Two minutes silence and refusing to serve customer

[BalugaBelle]

At work today I was on the checkout (large retail store) and the silence was announced over a tannoy.

A woman (on the phone) came up to the checkout during the silence, so I shushed her. Motioned to poppies next to till!

She then said, "I'm going to miss my train, please continue serving me!"

I refused, shook my head and sat silently for the two minutes.

At the end I put her items through, she moaned at me and called me rude and petty and then went on her merry way.

So was I being unreasonable to respect the two minutes silence, even if it meant a customer was unhappy at me doing so?

I know good customer service is needed but surely the two minutes silence takes priority? She clearly had no respect!

Quite frankly I didn't give a damn about her train, I was paying my respects as was everyone else in the shop. It was literally almost silent apart from young children (understandable) and general noise, i.e., heating making noises!

Christ, PeiPeiPing, coiled spring or what?

Can you speak with your manager and ask next year that it is announce over the tannoy that the store will be observing the silence and tills with be closed during this time?

Saying I enforced my views on her- could you flip it over and say she was forcing her views on me to not observe the silence?

I know people have different views. My family who fought in the war were always very stupid about Remembrance Sunday, wearing poppies, etc... My kids are doing parades today. My family are like that. I know others are not, but it's always been standard and important to me to observe the silence.

@Mishappening

You should have served her - no question. You have no right to impose your view on someone else. We all remember in our own way.

Every shop has a right to NOT serve anyone they choose to not serve!. You do not have a right to be served. Too many entitled bloody special snowflakes around these days who thinks the world revolves around them, and their wants, and needs, and desires.

I would not have served the woman, and she would have been give a short shrift from me if she had been making demands in MY shop.

Yes- I asked what the something more tangible is but you seem
Intent on keeping it secret

I already explained up the thread worst kept secret in history.

I met the local leader of the RBL branch through work. I spent a number of hours speaking to them about getting their message out as they were struggling. I created a website for them. I promoted both the organisation as a whole through social media and e-mail mail out.

On my own community website I have promoted through links, publicity and my social media accounts which have thousands of followers. I am also in the process of initiating a project in conjunction with the local branch to help veterans in the area with no family.

@BalugaBelle

Saying I enforced my views on her- could you flip it over and say she was forcing her views on me to not observe the silence?

This exactly. ^

The type of woman you are on about (like some people on this thread,) only see THEIR side of the story though, and think things should only go THEIR way, and everyone should bend over backwards for THEM.

Everyone knows at least one little special snowflake like this.

Also will say I understand those who DON'T observe the silence. I understand everyone has different thoughts about it and that some people will pay their respects in their own time, in their own way. This isn't a debate of whether one should observe the silence itself, but more that a person should allow others to observe the silence freely without interrupting them or being rude. To some people it is very important and a time of deep thought. Some people won't feel like that and that is fine, but you must remember that to others we like to take the two minutes to remember.

Bubble, if posters want to tell you, they will. They don't have to. I don't have to. This thread is quite aggressive and I'm really not interested in that. We all do what we want to do at the end of it all and we're free to do that.

How doea fame feel this merry Sunday, BalugaBelle?

Beluga, you need to speak to your store manager so that better systems are put in place next year. It's not difficult for tills to be closed and staff to move away for the 2 minutes.

It wasn’t the OPs shop thought, it was a large retail shop and at the end of the day she was being paid to serve customers.

Unless the retailer specifically said do not serve during the silence then the OP should have served, even though the customer was clearly being an arse. She could have been late for an important medical appt, collecting children from somewhere, we don’t know why she was in a hurry - and although the silence is important to some people, it isn’t to everyone.

^Thinks whole country should be silent for two minutes twice a year and everyone who doesn’t do this is a ‘bellend’

Also thinks there’s too many ‘entitled’ people around who just want everyone to bend to their whims. ^

Furthermore I know the silence doesn't feed or house homeless veterans or help fund their treatment for PTSD or similar... but it's still an important moment. Many people don't realise the enormity of the wars and what these people did for us, therefore the two mintutes we take in respect is not a waste of time or fruitless. If it gets people to appreciate and understand, then great.

The fact we need more support and funding for those who fight for our country is also a prominent issue but just because we desperately need funding it doesn't make the two minutes silence null and void.

I've seen lots of poppy collectors today and near my local store there's been a mini parade, all the children from cadets and the like have been out marching and in my local area there has definitely been a strong Remembrance Sunday display and recognition. I hope a lot of money has been raised. I will always do my two minutes silence but I am aware it doesn't raise money.

That was just to address what a few people said about funding being needed for veterans- and you are 100% right.

Italic fail

As we were walking back to the car after DC football match we looked round and saw the next 2 teams on the pitch lined up and standing in silence. This is parks football and the ( mostly )boys looked about 12. It was 11 am. Everyone stopped and waited. ( course they didn’t have to - maybe some were just respectful of others traditions) It was a very moving moment. And the image of it keeps coming back to me.

‘Enforced’ traditions can still carry great weight and humility.

Yanbu.
I don’t understand the whole ‘serve her in silence’ . You don’t have 2 minutes silence just to be quiet , it’s to reflect on the lives lost and to honour our fallen servicemen and servicewomen.

It was announced on the tannoy, though, the shop was observing the 2 minute silence. If the OP had served her someone else would have complained. Some of you are refusing to see this.

Mittens, i agree, i have said the same, but been insulted for it!

Not my shop no but in Ordinary circumstances I do not have to serve rude customers- there have been times in the past where I have refused to serve customers, with the backing of my manager.

I am paid to serve customers yes but this does not mean I have to become an emotionless robot and put up with rude and vulgar behaviour. My salary doesn't make me a doormat!

If someone is very rude to me, I will stand up for myself, being paid or not. I shall be polite and courteous in doing so, however.
I am still human.

Retail can be the pits sometime, however thankfully I am only working in retail for a year to fit around (never went earlier in life) university. I admire those who work full time in retail. It's not all bad however and right now everywhere is very Christmassy and mostly pleasant.

From what I can see on this thread, all name-calling is from observing posters who are denigrating those who don't, or who haven't said they do. It's not very respectful either is it?

Well you'd be wrong there you've also missed the very offensive posts that got deleted earlier on today. They weren't from people who observe the silence.

I observe the silence at home, we always did when I was a child too. It makes me cry every single year. I think about the families, who were just going about their business expecting their loved one back at a certain point, as I have many times, then they get the news that they're not coming. And it breaks me. I don't know how they coped.

She then said, "I'm going to miss my train, please continue serving me!"

To be fair, not very rude.

Darling - yes but right through the 2 minutes silence!

Darling - yes but right through the 2 minutes silence

It’s not mandatory.

Our local sainsburys had a sign up saying the till staff would not serve during the 2 mins but customers could use the self checkouts on silent.

To be honest the woman should have given herself more time but she cant force the situation no more so than if a traffic light turned to red or she ended up in a jam.

Perhaps the station staff and train driver were also paying their respects so 2mins would not have made a difference