To think sales staff should help you pack your bags?

[terreyyy]

I normally pack my bags without asking for help.
Today I went into the pound shop.
I had my two kids (one is 3 and other is 5) I had 2 heavy bags in one hand and it was raining so had my brolly.
Bought 5 glass pumpkins and got to checkout.
She told me they had nothing to wrap them in so I said no worries can I have some bags and I would put each in separate bag.
She put the bags down (unopened ) then scanned them really fast.
I had 1 daughter screaming,then I dropped my bank card.
So I'm trying to wrap each pumpkin up then put them in my carrier bag.
She is just stood behind the counter arms folded waiting for me.
She then says to the long queue (sorry about this everyone) whilst shaking her head looking at me.
Would it have actually killed her to just help me?
The guy serving on the next till was packing the bag for someone.
Aibu to think she could have helped ?
Rather than stand there and make me feel like an idiot

The entire question of packing bags has been weird for a while now, since people started taking their own into shops with them.

That said, if someone is struggling then they're struggling. You either help them or, if you don't feel comfortable doing so because of covid or anything else, you give them a bit of time to sort themselves out.

And just because you're in Poundland doesn't mean different considerations apply. You're still a customer spending money you've earned.

So yes she didn't behave well and I'd have felt flustered and pissed off too, OP. Hope the pumpkins look good - maybe you'll enjoy them more as you've worked for them? Think of yourself as a hunter gatherer seeing off a crowd of hostile buffalo in your quest for treasured glassware.

if a shop assisted said that about me to queue I would have addressed the queue and said, i'll be as quick as I can guy. I've got my hands full here. And carried on.

Why didn’t you ask for help?
It seems silly to moan about it after when you could have just asked.

Missing the point here, I know, but I've just googled and I need those pumpkins in my life!

Given that the assistant was addressing the queue with her arms folded I think that ship had sailed.

It depends on the shop really. An Aldi, Lidl or poundshop as PP has said you'll get them scanning fast in general (they are very busy stores where distancing would definitely be an issue if they didn't) but I don't think they'll help at the minute despite having all the necessary precautions and handwash.

I went to my local Robert Dyas this week where the person serving wore a visor, there's lots of handwash available, etc. The woman scanned, packed and handed me my bags from a distance. I was on my own but I know I'd never be in a situation like yours in there, I always find the service in there great. That being said, I've seen queues in there in times before but never rammed.

I think it would have been nice of the person to offer and not apologise on your behalf. I'd have been miffed at that experience, I tend to shop a lot online since having a child and stick by it, now especially.

Oh for piss sake wheres just common sense. woman with 3 small children full bags and a brolly needs a hand - Just give her a hand it takes 2 minutes. Instead the bitch at the till rolls her eyes and apologises to other customers. She was being an arse.
Regardless of whether its the poundshop or Sachs 5th avenue.
The people on here that say things like "what do you expect in a pound shop"
Ridiculous

You’re definitely a glass half empty person, OP.

You have apparently nabbed several of an item that is apparently like gold dust and managed to get through the checkout unscathed, and yet all you can think about is that the sales assistant didn’t help you, even though you didn’t ask her to.

If that woman was so thick that she didnt realise helping you pack would have got you out of the way a bit more quickly, then no wonder she's only managing a job on the till at Poundworld.

How condescending. Retail isn't easy dealing with members of the general public like you who obviously look down their nose

Instead the bitch at the till rolls her eyes and apologises to other customers.

Goodness, don’t you sound lovely.

I was in a pound shop this week. There are signs telling you to pack your own bags.

Am I the only one who would have sat the two heavy bags on the floor and the umbrella on the counter so I had my hands free to pack?

@slashlover my bags were on the floor.
I couldn't fit my brolly on the counter as
1.the pound shop counter is tiny and
2.the counter is full of sweets they are trying to flog you as extras at the till
I had my brolly in my hand,my three year old was screaming,she put the pumpkins on top of the un opened bags
Then I dropped my card,then my contactless didn't work so I had to type my pin in
My other child started walking away and the front door leads on to the main road.
I was totally stressed

YANBU.

It was obvious you needed help. Instead of helping she stood there shaking her head with her arms folded.

She was rude and unkind,

Not really much point complaining about something when you could so easily have asked for help and there’s nothing you can do about it now.

And as I said, at least you got the five pumpkins you wanted. Try to see the positives.

Yanbu.

She could have helped but chose not to, and then to add insult to injury apologised to other customers when she could have helped. You shouldn’t have had to ask. It doesn’t matter where you shop. I work retail and I have yet to have someone scream at me for touching their things nor do we have a rule not to help customers. We were only told to use hand sanitizer as much as possible, wipe things down and try to distance if we can. To ring anything up, we have to touch it in some way as well when we are wrapping things.

She didn’t have to behave in such a manner and if I had seen this, I would have asked if you would like some help. That’s how I was raised.

Some people should not work with the public and she is obviously one of them.

I’m a clumsy oaf at tills if I feel remotely pressured to be fast and/or have other stuff in my hands.

Really I’m just here hoping for a picture of the pumpkins...

The OP said the chap at the next till was helping to pack, so it obviously wasnt some sort of store rule

Or perhaps @funnylittlefloozie, the chap at the next till had been asked by the customer to help and if the OP had opened her mouth and done the same, she would have received the same help. But the OP didnt ask so the worker did what most of us retail staff has been told to do and let a customer have the space they need to pack their own stuff.

Like I said earlier, in my store we will not offer to pack nor will we pack into customers own bags, but if we are proactively asked to pack into new bags, we are more than willing to do so.

@FamilyOfAliens

Instead the bitch at the till rolls her eyes and apologises to other customers.

Goodness, don’t you sound lovely.

I sure am lovely thanks for pointing that out. Bet you were the girl at the till

Why did u take 5?
You could have just chucked one in a backpack!

@ilovesooty

So you didn't actually ask her to give you a hand?

A bit of common curtesy come on!!!

It’s bad enough when you just want to leave a shop when your child is making a scene. Did OP really need to ask.

@Enrico

Given that the assistant was addressing the queue with her arms folded I think that ship had sailed.

Evidently and to announce it to the rest of the que

@withlotsoflove 2 were for me ,2 for my sister and my friend wanted one too.

Yanbu you shouldnt even have had to ask it was obvious you were struggling, they were aware as they apologised to queue. Id be mortified and uncomfortable if another customer came to help. Ffs its the cashiers job to pack. Customer service is rarely good in the uk.

She sounds nasty. The obvious thing was to help you wrap the pumpkins. Failing that, the least she could've done would be to not cross her arms like a petulant brat. Shaking her head about you and apologising to the other customers as though you couldn't hear her was unnecessarily rude.

That's the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste and may make customers less likely to return. Not that she'd care, but her supervisor or manager might!