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!

Where is your respect for the people who died to give us our feedom.

The point is freedom. To make our own choices.

Not be told by "them" how to behave and to show respect and whatever else.

As soon as someone starts telling me what to do my hackles rise. My father fought in WW2 and I have always supported the RBL.

But I will not be told when to be quiet, when to wear a poppy and how to behave by people who just think they are somehow more virtuous than everyone else.

I donated by text message this year so I didn't have a poppy. I would like to be able to go about my business without being given hard stares by the poppy mafia.

I've never flown on Remembrance Day so I genuinely didn't know that security etc stops. But do trains really delay their departure? It must have knock-on effects all day!

But this what I mean. It used to be a 2 minute silence. Now it seems that it has to be a 2 minutes stop what you are doing, pull over, stop all activity.

I don't disagree that chatting on a mobile phone through the silence is rude though. In fact it's rude at any time when you are in a shop wanting someone to serve you.

To be clear, I don't want force anyone to be quiet. Just respect other people who wish to observe it.

Wow. Reanimate I haven’t read anything so sweepingly prejudiced in a long time.

Are you this rude in RL, Reanimate, or only when behind a keyboard? That was such a ridiculously judgmental thing to say

The silence is important to me but I’m no Little Englander, being half Czech, and I voted remain. Because close family relatives suffered during the war. So quit being so obnoxious.

Just seen this thread and thanks Reanimate for the laugh.

You were quite restrained op. What an entitled knob she sounds and I am surprised other shoppers didn’t tell her so after the silence.

Yup, I'm just as gobby in real life, because the hard of thinking need frequent mocking and shaking up. HTH.

Reanimated your arrogance is breath taking, I do however comend you on your self confidence!

Well the hard of thinking are very apparent on here!

Sgb, as usual, has a point

the hard of thinking

Frankly that's looking more like you than anyone else on this thread.

So, Reanimate, you think people who disagree with you are necessarily ‘hard of thinking’, do you? It doesn’t occur to you ever that you might be the one who might be ‘hard of thinking’? Yes, that does make you extremely arrogant.

You can pay your respects in your own time. Companies should not force this on anyone. Those who wish to pay their respect to the dead should also respect people who don't wish to pay their respect in public or at all.

jessica if the till staff and store staff want to stop to pay their respects then the customer will have to wait!!

@Jessica1972

You are replying to a post dated Tue 14-Nov-17

There is usually a warning in the reply box to say the thread has not been posted on for a while.

ZOMBIE THREAD!!!

And if the customer doesn't want to pay their respect then the staff should oblige. Customer comes first. Again, do it in your own time you time wasters.

If the customer is still waiting to be served she’s probably missed that train, considering the op was 6 MONTHS AGO!

Zombie zombie zombie!!!!

And now I have Cranberries stuck in my head. Bloody hell.

Why do people resurrect such old threads purely to be goady? What’s pissed you off so much today that you’ve thought you’d come on and refer to people observing a moments silence “wasters”.

I think the customer is reasonable to complain as the silence has clearly been going on for far too long.

Hahaha user, I think you might be right!

I love Zombie !

I think it's unfair that whether to observe the silence or not was put on the staff. There should have been a sign on the door saying that the shop would stop for 2 mins, then she didn't have to come in if she didn't want to. YANBU.