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.

so all that has actually happened and you feel so so hard done by.....i'm sure you must have complained and spoken to management. what did they say?

Never had anything but impeccable service from M&S.
your frequent bad treatment suggests it’s maybe you thats at fault!
Try treating staff in shops like nice people.

@HermioneWeasley

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.

staff shouldn’t be challenging customers who don’t keep to the rules.

You sound like Margot Leadbetter.

I get why they move non sale shoes away.
Smartarses grab them and then scream by the till that they should have been in sale and false advertisement and trading standards and how dare you ruin my day, until manager just gives them discount.

People do that with sandwiches to save a quid....

I do think that there are other, more polite ways of steering someone to go the correct way round a one way system. However if you've spent a considerable period of time trying to do that, the direct approach probably works best.

The staff member who moved the boots you were looking to buy was forgetting that the whole point of a shop is to sell things to the public. If that had been me I'd have helped you find your size. If the baskets were in the wrong place I'd have asked you to come with me so you could look whilst I was unpacking them onto the shelves.

I do get a bit irritated when there are complaints about retail workers being abused (which of course is wrong but at the same time many take the opportunity to be as rude and jobsworthy as possible during a period of incredible stress and often when about masks completely disobey the government guidelines and potentially break the equality act

If there's a recurring problem, then you need to look at the common denominater.

That would be you.

@Floridana

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.

they are sitting ducks waiting to be infected by customers who either dont follow the stores guidelines or dont follow national guidelines.....all those breaking rules over christmas are now going into stores to spread ....customers much more likely to be infected at this time of year.....yet there they are.....moaning and buying a pair of Boots they have 'had their eye on'!!

You sound like a bit of a handful tbh.

Staff in our local M&S are lovely, but then I follow the store safety systems , don't hang around staff while they are yellow stickering things and wouldn't dream of rooting through cages of stuff not yet out on the shelf. You can only change your own behaviour OP and hope that gives you a different response from the staff.

Your choice to shop there or not.
Please don't take this as an invitation to describe your every M&S visit over the years, but this is a few selected incidents over a few years where interaction with staff has troubled you
Get a life, preferably one that does not include shopping in M&S if it upsets you so much.

Give them a break. They have to deal with crap all the time and sounds like you were not following the rules so they pulled you up on it.

Not sure about this...but what I will say, that in the late 70's I was employed just out of school as 'seasonal' staff. In those days, M & S was regarded as the cream of retail jobs. Apparently. We had our own canteen, hairdresser, and chiropodist on top of the store. Sounds are bit Grim bros, from Are you being served doesn't it? :) Certainly in those days the returns policy was much more generous.

You seem overly invested in your local M&S...

I love M&S, but the rudest staff interaction was in there, a couple of years ago. I'd gone in to get a sandwich in a London station and although they said they had a meal deal, it was really poorly laid out so I just grabbed a drink and crisps knowing I'd probably pay for all three separately. There was a big queue and when I was finally served the man reminded me it wasn't part of the deal and to go back. I said it was fine and not to worry, I'd pay full price. He sneered at me and said "some people just have money to waste!"

Queuing to get into the food hall last week and get to the front of the queue. Chatting to the assistant manning the queues and she was telling us about some of the horrible things customers have said to her in the run up to Christmas to upset her - bet you were one of them.

Surely if this has happened numerous times with numerous different staff, you need to look at the common denominator (ie. you)?

M&S staff are a mixed bunch. Some are ok, some are crap. None are as good as John Lewis or Waitrose. 😉

I think you must shop at the same M&S as me!

@Edith12

I do get a bit irritated when there are complaints about retail workers being abused (which of course is wrong but at the same time many take the opportunity to be as rude and jobsworthy as possible during a period of incredible stress and often when about masks completely disobey the government guidelines and potentially break the equality act

shop online then....staff are human too and when its their own health at risk they are allowed to be rude/snippy/snap. Many retail workers have to drag home customers germs to the family....being slightly rude back may make customers realise and think about their behaviour

@Meepmeeep

Queuing to get into the food hall last week and get to the front of the queue. Chatting to the assistant manning the queues and she was telling us about some of the horrible things customers have said to her in the run up to Christmas to upset her - bet you were one of them.

The ops the one who have been upset by horrible things the staff have done

@vanillandhoney

Surely if this has happened numerous times with numerous different staff, you need to look at the common denominator (ie. you)?

spot on!!!

So you don't wait to be shown to a changing cubicle, poke around the reduced trolly before the stuff has been put back on the shelf and want stuff out of the delivery crate the minute it leaves the stockroom?

Who is the rude one again OP?