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 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. Really? And yet the common denominator is you.

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’! Most, if not all, shops have had some sort of one way system in place since before the summer. Did it seriously not occur to you to look around you for the signs and/or arrows pointing you in the right direction?

For someone who says they work in retail, you’re showing a surprising lack of awareness for how your behaviour impacts on retail staff.

I find it a little creepy how many retail staff are relishing this new found control. Seriously weird. I find it seriously weird that you are so lacking in basic human empathy that you cannot understand that retail workers are rapidly approaching the end of their tethers and where they would normally tolerate being treated like sub humans, they are simply not prepared to put up with people’s shit anymore. And nor should they.

A member of staff in River Island gave me the side-eye at some time in the mid 90s. I may start a boycott.

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

They really don’t. It’s either students or middle aged people working there, presumably around school hours. Just ordinary people. It’s not Selfridges or Harrods selling luxury goods.

I can only speak from my own experience at M&S, but when working on the till I didn't have time to banter with colleagues. As with many retail stores, the till staff have to pass through a minimum number of customers an hour, 39 in my case. We also had to remember and continually promote all the special deals. Used to get a bit stressful at christmas and sale time as well as upselling all the tat on offer

That sounds like awful service. I brought some xmas gifts from John Lewis was the first time I'd shopped there and omg the staff are lovely! Boring old overweight me was made to feel important. It's my new favourite store.

I live quite close to 2 M&S shops in 2 different towns and have noticed staff in one are often rude & offhand, whilst in the other they are unfailingly polite

@slashlover

I find it a tad strange that Edith12 has posted 26 times in a thread of 158 posts and has ONLY posted in this thread

haha really? good spot!

I love my local M&S, staff are lovely and friendly. Never had any issues but I follow the rules.

This CANNOT be real. Noone is that deluded. In every single example you've given, you have been the one in the wrong. Especially the poor person putting out reduced items and you're looking at things on the trolley!! Do you realise how annoying and insanely rude that is????

Please, please do the M&S staff a favour and stick to your word, don't shop there again.

@jackiehugh

personally from experience I think that they are total twats to me and my children. they are my babies so i cant comprehend why they cant give them any freebies. total disgrace. they kicked me out for breastfeeding in the frozen food isle. i only spilled a little bit, its a disgrace how they treat me 30 and my angels of the age of 5. (triplets).

Some M&S staff are lovely, some aren’t. I feel more used to be lovely.

Now, and pre-COVID some in our local store definitely implied they were doing you a favour by interrupting their chat with their co-worker to process a sale.

They are trading on their brand and history - sadly the quality of their stock and stores is now pretty dire. If they didn’t have food halls they’d be in even more trouble.

no you don't just nod and accept rudeness from customers. not at all

i have often picked up customers on the way they are speaking to my staff....no way is it just accepted

and it shouldn't be. ever

@upsidedownwavylegs

You are allowed to shop for non-essentials in Tier 3. It must be very tiresome creating extra rules on top of all the actual rules.

Then our local M&S shouldn’t allow people into the womenswear section on the way to the food hall. They don’t just allow it either, they encourage it.

Only read the original post what a precious individual.

Cant imagine my friend being anything other than lovely. She’s just not cut out for retail

I went to M&S last week, first time since beginning of the year I'd been to a supermarket. I wasn't paying attention and went in am exit door, in contravention of the one way system. Member of staff pointed out to me, but allowed me in. I felt foolish at MY error, not at having it pointed out to me.

You sound very hard work OP.

I was in an M&S foodhall just now, normally the staff are really nice but the assistant manning the self checkout shouted at me it was only one person per self checkout and to STAND BACK. At no point was I within 2 metres of her or anybody and didn’t know about this rule.

I just said sorry and went to look at the cards instead. I guess she was at the end of her tether today as she seemed very angry.

YANBU

U.K. staff are some of the rudest around.

I stopped using M&S cafes years ago as they had a knack of employing humourless staff who were incredibly slow and far more keen to chat to each other than serve food and drinks.

I get barked at regularly in shops. Lidl and Tesco are the worst. In Tesco, mid-winter, sub-zero temps, I was wandering around looking for something to eat I had just entered the store - about 10metres in. I had my headphones in and a security man sort of approached me and said something. I was presuming he was saying hello, so said Hello back. Oh no. He touched my arm, so I took out my headphones and he told me that 'no hoods allowed'. I felt reprimanded like a child. Pre-covid. Felt like a criminal.

In Lidl, I was buying alcohol so needed a shop assistant to authorise it (self-checkout till). The assistant walked up to me (again head-phones in) and was saying something, so I took headphones out and she roared at me - STAND BACK. Covid Times, but if you know much about Lidl tills, there wasn't much space to move back. Again, I felt publicly humiliated.

And another recent one in November, I was queueing to go into Wilkos. Again, lol, headphones in. Person in front just stopped and stood still, but the assistant was waving me in. So I took headphones out and she said shouted in a very annoyed tone 'you can come in, but there's a minute's silence'. I asked what for and she roared at me 'Remembrance Day!!!'. I felt like a blithering idiot yet again, but wandered in anyway. I should mention that I'm not British, so had no clue about Remembrance Day.

I am quite shy and very sensitive, and have a history of abuse (maternal and from a boyfriend), so being shouted at affects me a lot.

There's no need for it. I've never seen them roar at a man funnily enough.

Why do you wear headphones when shopping @ObliviouslyIgnorant?

I find it seriously weird that you are so lacking in basic human empathy that you cannot understand that retail workers are rapidly approaching the end of their tethers and where they would normally tolerate being treated like sub humans, they are simply not prepared to put up with people’s shit anymore. And nor should they.

Yes so they are rude and obtuse thus meaning customers go elsewhere and they are out of jobs. Thatll show em eh?

i'm laughing at 'roar'....never heard that from any shop staff ever. i think its more likely they were raising their voice as you had headphones in!!!

Also it’s basic manners no one is expecting staff to come round and do a load of washing but they shouldn’t be willing to accept the money of they aren’t willing to do the job.

it certainly does seem to 'show em' @Edith12

nothing more cringe (and laughable) as when you see that customer who had rudely declared 'i am never shopping here again'...there they are, shopping ...back again!!

nobody is out of a job