Aggressive supermarket colleague

[JillBob]

Just to preface this, I appreciate we’re in very odd times and we all need to pull together, be responsible and follow the rules.
That being said, I’d like to gauge peoples opinions on this situation:

Today I innocently entered the bakery aisle of a well known supermarket to collect some bread and was unaware I had entered it in the wrong direction (it was not until I left the store that I found there had been a change to the way you can walk around the aisles - everyone up until that point was walking down aisles in any direction they wished).

One of the bakery colleagues then shouted at me quite loudly about the fact I had entered the aisle in the incorrect direction. I then turned around to go in the correct direction and she was stood berating me very loudly and aggressively to whoever would listen causing many people to stare at me as I just went to get bread.

This really was a genuine mistake and I feel like she could have handled this better. Not going to lie that I was very upset leaving the store.

I’m just wondering if I should expect this now, this is normal behaviour to expect going out for a shop and I’m being over sensitive or was this unacceptable?

I work in a supermarket. I personally make announcements over the tannoy every 10/15 minutes asking people to keep 2m apart and follow the (massive) black arrows in each aisle. We also have signs up in the queueing area saying the same thing.

I still get abuse from customers who are ignoring those rules and wandering everywhere/touching everything and everyone is either abusive or has an excuse - "I didnt realise!", "I forgot something" etc - despite the fact my store has had these measures in place for over a month and they're common sense, not to mention very well publicised.

By the 5th hour of a 10 hour shift and the 100th time I've been told to "fuck off telling me what to do", I invariably stop being nice about having to tell customers to just do as their told and follow the rules.

My Tesco started the one way system last week, signs everywhere, arrows on the floor and some places blocked off. People still wander around and enter aisles from the wrong direction, it makes ME nervous, I can't think how terrified I would be if I actually worked there.

She was rude.
You weren't paying attention.

In the scheme of things let it go and move on.

I'd let it go.

Last time I was in Tesco the amount of people going against the one way system was unreal. What’s worst was the number of off duty staff (still in uniform) doing their shopping disregarding it.

A couple of workers in our local Tescos are the same. My 18 yo son went there recently it was his first time since lockdown and the new queue system. He was told off twice (loudly) just because he didn't know what to do, what not to do. I think it's perfectly reasonable he and others don't know what to do - after all we aren't going out much at all so that's a good thing! Some people just enjoy "being in charge" when they can. Ignore, try and follow the rules, forget about them.

Yanbu. I work in retail. We don’t hugely want to be there. We are all worried. However we are still polite and friendly to the customers no matter how many times they go the wrong way round to the queue!

I had a similar experience in wilkos. The people directing the queue were downright rude and snotty and they’ve lost my custom. Quite a few of our customers said the same thing. Some shops seem to be forgetting they will want the customers to return when this is all over with.

I am overly sensitive right now as I’m postpartum but this would’ve definitely made me cry.

Cut her some slack. She’s most likely had to put up with being sworn at, had customers not observing the 2 metre rule, honestly working in retail right now is just horrendous. I’ve been sworn at had customers coming right up to me with no regard for my safety or theirs for that matter, they’re coming to buy ridiculous items that are so non essential it’s laughable. I will admit to being rude to several it’s the only way they take notice. It’s frightening at the moment. People’s stupidity Is frightening

I wouldn't complain. I understand that you are upset about it but it must tough enough putting your health on the line for basic pay and being on your feet all day without getting pulled up or issued a warning due to a customer complaint.

I would ring the storemanager if I were you.

Yes that's a great idea. See if you can get someone who goes to work in a pretty high risk for catching this virus environment into a bit of trouble. It's well publicised that supermarket staff have been given so much shit from customers since lockdown started and the woman was probably exhausted and stressed.

Should she have spoken to you like that? Of course not and she was absolutely wrong, but I'm pretty sure you can get over it without too much damage OP.

Unfortunately at the moment most people are too blinded by “the rules” to appreciate right from wrong and genuine mistakes.

Don’t take it to heart. I was told off on Saturday and called a fucking moron for going the wrong way. There were no signs or arrows to direct me and the check out assistant said it was the everyday basket shoppers that were policing the store, I.e they like to go one way and they tell you off if you go the logical way, up the first aisle down the second up the third etc. Ten days before that an old man called security on me for stockpiling. I had two cucumbers in my trolley, (ds only eats effing cucumber).The security guard laughed at me and said cucumbers weren’t on the contraband list, after that I stopped being upset by other people. I know I am doing my absolute best and the bakery lady is probably shit scared too, although it might be more helpful if they put massive signs up saying follow the arrows.

Unfortunately at the moment most people are too blinded by “the rules” to appreciate right from wrong and genuine mistakes.

Or blinded by fear. None of us has any idea what other people are going through.

Not nice this happened but I would just let it go. Don't bother giving it a second thought.

I’ve been totally unnerved by being shouted at by supermarket employees this weekend.

Saturday was Sainsbury’s, the self scan needed an age verification so I took a step back whilst waiting for an assistant they absolutely bellowed ‘stand back 2m’ whilst approaching me, they really made me jump but I tried to think nothing of it realising they’re probably on edge.

Today was Waitrose, I went to the elderly and vulnerable hour 10 minutes before the end, the queue was huge but I realised they were probably waiting for the normal opening time.

I approached the security guard to show my credentials but an assistant starting screaming at me to join the queue, it’s really unnerving, we’d never have been shouted at before.

The way she spoke to you was unacceptable and I'd never be that rude but she's obviously scared. Everyone in retail is scared at the moment. I would let it go but find somewhere else to shop.

I got berated at the supermarket a few weeks ago. I joined the queue and used the lines on the floor to stay 2m apart. Inside everyone was going wherever they liked, but doing their best to stay apart. I went to the aisles I needed and not up and down every aisle, to get in and out as quickly as possible. When I had finished shopping I joined a queue for the tills (they were 3/4 people deep up each aisle) and just before my turn to unload my trolley got very loudly chastised for not queuing like everyone else. I explained I had queued and the lady in front at the till, stood up for me and said I had queued behind her. This wasn’t good enough as apparently the whole store needed to queue down aisle 8 and be allocated a till. I tried to explain that I hadn’t realised and had joined a queue like everyone else seemed to be doing. This infuriated her as apparently I should have seen the single sign at the end of aisle 8, despite not going anywhere near this aisle. I thought she was going to have a heart attack she was so cross. She couldn’t understand why people were asking for more signs to be put up or to be told about this new system by security as they let people in.

It's difficult to know whether you should let this be or call the store manager. As supermarket working pp have said, the public can be horrible and I can imagine they are scared too, sick of people verbally abusing them and of people flouting the rules that have been set to keep people safe.

I firm telling off is probably the order of the day.

Following someone to berate them is unecessary.

Only you can judge if this was too far.

There are plenty of customers, particularly those with invisible disabilities, who will find the new rules baffling and confusing, the general tension very difficult and certainly find staff shouting at them unbareable.

I assume that this does not apply to you OP but if this staff member is overeacting (again I can't judge that) do they need reminding that the next customer to get it wrong might be incredibly vulnerable and need support?

You need to pay attention because all supermarkets are using this type of format. A lot of shop assistants will be berating you if you’re not careful

Yabu to have such double standards.
She's supposed to control her feelings enough to remain polite, despite the stress and risk she's under, to every single person that ignores the safety measures, but you are such a delicate flower you get upset about it? Get a grip

My husband had a similar experience the other day in a small corner shop. It's a pity because we are regulars there and prefer to use smaller shops if we can. They hadn't had hand sanitizer for a few weeks but this time they had. He was barked at for not seeing it/using it. My husband had no issue using it and said no problem but please ask me. She got her back up and he ended up leaving without anything because they didn't want his custom if he wasn't going to sanitise and follow rules of shop. Again he had no problem with doing it and I know he should have seen the hand sanitizer but manners go a long way especially in these times.
I did say to him she probably had to say it a hundred times etc. that week but it's not the first time she has been rude (before all this covid stuff) so we will just use another shop in future. They are probably delighted the blind bat has gone somewhere else

I worked in retail for 14 years, she was completely out of order to shout at you particularly if they haven't made the system obvious enough. Some customers might be afraid to be in there and shouting at them is not on also you never know if they are partially sighted or something. Where I worked the customers were quite often aggressive and intimidating but we were always polite not behind their back once they'd gone

I'd complain about that ie their system could be clearer to customers, some customers may have difficulties navigating it and could colleagues bear these things in mind please when dealing with them.

There are two issues:

Her manner, which was unacceptable. It is not OK to take her stress out on you.

The system, which does not take account of the way people actually shop in real life (forgetting things, changing their mind, deciding between two items etc) - i.e. they do not move in a straight line in one direction and it is unreasonable to expect them to, because we are not robots.

It can also be counter-productive because it forces you to go down aisles you aren't interested in to get to ones you do need to access, which increases exposure.

So YANBU.

Why is it okay for people working in shops to be rude all of a sudden? We’re all living under stress and I don’t know anyone who enjoys shopping at the moment.

I’m fed up with People making excuses for awful behaviour. My husband is in hospital and the care he gets from the staff there is wonderful. I can’t imagine medical staff being allowed to shout at patients because the current situation is causing them stress.

I think if shop assistants are behaving like that it’s because they are arses all of the time. I’m sure 99.9% of them are decent people getting on with their jobs but you usually get a few who are full of their own importance. They’ll be revelling in the current situation, positive it’s their right to treat people badly even if it’s a genuine mistake.

Thank goodness the current situation is bringing out the best in most people.