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.

I need to get meds daily, you wouldn't believe the way I've seen staff in that store treated by customers. Twice I've witnessed customers coughing at staff and then saying they've given them covid. Customers stealing from the stock baskets before its put out and then complaining it won't go through the till. Demanding the same price they saw online/Amazon. I've been pushed over twice for refusing to go into a packed store and being silly queueing. I've had more than one person tell me they're more ill than I am so don't need to queue.

Today people were arguing with staff because their meds, which they'd not collected before the only other pharmacy permanently closed, were not there - the other pharmacy having very clearly said if not collected by 24th meds would be destroyed. No more home deliveries as they've too many customers now (no replacement for other pharmacy) so people having a go about that too.

And they've now lost half their staff due to sheilding.

Honestly I don't know how they do it.

I actually bought them two tubs of chocs and a thank you card.

If they don't remind you of covid rules they risk being closed. Our council have been sending people into stores to delibrately disobey rules to see if they're corrected or not.

So what if they told you to maintain the two metre rule "before I had a chance to"? Can't you grasp the fact that they are being cautious and doing their job? Which bit of that don't you understand?
Currently, retail staff are expected to implement safety procedures on top of their other duties.
And Frankly if you really were in retail yourself - as you claim - you would understand this.

[quote LoveNote]@Edith12 they are not MINOR when it comes down to covid guidelines.....stores are audited on how the guidelines are implemented so whats minor to you could be enough to close down a store!![/quote]
So actually implement the guidelines that says you shouldn’t be challenging people particularly arround masks

I, too, would like to know why you have held on to the changing room incident that you say occurred ‘a number of years ago’.

You have described four incidents:

• going into the changing room without checking the items in with the assistant. She thought that the changing rooms were empty, understandably. You kind of made the incident happen, didn’t you?

• being warned off the reduced food until the assistant had put it on the shelf. That’s fair enough, surely? Even if times were different and the poor assistant wasn’t worried about being swamped by people grabbing reduced stuff, thus risking infection before Christmas, it would still be a bit rude to take stuff before it was available to buy on the shelf. Maybe other customers were waiting at a safe distance?

• being told to observe the one way system. Maybe the assistant had to shout to make herself heard?

• the incident with the boots sounds more like something you might be justifiably annoyed about, but c’est la vie. It happens. It’s not enough to support an assertion that all M&S staff are rude. In my experience they are the nicest staff on the high street.

@Bridewel1

I see your point yet with the social distancing I stopped within 2 metres but was told to stop just before I had a chance to. Yet as with the other situations too they needn’t be rude and speak out of tone when talking to me. I wasn’t as if I was doing anything serious. And I did ask a member of staff if I could look in the crate of shoes even if she wasn’t dealing with them who said it should be ok!

'Speak out of tone'?

That's not quite the same as all the shouting going on in your OP, is it?

The staff at ours were absolutely brilliant when I went to pick up our food order on the 23rd.

I don't know, the staff in the food one near me are absolutely lovely.

Is that you, Mum?

In my local M&S it's a miracle if you can find a member of staff! Even on the tills there are usually only 1 or 2, with loads of tills shut and huge queues. If you can find one, they are usually in a huddle with several others having a good old natter, and seem really put out that a customer might want to ask a question.

to be honest it sounds like you dont follow the rules, you claim you where told off more than once for ignoring social distancing (you say you didnt have time to stop, thats not an excuse) and from taking stuff off stock trollies which isnt allowed anywhere (how hard is it to just ask) + you ignored the one way system (yes that can happen accidently but if you are in the wrong you are in the wrong you dont get to be offended that it was pointed out... how else would you learn).

Just saying...

Doesn’t really sound like they’ve done anything wrong from the examples you’ve given?

Nothing but sympathy for retail staff at the moment! Imagine having to tell people hundreds of times per day the same things, all whilst being rushed of their feet, abused, insulted, criticised online, coughed on, spat at etc. Just so people with often considerably more money than them can faff about browsing things to treat themselves to. So if occasionally they are a little bit snappy and rude to customers then I don't really blame them. Just vote with your feet if you feel you were treated badly and shop elsewhere.

@Ginfordinner I thought of that😂

OP is clearly one of the many MNers obsessed with rudeness, who thinks everything and everyone is rude. Except, ironically, their epically rude selves!!

You went into a changing room when you shouldn't, rifled through the markdowns that weren't on the shelf, crowded staff trying to do their jobs, and complained that everyone else was rude?!!

FFS. Cop on.

TBH I have found my local M&S to be very rude—staff chatting and having banter among themselves when customers (not me) are clearly waiting, if asked about whether they have a product when they’re just standing around they wave in the direction and say if they have it it’s over there, don’t offer to check stock if something is not on the shelf, etc. I feel like it’s a reasonably recent thing, the last few years maybe, before they were always lovely and made a point of having a conversation with customers. Now it’s just them chatting to a colleague while they shove your stuff into a bag, Primark style.

Well, I’ve been in this morning to exchange something with a gift certificate. The assistant who I approached for help (unfamiliar store to me) was lovely. Then as we were browsing she came and found me and suggested something from the sale section which might have been suitable. Then the lady at the till was apologetic because they were having issues with the till and was very friendly to my nine year old admiring the clothes and asking if she’d seen some leggings that would match one of the tops. I teach customer service- couldn’t fault them today. In the other branch I pop into, I’ve never had an issue either.

are you aware that part of the retail covid guidelines is to limit customer interaction??

so ask a question yes,dont expect to be taken off down aisles and waited on!!
its supposed to be self service! get in,help yourselves, get out....

The staff in my local one are absolutely faultless.

Assuming these are different staff members, it seems the only constant here is you. Worth thinking about.

Now it’s just them chatting to a colleague while they shove your stuff into a bag, Primark style.

I’ve never seen this in any Primark store. The staff are generally friendly and chatty to customers.

and staff chatting and having 'banter'......whats the issue? they are human.....mental health awareness training for retail managers has been pushed out big time since covid....we need to support our staff and get them through this.

I have found the staff in my local m&s to be great.Most are friendly and helpful and we have had a good giggle to lift the mood throughout the covid crisis. I am now down to visiting m&s and Waitrose for food as they have both felt the safest environments to be in throughout the pandemic. M&S is my favourite though. I have heard from staff about the abuse they have endured too, which has been alot.

Ffs. You sound annoying.

Now it’s just them chatting to a colleague while they shove your stuff into a bag, Primark style
Not in any Primark I've been in!
Staff on the tills are so busy they don't have time and they give each customer their attention.