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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Customers swearing at retailers today

109 replies

chocolateworshipper · 01/06/2018 22:42

AIBU to hope that customers who shouted swore at retailers today feel BLOODY ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES. Did you SERIOUSLY believe that the teenager behind the till was responsible for your Visa card not working?

OP posts:
SimonBridges · 01/06/2018 22:44

I worked in retail for years. I got called a bitch, a cunt and everything in between.
Now I always stand up for the retail staff and will confront sweary people.
I hope you did the same op.

Wolfiefan · 01/06/2018 22:45

I hope you weren't on the receiving end of this OP.
People can be shitty. Recent venue I attended had let staff have video equipment of some kind. The staff paid (probably very little) to ensure the safety of those attending had been treated appallingly. Angry

FatherMackenzie · 01/06/2018 22:46

Wtaf is wrong with people? Yanbu.

BalthazarImpresario · 01/06/2018 22:47

I work in a retailer that has had lots of system issues over the past few years, the abuse we get when the system is down is hilarious, oh yeah we planned this because we don't want to make any sales, want to fuck up our footfall vs sales and to have people kicking off.

The public are the worst when denied their non essential consumption (the retailer I work in is luxury, not essential)

Original poster
chocolateworshipper · 01/06/2018 22:47

I would have if I'd been there Simon - it was my DD working behind a till today. I only found out after her shift ended - otherwise I would have driven over there, believe me!

OP posts:
Glumglowworm · 01/06/2018 22:50

YANBU

Even if it was the shops system rather than the whole VISA system, it’s not the fault of the person serving you.

I suspect some of the swearers had walked past and ignored several “cash only” signs... the type of person who swears at shop staff tends to think things like that only apply to other people

SleepFreeZone · 01/06/2018 22:51

I wasted half an hour today getting my shopping at Aldi only to make it to the checkout and realise they were only accepting cash. I was pretty pissed off but you’ll be glad to know I didn’t get cross with anyone Merely put all my stuff back in the trolley and passed it over to a member of staff who was collecting all the trolleys as basically no one could pay. I shall try again tomorrow 😬

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 01/06/2018 22:52

If I was there id have said "Who do you think you're talking to, Cheeky bitch". After all that young girl couldn't have spoke out, could she. I wouldn't have been able to help myself
if that were my daughter I'd be going nuclear.

SmashedMug · 01/06/2018 22:52

Yanbu. They fit into the same category that think the checkout staff control the prices, the queues, how many checkouts are open etc. Rude thick twats.

SluttyButty · 01/06/2018 22:55

Well we went shopping this evening. Aldi had nothing on there door about problems. We shopped and then at the till we were told there was a problem. Husband had to dash off to find cash, it wasn't enough so I had to try £10 on contactless.
We'd have been far more accommodating had we known before we filled the trolley.

EB123 · 01/06/2018 22:56

Some people are bloody horrible. My husbands payment was declined this afternoon, frustrating yes but not the checkut persons fault.

Battleax · 01/06/2018 22:58

We'd have been far more accommodating had we known before we filled the trolley.

In what way we’re you not accommodating?

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/06/2018 23:06

YANBU

Your poor dd Angry

Armchairanarchist · 01/06/2018 23:09

I had a load of shopping in Aldi. The woman in front managed to pay by card but it took about two minutes to authorise the transaction. Lucky me got to be the first card to be declined so the staff member tried twice taking around five minutes. Fortunately there was a cash machine in the shop that worked, meanwhile it started decline every card. Not once did I think to blame the staff but I was embarrassed when my card declined.

megletthesecond · 01/06/2018 23:13

Yanbu.

LighthouseSouth · 01/06/2018 23:13

OP I step in when I see this
But tbh these people are such arseholes, they never feel ashamed just embarrassed and sometimes angry all over again.
Nothing will improve them except maybe a kick where it hurts
But as that's not allowed, I can only say sorry your DD had that experience

CoolCarrie · 01/06/2018 23:16

YANBU at all. Some people should be ashamed the way they speak to check out staff and waiters/ waitresses as well!

gillybeanz · 01/06/2018 23:17

It's what you expect working in retail though, even worse at xmas with queues and fighting over certain things.
you have to grow a strong hide, no use mummy getting involved.

There will always be arses and shop assistants can refuse to serve them if they are aggressive.

SluttyButty · 01/06/2018 23:17

Battleax I hadn't read the news so had no idea what was going on, no signs on the doors to warn us.i was quite crabby when we arrived at the till and said I would leave my full trolley there and leave.
They could have avoided all this with a simple notice, I could have made a choice that eouldnt have left some poor assistant putting all my shopping back.

Wolfiefan · 01/06/2018 23:18

Gilly
No one should expect abuse Hmm

MadMags · 01/06/2018 23:19

Who were you crabby with, out of curiosity?

NotARegularPenguin · 01/06/2018 23:20

Took me 4 attempts to pay for fuel. What would have happened if it hadn’t gone through? I had no cash and was nowhere near a cash machine. Not even local so couldn’t have easily gone back.

NotLeanButMean · 01/06/2018 23:22

YANBU. Same category of people who scream and shout at young GP receptionists as if it's our fault the GP is running late, or hasn't done your prescription, or tells us we have to charge you for that letter, or I can't give you online access without photo ID. I've worked as a frontline HCA in a secure psych hospital where you are faced with violence and aggression every hour, and I was still on the whole spoken to better than your average day in a GP surgery (where FWIW, I run around like a blue arsed fly and go above and beyond for the patients as much as I can without actually losing my job). Most hated bloody role in England, and retail is only just second to that. I sympathise with your DD. Why are the general public so bloody rude? What do they gain from it?

sweeneytoddsrazor · 01/06/2018 23:23

Yes plenty of people have been extremely unpleasant today. Actually made some announcements in work and then plenty of people just left their full trollies in the aisles and went away. Others didn't listen, got to the checkouts and were furious. Myself and another manager were rushing around with the old manual machines so people could use their cards and even had a customer say I was trying to get their card details for fraudulent purposes.

NotLeanButMean · 01/06/2018 23:23

Took me 4 attempts to pay for fuel. What would have happened if it hadn’t gone through? I had no cash and was nowhere near a cash machine. Not even local so couldn’t have easily gone back.

But how is that the cashier's fault? I'm sure she was much more inconvenienced by it all than you were, and was just as blameless.