AIBU To be annoyed at the way M&S staff treat their customers.

[Bridewel1]

I regularly shop in my local M&S and there have been a number of instances where the staff have been rude when speaking to me through no fault of mine. A number of years ago whilst queuing for clothes even if there was no queue you had to wait for a member of staff to check your items (this now no longer applies). I waited no queue no member of staff to check items and empty cubicles. I got fed up waiting for member of staff so went in an available cubicle only to be confronted by a member of staff whilst half undressed a few mins later saying in a rude tone and stern expression ‘Thought there was nobody in’.
Whilst I was nosying at some food a member of staff was reducing on a trolley they piped up in a stern rude tone ‘you cannot take anything until it’s on the shelf’. 2 occasions this happened.
And during this COVID situation which I know is frustrating they told me off and shouted at me for not keeping my distance just before I’d had chance to stop within 2 metres! And recently when they’d just implemented a one way in the store and one way out. I didn’t realise this was in place and when I was heading towards the entrance to leave I was literally rudely shouted at me across the floor from quite a distance ‘you can’t go out that way’!
And the other day I’d finally decided to buy some boots I’d had my eye on and they’d none left in store. Yet next to the shoes I noticed some green stacked baskets with the boots in that I’d had my eye on that looked like they were waiting to be put out. So I asked a member of staff near by who wasn’t dealing with the shoes who said it should be ok to look in basket, so I did. Then a member of staff who was obviously dealing with the shoes noticed and came over and bit my head off saying ‘they’re not in the sale, they’re just waiting to be put out’ I explained why I was looking and she just wheeled the trolley away. So I asked a member of staff on the counter if the nearest store that i saw online that had the boots in my size would if they’d deliver as that store is a bit for for me to get to and she in a rude tone said ‘no it’s not possible, but we may get some returns in here’. I work in retail myself and I understand that stores have there own policies but that doesn’t give staff the right to be rude to customers! I’ve always been told to be chatty and pleasant when dealing with customers. As much as I love M&S I feel as though I shouldn’t be shopping there anymore! Do you feel I’ve been treated badly.

Is this a reverse? It sounds like you've not been following the rules and they have pulled you up on it.

wow....they ALL have 'a rude tone'?? Highly doubt it

are you sure you aren't a bit over sensitive?

I think M&S have been on a downward spiral for years and will rely on food sales and maybe some homeward in the future. Their collaboration with Ocado has not been a success in my opinion and they have a policy of sending online orders out in separate parcels, which seems wasteful.

Homewares ffs

I have zero love for M&S, but retail staff are on their knees - they’ve had an incredibly hard year, dealing with hundreds of customers a day who don’t keep their distance, think they’re an exception to the rules, wear their masks under their chins etc, and those customers are often abusive when reminded.

I'm not sure you can extrapolate from a few examples that all M&S staff treat their customers badly. so for that alone YABU.

It's hard to tell from your examples if the particular staff you encountered treated you badly. On the face of it, there doesn't seem to have been anything particularly awful about the way you were treated. So either you are particularly sensitive and are seeing rude tones/offense where none was intended, or the staff at the store are genuinely out to get you.

@AiryFairyMum

Is this a reverse? It sounds like you've not been following the rules and they have pulled you up on it.

Same question from me...

telling you what to do in their own store is not being rude to customers....you need to comply

No, you haven't been treated badly. I cannot wait to see the rest of the responses on this thread

Simple answer....stop doing shit you’re not supposed to and shop workers will stop having attitude towards you.

Gosh, lots of shouting going on there.

What did security say when they came rushing over to see who was shouting and why?

You sound really over sensitive.
None of the things they said to you sounded rude.

If you have perceived every interaction with various staff members as having a “rude tone”, then maybe it’s your perception, not their tone?

Just don't shop there.

M&s staff are lovley. You sound like one of those insane vultures with the discount stuff.

Tescos near me has had to fence off the part of the Isle while they do the reductions because of people like you swamping the staff.

Your story seems to be "when I break the rules and interfere with thier work the staff seem annoyed at me, why does this shop have such bad staff"

On

It is ride to go poking through the reduced items while the staff are still stickering them. Keep your hands out until they are in the shelf. Even when not in covid times, if you're up next to them pawing through the trolley then you're invading their own personal space. Back off and wait. The staff have told you that twice, because apparently you do not listen. I think maybe you feel that you dont need to follow basic rules of respect when you're in a shop.

M&S has always had the attitude that they are doing you a favour by letting you shop there.

I'm sure it's worse now with the Covid stress but I've been snapped at many times pre covid for politely asking if they have something in my size and told to order it online. I don't. I just spend my money elsewhere.

I was pulled up the other day for asking for something reduced in the trolley before it had reached the shelf! The woman was really rude and really harsh! To be fair, until that point, all the staff had been wonderful and friendly. It must be a strict rule that they have.

To summarise:
You went into the changing room against store policy, were hovvering over the reductions section while she was still working on reducing the items, didn't socially distance at least twice and went the wrong way around their one way system?
,Of course they challenged you.

Sheesh, OP.

My local branch is very good. Its waitrose that had rapidly gone down hill, also m and s are known for treating their staff badly.
Treat staff well I'm sure that relays out to customers.

Aww, of course you've been treated badly, there, there.

The customer is not always right.

No, you haven’t been treated badly
I think you have a problem with feeling offended at how people talk to you
You seem not to be able to take instructions and directions

I think this year for all the known reasons shop staff have had a difficult time in their day to day jobs making sure customers keep to the rules in place, but I agree along the way some of them have developed a snappy, dismissive tone. Not all of them, and I haven't had any poor customer service in M&S in particular, but I agree there are a lot of retail workers seem to be acting differently, even when I am polite and courteous to them.

I’m really jealous if this is your biggest problem in life!

Staff are just trying to do their jobs. In a pandemic.

If you saw the boots online then just order them online. If the shops are sold out in your house and wont get them back in stock then they cant do anything about.

The one way systems are clearly marked. You ignored it. The staff have had enough of people like you making covid shopping so much harder than it needs to be.

Sorry OP, but you come across as rude and entitled.