Asked to move back ..aibu to be annoyed?

[simdd]

I went to Morrison's today.
I'm stood in the queue for the deli counter.
She shouts for my turn so I go over
(Obviously I cant see what I want,so before I order I look at the items )
I'm stood back (not right next to the counter)
She shouts .."can you step back "
(Bare in mind she's behind the deli counter and the counter is quite wide outwards)
So I say "I am back,I'm trying to see what I want to get "
Step back further and block the aisle now ..
Then she throws my meat on the counter.
I go to pick it up and she pipes up again
"I did ask you to step back"
So I reply .."how the hell am I meant to pick it up from on top of the counter without moving forward"
Aibu to think people are getting a bit stupid here and not using common sense.

Tesco is a bit of a pain for this at the minute.

They have a line marked on the floor where you stand to repack your bags at the checkout.

Checkout assistant scans it through.

However, as I'm a short arse, unless they physically push all the shopping down to the bottom of the end of the checkout, I cannot reach from behind the line. It's fine if they push the shopping down, but so many just pile it up next to them.

So what ends up happening is my toes are behind the line, but I'm having to bend quite far in and stretch forward and reach, thus putting my face in much closer contact than it would be if I could stand say a foot closer...

I got a right sour look from the sales assistant yesterday. Went up to pay for my jumper. Started to take it off the hanger. She huffily told me to leave the hanger in. ‘Fine’ I said, ‘But it likely won’t fit into the teeny space under the new perspex screen between us, for you to scan it.’

Huge eyeroll, and repeated to leave the hanger IN, as if speaking to a hearing-impaired toddler.

I tried to tuck it through the slot, and guess what? Didn’t fit. I tried about 11 ways. She stared at me throughout, then stalked off. I laughed, but it wasn’t the ideal customer service experience. It’s dicey enough shopping as it is, without having to spend longer in shops because of snooty assistants (and stupid perspex screens that aren’t fit for purpose).

Our local mini supermarket, with 4 aisles and a one way system has a one-in-one-out policy, with a maximum number of people allowed in at any one time. Except no one thinks to check how many are actually inside, which was a total of 4 including me, and there was a massive queue outside. A guy in the queue said a previous day he had been the only one inside and still it was one-in-one-out.

I got yelled at for not following the one way system. I was, me not following was literally taking 4 steps back on myself as I missed the item in the aisle at first glance

I went to Homebase the other day for one item. They aren't doing click and collect and you can't check stock availability online either. I'm 34 weeks pregnant with sciatica and PGP, and was refused entry because I said I didn't need a trolley. The only trolleys were those ones that you drag behind you else they won't go in a straight line, and I physically couldn't have managed that without causing myself pain (and probably crashing into things). I don't understand why me touching a trolley I don't need is safer for anyone, so I went home and went to a B&Q 15 miles away the next day because they are offering click and collect. DH went in and he didn't have to take a trolley.

I had the same in Asda & Tesco.

Nevermind the fact that there was no queue outside either. Everyone was inside! Packed to capacity.

I’ve had enough off it all.

Yep it's just daft. I was waiting near a counter the other day. It's a pharmacy linked to a normal shop. I thought I was the only person in the whole shop. A man cleared his throat for attention and when I turned realised he'd been standing behind me about 2 meters away. He asked could he get past me. There was literally no where for me to go so I moved the one inch forward I could go and he walked past looking really annoyed. He had a mask on, was a good distance away from me and I'd originally had my back to him. Just bonkers!

It does put me off shopping completely. I won’t be going clothes shopping. Apparently you’re not allowed to touch anything unless you intend to buy it. You can’t try it on and you can’t hold it up to check the size. How is that going to work?

I get these frustrations but as a shop worker we are exhausted, tired and we get ridiculed on a daily basis.
I try and keep distances etc but some people just don't get it and don't care. It's so frustrating.
I've been laughed at numerous times for stepping back.
I'm following company policy. It's my job. I also care about my health and the health of others if I'm transmitting it.
I suspect a lot of staff in these stories are at the end of their tether. They've got to deal with abuse on things unrelated, this is the last straw for them. Not excusing their behaviour of course, just presenting another side.

Thankfully my local Sainsbury's has released loads of click and collect slots so I've been picking my shopping up at 7.30 on a Thursday morning.

Although I did order some things from argos yesterday that I hoped would be ready today as its my day off but now says Tuesday so I'm going to have to brave the queue and Sainsbury's.

I've been spoken loudly to twice recently. I won't call it shouting, I'm not that dramatic. Both times I've went into a shop where the till point isn't visible, to then be told its one person at a time please.
So I waited outside.
Big deal.

I think some folks working in retail are panicked. We had similar in the garden centre, young lad too. My impression was he was worried for himself and wanted people to stay far away from him,

I suspect there are a lot of people working with thr public who are just plain scared and it’s impacting on their behaviour.

Some of them I suspect are just enjoying the drama and being a bit bossy.

I totally get the safety measures etc but the thing about being together from the same household and having to be separated in a shop boggles my mind a bit. DP and I have been using buses recently and only about a third of seats are allowed to be used - I haven't seen more than four people maximum on a bus and because of the way every other seat is off limits we end up very socially distanced from each other despite sharing a bed at home...... our area has a very low infection rate and of course we want to see it stay that way, but as someone else said, is this how we live forever now?

I have my own independent shop which sells clothes and lifestyle accessories etc - I'm not re-opening because I'm a one woman band and won't be able to put the right measures in place and police it while doing my job as well...... we're just moving to an online model and when our lease expires next year keeping it that way. It's a shame because I love the social aspect of our niche market but I think "shopping" as a social exercise is now a thing of the past.

I do get the difficulty and the worry people have, health anxiety is an awful thing which I've had myself in the past about my child.

I do think originally when we didn't know much about the virus it was understandable, and cautious and one thing that as a country we got right.

However, the investigation into the virus has been rapid and impressive, we've all been able to share info quite easily, so much more is known now than say in February.

We know it's not something you get standing briefly near someone, you apparently need to be standing right near them talking minus masks for some 15 minutes before enough virus has shed from the afflicted to make you ill.
So all this OTT queuing constantly is pretty pointless, along with one way systems. As long as you don't hang about talking with no masks and washing your hands, you'll be fine.
And for most people, if you do catch it, you will either barely even know or be fine within a few weeks. Yes the shielded list is known now, they should stay as they are. But it's more or less pretty fine for everyone else

I think as more stuff is known we should try and get back to as normal as possible because frankly, the after effects to the economy and to healthcare is going to be far worse and more detrimental than the actual virus.
It's like with opticians and dentists. You can only go if really necessary and people in my local area are being told at dentists that you can have antibiotics or the tooth removed, that's it.
Dentists and opticians both pick up on the early signs of illnesses all the time so having these out of action is going to cause problems
And don't even get me started on schools.

Yep hysterical people everywhere

I interact with the public all day in my job and 90% of people walk right up to me and don't observe anywhere near the 2 meter rule. It's frustrating when it happens all day and we have signs and tape everywhere.

I think I have been quite fortunate in that I haven't experienced anything like these scenarios in our local supermarkets. Non locally have the one way system and when I went a bit further afield to a big Tesco's and it did, I seemed to be the only one following the rules.

A few customers seem to have forgotton or are not aware of the 2m thing when queuing, I had a chap the other day repeatedly push his trolley into me and tut and sigh loudly because I was leaving the designated amount of space between me and the lady in front. Fortunately I am very well padded so it didn't hurt and I just ignored him whilst not moving.

I'm deaf in one ear suppose to wear an hearing aid broke it when I younger (broke in my 20 now in my 30 🤔) I've done fine with out it as I can hear in the other ear and lip read with mask 😷 not i can't and have been trying to lean closer to hear people (who have mask on and a big screen between us) and I am keeping my distance, I will then explain I can't hear them and just get tuts and eye roll the way people are treating each other is disgusting and causing damage to our society

Maybe some of you should consider the retail staff who are exposed to hundreds of people (many of them stupid) everyday.
I work in retail and was serving someone. The next customer came along with 3 teenagers and stood about a foot from the person I was serving. The individual I was serving moved her young daughter to her other side away from the group but was obviously agitated, so I asked the group to move back which they did. But I shouldn’t have to do this, people should know - but they’re entitled and stupid.
All you complaining, may very well be sensible and cautious but there are lots who aren’t and retail staff are sick of having to deal with the idiots.

I use Morrison’s as a filler for my main shop, I went a few weeks ago stood in the baking heat for 45 minutes and they hardly had any stock. The staff were useless , I’m done with them now.

It's not that difficult! Stay behind the line until instructed to move forwards. At that point the cashier will move back to allow you to pay if they can!

The arrows in our Tesco Extra are a nightmare. I had to pop into the empty card lane, and rather than walk up the busy lane before it to get on the right entry side, I saw that no one was about, and just popped in to the lane from the wrong side. Suddenly a member of staff ran down the lane, got right in my face and shouted at me: "You should follow the arrows". "And you should be two metres away from me, so back off" I replied in my best Nessa voice. It was totally unnecessary, empty lane, no one about, and she made a song and a dance about it. Avoid Tesco now, and walk the extra half mile to Lidl, where it's much more sensible and pleasant.

Having been a manager in retail- and a tills supervisor- I know that sometimes you have to politely sound a little firmer than you may in fact feel to manage a queue, and that the public can be exceptionally stupid. That said, I've come across a few jobsworths practically peeing with glee at how Covid allows them to treat people- and most of the shops near me are fairly free flowing bar the tills, I've been impressed at how good people have been, mostly.

I've been shouted at by a very zealous tills supervisor in M&S; I was stood behind the line but reached over it to put my heavy basket on the end of the till ready to unpack when allowed- she yelled. She was having a lovely time saying everything at top volume & correcting every thing said by her colleagues- she knew best!

The only other "telling off" I've had so far was from an older lady most aggrieved that DP & I - who were as far from her as possible anyway- refused to walk in the middle of a road with fairly busy, fast 2 way traffic on it, as was her demand.
We stepped as far off the fairly wide pavement as we could- she could've increased the distance by going closer to the wall...

I am in Scotland so non essential shops are not due to open for a few weeks yet.
When this happens I will not be going anywhere near those shops.

Primark have released a statement saying that they will not having a sale. I wonder if this is to put off the crowds.

But @DiggeryDoop they shouldn't expect that all customers are slightly thick. I've not seen anyone here suggest that they were breaking "rules" and in some cases the shouty shop person has totally been in the wrong

It's why I've said all along clear, central guidelines for all stores should've been made and available publicly. That way you wouldn't have had one set of rules in one store then different, often baffling and counter productive ones in another. I've also been in stores that have one set of rules on a Tuesday and another set of rules on a Thursday, depending on who was in charge that day.

They also need to understand we are all as pissed off with this shitshow as they are.