while I get you a coffee".
She then brought the outfits to us !
We spent £100's in there.

two young girls

Are shops employing children?

No I never get ignored.

Shops pounce on me.

abbs yes they do that in our Subway too. I say "I have another child, and I'd quite like something too. "

Touching us does not get us onside. It's pretty loathesome and we can see through it. Especially if as one customer did, you give me a rash!

abbs and CountDuckulaTheSqueaky When there's only one member of staff on at Subway, they're trained to do one sandwich (or even half of that sandwich), then go to next customer in line, so they're doing two or three customers at once.

He wasn't just being an arse, but you were with your attitude, abbs.

Surely a simple "hi" to the shop assistant solves the problem immediately? I don't know of anyone who would continue ignoring me after a greeting?

I get ignored most places tbh - including on mn actually 😆

No this doesn’t happen to me, I would also be of the 15 seconds variety if it did .

I’ve never had it happen in a car dealer either, I used to work in the industry and As such am used to going into dealerships, I recall the first time using my current dealership for a service walking through the workshop, saying good morning to the mechanics, knocking on the service managers door, I did it without thinking, and it wasn’t till I saw the look of surprise on his face I realised going to Reception and waiting was more normal. Still do it though

it's not just you I get ignored in all shops banks etc.. so does my son, we are both very quiet and polite though whereas my other child demands to be seen and heard so I think I need to be more like her

Add the post office to your list. They seem to enjoy faffing around while there's a queue.

My friend works in a Post Office and, like any other Civil Service or former Civil Service/government regulated organisation, you'd have no idea how much stuff they are legally obliged to do and record for every transaction. Some of it is madness, but compulsory by law. So I forgive the Post Office, I'm sure they get just as frustrated as the waiting customers do!

I ve noticed a decline in John Lewis and their customer service. We ve got no hope if they re gettibg it wrong. (Runs out into the street shouting "We re doomed! We re all doomed")

Where I work there's jobs I have to do before serving if they come in while I'm in the middle of it. Like pulling stuff out the oven so it doesn't burn. I always say I would t be a moment though I'd never just ignore.

Do not touch us.

Seriously- why do you think that invading our personal space is ever going to get us onside as it were?

The last time someone grabbed me I told her not to touch me, I don't like being touched by people I don't know and could she not do it. She grabbed me again and said "Well I didn't know". So I shouted #2get your hands off me".

Then there's the bloke who triggered a 30 minute panic attack when he came up behnd me while I was serving other customers, whom he knew, and fucking hugged me.

So no, keep your hands to yourself.

I usually say ‘excuse me’ after a minute or so and if that doesn’t work I slam my hand down on the counter and shout ‘SHOP’
(I learned that from my Grandad, a man impossible to ignore). It hasn’t not worked yet.

Oh good god do not touch people to get their attention. I hate people in my personal space so much. It would not make me want to help you.

Getting eye contact is a good way of attracting attention. I do this when I'm cycling and want to make sure a car driver has seen me.

Quite frankly I'd prefer it if people didn't ever come up to me in shops unless I actually want help. I'm far too polite to tell them to go away, especially in Lush. Once ended up having a 15 minute perfume consultation. Didn't have the heart to say I didn't like any of them and wasn't planning on buying a perfume anyway.