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.

Keeping 2 metres apart is standard everywhere, lots of stores have a one way system its marked. Customers going through reduced items before they're on the shelf is fucking irratating.
The boots? Perhaps you are justified on that one but I imagine they don't want lots of customer handling goods.
Retail staff are actually humans. They are scared, they have things going on in their lives.
Yes customers can be scared and have things going on but you don't have to go shopping, especially for clothes. Staff have no choice, they have to work.
People are quite nasty saying retail staff are being Covid police when all they are doing is trying to keep people safe.
Do send head office an email though, they could probably use a laugh.

Isnt this just local to your store though? The staff in mine are ordinately polite.
Yes, the examples you give I would consider rude.

About 6 years ago I worked at M&S for 6 months. After 2 months of being there I was already looking for a new job (which I have been in since then). Another woman started the same day as me, she lasted 3 weeks.

My colleagues were just horrible people. The odd few were nice bur the vast majority were awful. Only job I've had where I have cried at work.

Right at the start of lockdown, the lady on the door at Waitrose said “it’s only one customer per trolley or household due to health and safety.” She was perfectly polite, no shouting involved so I just said “okay no problem.”

Another time she politely asked if I had a face mask - I had completely forgotten! I just said “oh of course I do, sorry!”

There are ways of interacting with customers. Never had any issues with Waitrose staff. It’s the being shouted at with rolling eyes and an aggressive manner I don’t like.

@Vivana

So much entitlement in this thread no wonder some staff are rude.

I'm really surprised that people think it's ok to shout at both customers or retail staff in any situation. Isn't thinking that you can go around being rude to people just because they don't know rules specific to your store a bit entitled? People are human for fucksake. They might not see signs, or have a map of the one way system to hand.

I find some of the stories on here about M&S rules (non-covid ones) really odd. I can see why some people would avoid the place. I've never had an issue myself though.

When I worked as cabin crew, I had to enforce security and safety rules. There are ways of saying things politely, with a smile. “Please can you pop your bag into the overhead locker for take off and landing? Thank you!”

“Sorry sir, the seatbelt sign is on, can you return to your seat please?”

I would have been sacked if I had gone around shouting at customers “oi, you sit down” or “you need to put your bag in the overhead locker, NOW.”

And yes, customers were frequently rude or unwilling to follow the rules but we had to manage that in a pleasant manner.

I don't know where you all shop but in my over 30 years of life, I have simply never been shouted (maybe as a kid and I don't remember) at by staff. Nor "barked" whatever that means. I have seen staff, and was one, shouting over loud noise in events so peoppe can hear. But never shouted AT. I haven't even seen it in shops.

SchrodingersImmigrant - I doubt that all of us Mumsnetters and in the post I linked to, are making it up for the “lolz.”

Well you’ve been quite lucky @SchrodingersImmigrant but it does happen

It may be that you have different benchmarks than other people of what is shouting etc.

Rather than making it up, I am more thinking of different perception and sensitivity. I don't think I was lucky. I just don't get in a away and observe my surroundings (that goes for street as much as a shop and more people should look where they walk😐)

Just because some of the people on here have never been insulted by these staff doesn't mean the staff working there are the poster people for customer service. People saying cut them some slack the pandemic has hit them hard, retail is hard blah blah blah but that doesn't justify the reason you should be barking at customers. There's less people entering stores due to distancing so really, they don't have it as bad and do have a job and I know many friends who have lost their jobs due to this pandemic. My experience with M&S is walking in to be surrounded by rude and grumpy staff and god forbid if you ever accidentally stand in the way you will get humiliated. My experience with other staff in other stores has always been positive. You could tell a lot about a company's work culture by looking at their staff, how they treat customers and how they treat their own colleagues. The atmosphere in M&S is rather depressing, never friendly, huffing and puffing at their own colleagues and barking at customers says a lot about M&S than customers like op who is there to simply shop.

It may be that you have different benchmarks than other people of what is shouting etc

In that we don't call not shouting, shouting? Yes, that's correct I imagine.

I see lots of posters stating someone "shouted at them" and invariably you think nah, they did not.

I've not been shouted at but I've noticed recently more staff talking on the shop floor seemingly unaware that we can hear them.

Once in Primark two staff members standing next to a queue at the tills and saying that it's no wonder infections are rising (everyone was masked and distanced).

Last week in Morrisons, staff loudly discussing how now doubt the shelves will be stripped of pasta and toilet roll before long because people are too stupid to know that it's manufactured in Britain. No consideration that perhaps it's busy because it was the 22nd December .

I worked in busy retail for 6 years, so I know plenty about customer service. The job is not especially hard or worse than most other jobs. I found it enjoyable, more so when it was really busy round Christmas time and we all had to pull together. I don't find that there is an excuse for making customers feel unwelcome.

@LittleBearPad

It may be that you have different benchmarks than other people of what is shouting etc.

That would make you the overly-sensitive one, counting “non-shouting” as shouting.

When I worked in retail, I refused student discount to this middle aged man, as he wasn’t a student. He had a dodgy photo of someone else’s university ID, trying to pass it off as his own! He then complained to my manager stating that apparently I loudly shouted at him and was on a power trip, humiliating him. In reality I was timid 17 year old and no shouting occurred, it’s just the go-to frivolous/vexatious complaint

Apparently M&S is making 7000 staff redundant. Sadly, as automation speeds up as well as the cost cutting in the looming recession/depression, I presume more staff will lose jobs.

Not really - I’m quite robust believe me.

But another poster on here with anxiety who wears headphones to manage was given no quarter up thread and told to get on with it. That wasn’t kind

Just because some of the people on here have never been insulted by these staff doesn't mean the staff working there are the poster people for customer service

They don't have to be "poster people for customer service". It would be plain stupid to claim there is no bad customer service. However, I have issues to believe that so many workers bark and shout and scream and whatever. I also strongly believe that lots of the "events" happen because of mirroring behaviour or because people are genuinely just not aware of what's around.
There is a difference to loudly state something to ensure person hears you from distance or over the noise and shouting AT someone.

I mean like there was a person here "feeling like a criminal" and "reprimanded like a child" because they were asked to take a hoodie off. 🤷🏻 If that (and other examples on here) doesn't show that maybe it's not so much of a customer service issue but drama and oversensitivity of customers, I don't know what would.

@Funkypolar

Apparently M&S is making 7000 staff redundant. Sadly, as automation speeds up as well as the cost cutting in the looming recession/depression, I presume more staff will lose jobs.

M&S had issues for a while. I was surprised they still run all grad schemes in some numbers from what I heard

Yes, I am surprised at the amount of staff that M&S furloughed this year considering they remained open throughout. One of their food hall staff members told me they had been furloughed for 6 months! Apparently all their home department staff were furloughed, including after non-essential retail reopened.

People are people, some customers are rude, some staff are rude. If customers should give the staff ‘a break’ for a difficult year, the same applies for the staff to the customers. They also don’t know what someone is going through. But I am sometimes shocked at the lack of customer skills by people in various customer facing roles. It is part of the job to be welcoming and polite, whether you like it or not. I’ve waitressed from 13, worked in fast food restaurants, retail, pubs, phone centres etc and had awful treatment but always always always responded by being courteous and polite. Also I would always complain when being treated poorly. Plus otherwise it’s not fair for the staff who do go above and beyond to be helpful and welcoming to customers, because clearly there is an obvious difference in how you are treated by different members of staff. So why should rude staff members be given ‘a break’ when they aren’t doing their job properly? Sometimes it’s a cultural problem though, morale and management etc. And I presume that’s the case in your example if it’s a common issue in your local store. Probably it’s not a nice place to work.

You can't see why someone just standing there watching your every move would be annoying?

No, not in this setting, as I wouldn't be doing anything private - it's part of the job to occasionally reduce items and OF COURSE there are always people looking or waiting. Used to be mch more of a thing pre-covid but now it's even less of an issue with the distnce.
As far as these customers are friendly and keep a reasonable distance, then you have to be highly sensitive to really be annoyed - customer facing roles always involve being ok with people in proximity - and them seeing what you are doing on shop floor.

As I mentioned (and the OP, with her example of a friendly guy), most staff in my M&S deal with this in a friendly chatty manner or just calmly getting on with the stickering and not being fazed!

How do the coffee barrista staff cope with customers watching them making coffees? if someone's too anxious about this, they shouldn't work in food stores/cafes.

Nothing they've said is rude. It all seems to be that you don't like the tone they say it in. Are you perhaps being over sensitive?

I'm not a fan of their returns policy but I can honestly say the staff are very pleasant. Quality is variable and food overpriced. But that's a different story.

I just came back from M&S. They were really helpful and nice to me.