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!

This thread is ridiculous, the op doesn’t have an Aibu she just wanted to froth at the mouth for a bit and everyone has piled on to join in

I actually think the OP herself was one of the least frothy. She just floated in from time to time to stir the froth without actually going full on nuclear herself.

I would have said the actual frothing peaked in posts at 15:16 and 18:03 and they weren’t the OP’s efforts.

How am I exaggerating, those are all exact things people have called her, and some of them weren’t just about her but about anyone who didn’t observe the silence.

It's about respect for those who died for this Country and if you cannot spare 2 minutes per year for the fallen and your bloody mobile phone call is more important then I do not respect you.

Course you can choose when and where you contemplate things Wiggy!

Not if you're locked in the OP's local shop you can't.

Sentimental I think you’re frothing and exaggerating now.

No, she’s not. Non observers have been called every name under the sun on this thread.

No theymademe I don’t think responding with rudeness is on.

I think it goes back to my point that on a relative scale ‘ the shush’ is SO minor in comparison to the total disregard phone lady showed for the other people’s Remberence silence that it seems like missing the point.

Ok so OP wasn’t frothy but she was like a bath bomb, she knew the froth would come.

@spiney - if the shopper had been unaware, then a shush, which may have been done in an aggressive, judgemental way, seems much ruder to me than not being aware of the silence.

If the shopper was aware and the shush was a gentle, apologetic one, then the shopper's behaviour was much ruder than the shush.

Either way, both were rude and by saying that the shopper got what they deserved, you were strongly implying that you felt rudeness was an acceptable response.

theymademe this is exhausting discussing the potential levels of Shushh the rude phone lady was ‘subjected’ to!

Even if she was ‘Shushed’ too aggressively, really she needs to grow up and take it on the chin. And bear in mind that her momentary irritation is not much to the potential meaningfulness of the 2 minutes to anyone of the people around her.

Context is everything here.

Non observers have been called every name under the sun on this thread
Just my take on this:
Non observers who quietly continue with their business, fine.

Non observers who are noisy during tue 2 minutes silence because 'I'm not doing some forced silence. Look at all these people like sheep. Sort of ironic them all doing some forced nationist celebration of war when we fought Hitler to stop this sort of stuff happening' - rude bellends.

Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't quite expect this intensity of discussion. I wanted to know if I was BU as I thought about it after and was conflicted about whether I did the right thing...

I stupidly thought the conversation wouldn't stray too far from my either (possibly bad) customer service, although I realise that I should have considered that such a sensitive topic would invoke discussion.

I know some purple have been rude, however the conversation/debate has been interesting to read. It's amazing how different people's views are. I've also learnt a lot from reading people's replies.

So yes this turned out very different and has gone from me being a little angry to unsure and moany to a full on discussion about politics, history and many different opinions and outlooks. Hence I don't regret this post.

Not one poster has said they would disturb the two minute silence

Another rule 101 - people who demand respect the most are the ones who deserve it the least.

And if anyone had tried to confine me in a shop because of some state-imposed circle-jerk I would have made a huge amount of noise. Because that would be the point at which the shop staff/management had lost any right to 'consideration of their wish to be silent' - by preventing me from going about my business.

@spiney - her momentary irritation is not much to the potential meaningfulness of the 2 minutes to anyone of the people around her.

That's rather presumptuous. You have no idea what she felt or thought about the OP's rudeness in shushing her. Equally, many of those observing the silence may have only being doing so in order to be respectful of those for whom it was meaningful rather than any great interest in it. You are projecting your own feelings on the situation and have decided one person was right and the other wrong.

I believe both were wrong. Without witnessing it personally, I don't know who was more wrong. In contrast, you believe one was wrong and the other was right. That is certainly your prerogative.

I see it as the government trying to force us to remember that they murdered millions of us in pointless wars and still want to. However, probably wouldn’t bother me if a staff member wanted to observe - I’d just wait.

Oh wait I stand corrected apparently reanimated would disturb it

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, mine is if you have ANY relative in theforces then today becomes emotional, if people don't get that then it's their problem. I did not come here to "stir the pot". MN is becoming a place for people to argue for the sake of it. You are all entitled to your opinion as I'm entitled to mine.

Luckily reanimated it only lasts for 2 mins. So wouldn’t have to listen to you for very long.
But I agree it’s a bit much. They should lock the doors open.

Theymademe So we’ve decided differently! I think I saw that coming.

I see it as the government trying to force us to remember that they murdered millions of us in pointless wars and still want to.
I see the death toll as a truly horrifying reminder of what governments commit their people to safe in the knowledge that they'd never send their children to make that sacrifice. I think WW1 was a political horror which shouls never happen again and I see some more modern conflicts as international dickwaving with money making opportunities.

However, people still died. And whatever I think about the powers that be, those people gave their lives and I will continue to honour them. To remember is not the same as to glorify.

Oh wait I stand corrected apparently reanimated would disturb it

Tbh, I could see myself getting a bit shirty if security locked me into a store and wouldn’t let me leave until the observation was over.

Thankfully, I don’t think that would fly in the Dear Green Place so I’ll probably never know.

@spiney - So we’ve decided differently!

That's always the case in differences of opinions. And of course, I know my opinion is the correct one and presumably, you also know yours is the correct one

Totally agree with you on that one Theymademe!

I grew up in a very Irish Republican family where the poppy was anathema. You didn't do anything that 'glorified' the British army

The poppy is not a symbol only for the British army.

And I remember doing a minute's silence all through my childhood on Armistice day, so it's not a new thing.

See - I knew we'd agree eventually

@StrangeLookingParasite - The poppy is not a symbol only for the British army.

No. It's a symbol for those in the British forces and their allies who died in conflicts. It does not include anyone who was not allied to, or serving with, the British.