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

@Hannahmates I work full time mon-fri
I don't have a babysitter for my children
There's not such a thing as better planning unfortunately

Would it have killed the shop assistant to have helped?

Would it have killed the OP to have opened her mouth to ask for help?

I can see why op didn't ask given how flipping rude the woman was, it was obvious she wasn't going to help

No it wasnt. The woman scanned the items, gave the bags the OP requested and then stepped back from the counter, which is standard procedure for most retail environments at the moment.

She did not offer to help but neither did the OP ask for help. What was she supposed to do? She cant leave the till area, she has probably been instructed not to offer to pack as standard but will do so if asked - as her colleague was doing - and was trying to respect the customers social distance as much as possible so stepped away from the till to let her pack as she wished since assistance had not been requested.

Additionally the OP did say she asked for bags so she could bag them separately which most people would assume meant that the OP wanted to do it herself, especially when she was told there were no packing materials kept at the till (and tbf who ever expects the pound shop to keep bubble wrap at the till for delicate items? I wouldnt ever expect that service anywhere except at a higher end/department type store). The woman probably assumed the OP would want to pack the items herself to ensure they were packed correctly, or maybe she wanted to rejig the shopping she already had to accommodate separating the pumpkins to different bags, so stayed out of it to avoid the OP being annoyed at her touching the items repeatedly or making the process harder by doing it differently to how the OP needed it doing?

She also probably folded her arms because she either didnt know what to do with her hands or to stop herself fiddling with something behind the desk - I work retail and have found myself crossing my arms more because it means my hands aren't free to touch things unnecessarily and then have to sanitise everything repeatedly.

She also apologised to the queue because that is what retail staff are required to do when there is a hold up but they know there is nobody they can call to assist them. So instead of ignoring the queue, they acknowledge that they have been seen and will be served as soon as possible.

Course she should have helped. But you will get the usual 'contrary for the sake of it' lot on here telling you you should shop at Harrods if you want to be treated with a modicum of humility.

I work in a shop too and 100% would have done your packing for you - especially if l could see you were getting flustered. Obviously the people on here that are being bitchy have never been in that situation - not sure what happened to #bekind!!

"not sure what happened to #bekind!!"

Maybe ask the people calling shop staff stupid/lazy/a bitch/ etc?

The thing is that the OP specifically states so I said no worries can I have some bags and I would put each in separate bag. There are many, many people who prefer to pack their own bags, even before covid was a thing. I've tried to help a customer who wanted to pack their own bag but then looked stressed/was slow, they nearly bit my head off so I just had to stand back and watch as my queue grew.

We have been told not to pack bags at the moment, although i would have told you that was a new policy due to coronavirus.

I think in this situation she could have helped you, yes.

Every single person I know who works in retail has been told to minimally engage with anyone, stay 2m apart, cards only if possible.
They were 100% correct.

I bought some clothes in TKMaxx the other day and the bloke automatically packed it all for me, I had a pram but he didn't even ask. I was grateful. What's the matter with people, saying it's a pound shop don't expect good customer service. How about when I was a care assistant on less than minimum wage years ago, I assure you poor service wouldn't have been tolerated then 🤣

Perhaps the assistant didn't want to overly handle your purchases? She could have at least offered to help but then equally you could have asked for help.

In New Zealand everything is packed for you. In supermarkets growing up there was a dedicated packing person. I was taken aback in the UK by the lack of any real customer service. You are lucky to get eye contact in the UK!

Some shops you now even have to scan the stuff yourself. I don’t mean self serve supermarket checkouts but non self serve places. At the weekend I was in a shop where the bloke was behind the counter but they’ve moved all the zapper things onto a table in front of the checkout. I had to do all the scanning. He was really just there to supervise from a distance. Which is fine.

She shouldn’t have shook her head but I can see why she wants to minimise handling stuff other people have handled.

I can't believe the responses on here. I assumed wrapping items and packing safely was part of the job or at least being helpful should be. It doesn't matter that it is a pound shop. If shops want foot fall they need to offer a service otherwise we will all shop on line and there will be no jobs. I have seen great service and poor service in all kinds of shops before anyone tells me to go to JL. This is one of my hobby horses, I actually think good face to face service is becoming more and more important. I sympathise with you OP.

Obviously Covid working conditions may make a difference but that can be explained and no need for rudeness

YANBU. If the sales assistant had shook her head at me and apologised to the other customers on my behalf I would have shamed her right back and told her that you didn’t realise that rude, unhelpful and condescending was part of a cashiers job description these days. Snotty mare.

@GoldfishParade

Yes but equally if I'd been standing in the queue waiting I would have helped you.

@GoldfishParade I wish more people were like you.

I assume all the people saying the shop assistant should have helped haven't heard about Covid. Or more likely they have but it doesn't matter if the store assistants catch it, they're only shop staff after all
If you want to put your hands all over something other people have touched and then get close to customers to help packing feel but don't expect staff on a low wage to do the same. And I'd apply that to all shops.

If you want to put your hands all over something other people have touched and then get close to customers to help packing feel but don't expect staff on a low wage to do the same. And I'd apply that to all shops.
But they’re alright putting their hands all over your money/bank card presumably. And shop staff should never be snotty to customers for not going as fast as they’d like. It’s unprofessional and plain fucking rude.

www.poundland.co.uk/435501-glass-light-up-pumpkin/

For those interested.

Already loads on ebay at up to £15.cheeky sods

YANBU OP of course you needed help, that was a shoddy way to treat you at the till!

I find speaking to staff helps

Shop assistant has probably had enough as retail has been hell since March. Not all customers are nice, some are absolute bastards. However if she shook her head at you then that’s quite rude and uncalled for.

I think she was unreasonable.

Standing their watching you struggle with arms folded is childish and unkind, and apologising to the rest of the queue whilst still not helping was awful. She’d realised that the lack of wrapping was a problem but why didn’t she then try to make up for that.

At the moment staff are told not to help pack as people don’t want them too, you could have asked if she could put them in the bags.