to start a thread for peoples' experiences of working in public facing roles

[ConcernedAuntie]

Reading earlier about a railway worker who was spat at by a traveller when asked to pull their mask up before getting on the train, got me thinking about when I used to work in local government housing and maintenance.

Personally, I think everyone should have at least 6 months in a role dealing with the general public. Until you have done it, you have no idea what it is like being on the receiving end of the entitlement and downright batshittery.

I could probably write a book but one story came to mind. Very long story short. Elderly lady moved into council bungalow. Asked me to get some shelves put up in the kitchen for her. I explained that we didn't do this type of work, only repairs and maintenance. She must have rung up every week for months. Anyway, winter rolls around and the carpenters had caught up with all the internal work and the dreadful weather was stopping all but essential external work. Following a chat with the works superintendent he decided to send a chippy round to put up some shelves on the understanding that she didn't tell everyone so we weren't inundated with similar requests and this was definitely a one off. Work gets done. Lady happy. Two weeks later I had a letter from her son asking for his mother to be compensated for the electricity said chippy had used while cutting wood and drilling holes in the wall for shelves. I swear this is true.

At the opposite end, I had a lovely tenant who lost her front door key about three times a month. I got locks changed, windows mended when neighbours had to break in for her. I got her a chain to hang round her neck with a key on - she lost it. In the end I had a supply in my drawer and when they nearly ran out I got more cut. Must have had dozens cut. Comes round to Christmas and and she very sweetly brings me in a tub of Quality Street because "I don't know what I would have done without you dear". Try to explain (loudly, because she was very deaf) that we are not allowed to accept gifts. She bursts into tears because I won't take them and I start getting hassle from others in reception wanting to know why I'm making an old lady cry. Eventually boss comes out of his office to see what all the commotion is and tells me to take the tin to keep the lady happy and when she has gone just put them on reception so everyone can help themselves. Great, wish I had thought of that. I go off to answer the phone and when I finish I think, right I'll have a couple of sweets. Get to the desk and some bastard has nicked the whole tin!

Come on Mumsnetters, there must be some great stories out there.

I heard a very sad story how supermarket workers were being treated on Radio 5 this morning. I'm just an ordinary punter so I must miss out on the worst of it but I think there must be some variations in places - since the start of restrictions in March I've seem almost no-one not wearing a mask and no abuse of staff - according to the radio story they were suffering daily abuse from anti-maskers.

@DynamoKev

I heard a very sad story how supermarket workers were being treated on Radio 5 this morning. I'm just an ordinary punter so I must miss out on the worst of it but I think there must be some variations in places - since the start of restrictions in March I've seem almost no-one not wearing a mask and no abuse of staff - according to the radio story they were suffering daily abuse from anti-maskers.

It's awful isn't it Kev how staff get treated for just trying to do their jobs.

Totally agree OP. I've worked a few customer facing jobs and my word there are some nutters about.

Working in retail shops, bars and hotels was quite bad enough and that's where people are supposed to be having a good time; I can't imagine what people in roles dealing with difficult circumstances must be like at times.

I don’t know if they are good stories.

I work in retail. Customers literally shitting on the shop floor. Customers masturbating and leaving semen on the toilet mirrors in the disabled loo. Customers threatening staff with knives. Customers sexually harassing sixteen year old staff members and filming the harassment on their phones.

I worked retail for 10 years and have had some wonderful customers and some downright awful ones.

Sadly, it's the awful ones that stand out. Being sworn at and told to "fucking sort it the fuck out" because we'd sold out of a particular type of ham is one that particularly stands out in my memory - just because of the utter ridiculousness of it, more than anything else.

I was once on the phone to someone about their housing problems.

I ended the call at the point where they started shouting down the phone that I was a murderer because I wouldn’t come and personally move them into a new house right now.

I’ve been shouted at a lot on the phone. There are many angry people out there.

I worked on the switchboard for the Scottish Government as a temp years ago.

I got shouted on a regular basis at for not being able to put people through to the First Minister/any other Minister.
Once had a call from someone who had seen a lot of rabbits in a cemetery and wanted the government to deal with it. There were a lot of calls that should have gone to local councils, but that was the most memorable.
Then there was the caller who was insistent that there was a conspiracy theory to defraud her of her property, but refused to give a name to even attempt to be put through to someone. She rang three or four times in a row, expecting different answers - unluckily, she got me for all of them.
And a regular caller who just ranted, politely enough, about whatever it was that was on his mind. The whole team knew him, and if they realised he was on the phone would pull faces at you.
Another regular caller was just rude, every time, and it always seemed to be me that got him. He once insisted on speaking to my manager because I couldn't put him through to the Minister he wanted to talk to, and then was so rude about his (European) accent that my manager put the phone down on him. He stopped calling so often after that.

Despite all this, a lot of the time it was a nice job as the team were absolutely lovely!

YABU for starting a thread in AIBU which is clearly not a AIBU thread!

I’ve been shouted at a lot on the phone. There are many angry people out there.

There really are! I remember being sworn at by someone in a clothing shop because I wouldn't give him a refund for a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD jacket

I mean, why?! The things that people get worked up about is just bonkers to me.

Have worked retail and waitressing at a high end hotel but nothing beats entitled punters for the time I spent as a dental reception- folk turning up 10 mins late for a 10 min appointment and then trotting out the "what about all the times you run late" as if seeing them wouldn't make the entire appointment book run late (and when you had that multiple times a day we'd be running hours late by the end if we saw them all).

Worst was one woman in particular who was always so rude to me - to the extent that other patients regularly commented on it - but sweetness and light to the dentist.

She would want a 6 months (made six months in advance) appointment at a specific time on a specific day - the next day wasn't good enough. She put in a complaint about me and was offered the exact same appointment by my boss and that was perfectly fine!

I was a social worker up until July this year. The way I have been spoken to and about by people who I spent a lot of time helping (them and their DC) was one of the main reasons I left. I was screamed at and sworn at so much I became a bit desensitised to it but it was the family members who used physical intimidation and their dogs to threaten me in their homes that was the worst. I am genuinely scared of dogs due to being bitten by a rottweiler as a child. Even after asking them to put the dogs away before I did a home visit, they didn't.

The guy who screamed in my face for about 5 minutes because when he put one bag of compost through my till I didn't tell him about the offer we had where you could get a second bag of compost with about 40p knocked off (think 2 bags for £6 type offer when one bag was normally £3.20 anyway on its own)

It was written in massive writing on the sign above the compost.

It was written on the actual bag of compost.

If he wanted two bags of compost why didn't he get two?

I was 16 but looked about 13. Knob

Then there was the guy who drunkenly flung his arms out as I was walking past him with a tray of drinks (waitress). I got absolutely soaked, he got a slightly damp arm. He complained to my manager that I had deliberately thrown the tray of drinks over him (he seemed to think I knew who he was, I didn't but it turned out he was a very minor local famous - think town FC's top goal scorer) he wanted a refund on his entry and drinks for the night and me sacking. She showed him the CCTV footage of him almost wiping me out and banned him from the venue.

Ex-supermarket worker, I used to get abuse when I refused to sell someone alcohol as they were either already drunk or could not produce ID. If someone had obviously just come from the pub but had obviously had one or two then we would sell it, if someone couldn't walk straight then no.

I was called a fat, specky bitch, I had someone threaten that they were going to wait outside until closing, I had people telling me that they knew where I lived.

Weirdly with the ID, the people around 21/22 were usually fine, it was the ones who had just turned 18 who were the worst.

I got shouted at the other week in the supermarket I work in as I wouldn't take a customers phone to read an order number, she didn't have her glasses and shouted at me to get someone who WOULD take her phone to read it...I said no one can do that cos if the pandemic.....she was furious. I was desperate to tell her to f off.

I worked at a well known high street store. It was next door to a Debenhams that had a toilet in its cafe - not to mention the fact it was in a shopping mall with several toilets all over.

A lady in one of the fitting rooms took her used sanitary towel, placed it carefully on the top of the wall ledge and left it there for someone to find.

Another lady stormed through with her pram to the disabled fitting room to change her baby's shitty nappy and also just left it there for someone to find.

In the men's fitting rooms, a man had wiped his arse using the curtain.

@zoomiecraziness

YABU for starting a thread in AIBU which is clearly not a AIBU thread!

You'd be surprised how many of these conversations proceed with indecent haste to 'blah blah lazy gits gold plated pensions count yourself lucky' when you're in the public sector... Had regular threats to get me sacked from relatives who objected to me standing up for their elders' rights over their wishes...

@toconclude I'm not sure how that relates to my post?!

My post was firmly tongue in cheek as obviously it's not an AIBU, it's more a chat thing but that's fine!

And also I have spent all of my working life in public facing roles, both in private and public sector.

I used to work in a pub and I hated it because drunk people get right on my tits. I never experienced anything like the things described here though.

I am a supply teacher now and in one school I made the mistake of leaving the iPads out ready for a lesson one morning. One of the parents tried to walk off with a couple - I saw her and had to alert another member of staff to stop her and get them back.

In another school, very early on in my career, we'd been painting in the afternoon and one child, despite having had an apron on, got some paint on his shirt. It was watercolour paint btw, so easily washable. Anyway, his mum came in and actually shouted at me because of it and then chased him around the classroom shouting, "Come here you little shit, I'll fucking kill you!" I had to get a member of SLT to come and have a word with her.

When I was 16 working in a clothes shop on the weekend I used to like painting my nails with patterns. I had union jacks painted on one day (it being height of 90s Brit pop era), and a customer decided I was racist because of it and started shouting at me that she was going to stab me, she'd wait for me to leave after the shop shut abs kill me. Manager removed her but I was terrified and I don't think the management made sure I was ok when I left. Luckily she didn't wait for me. That was the worst experience I had there.

@tinglymint

I worked at a well known high street store. It was next door to a Debenhams that had a toilet in its cafe - not to mention the fact it was in a shopping mall with several toilets all over.

A lady in one of the fitting rooms took her used sanitary towel, placed it carefully on the top of the wall ledge and left it there for someone to find.

Another lady stormed through with her pram to the disabled fitting room to change her baby's shitty nappy and also just left it there for someone to find.

In the men's fitting rooms, a man had wiped his arse using the curtain.

There must be something mentally wrong with these people.

This reminded me that I once had to send a plumber to fix a blocked handbasin. Apparently the u-bend was literally compacted with crap. The bathroom was upstairs but the toilet downstairs. If someone in the house needed a crap during the night they were using the handbasin and trying to wash it down to save themselves from a trip downstairs!

Also agree with those saying they have been shouted at. I don't think there is anything I haven't been called. This is why I think everyone should have to do a public facing role. To understand what it is like to be on the receiving end of abuse when you are just trying your best to do your job.

I work in a GP's surgery. Most patients are lovely - a few are nutters and a small but unpleasant minority are complete c*nts.

Completely agree that everybody should have to spend six months working in retail/hospitality as a form of national service/enforced empathy training.

I spent several happy years working in both, made a lot of good friends, had a lot of fun and have many good stories to tell, but my absolute worst was working as temp silver service staff when I was about 16.

Catering a very high end, 5* lunchtime event, when I tripped and spilled a tray of desserts, accidentally spattering a table of diners. One of the men, who must have been in his 40s and at least 6', jumped to his feet and drew his fist back, to strike me (to reiterate, I was 16, hired staff and it was an accident).

A couple of the other men on the table pulled him down and fussed about him with napkins as I withdrew, but he continued ranting and swearing. I was fine, I just thought it was funny and that he was a massive bellend.

To this day, I still think wtf? Were you actually about to punch a 16-year-old waitress and had to be held back?

Oh yeah - I also remember when I was a slightly older teen in a different clothes shop, that a couple were caught shagging in the changing rooms. They only had curtains and it was busy Saturday

Some of these are nuts but totally reflect some of my experiences over my 15 years in local government public facing role.

I have to many stories to mention but one that I recall is my colleague receiving an angry email from a local farmer - travellers had camped out on his land and he wanted the council to evict them. It’s not Council land so council tax payers don’t pay for that - eventually some agreement was made and the Council assisted in the eviction - only for the farmer to send a formal complaint to the Chief Executive the Bailiffs had broken the padlock to the field gate while evicting the travellers from his land and the Council was liable - he even took the Council to the small claims court over an £8 chain and padlock l. He lost and the Council claimed costs. Ridiculous!

I always say to people who complain, please don’t piss off your Housing/Highways/Planning/Licensing officer, they might not be able to stop serving you but you won’t get any favours and will go to the back of queue the next time you need the Councils help.

To add to that, I’ve been sworn at, shouted at, been called names and been told “I pay your wages” and “you’re scum” plus my favourite “you’re all on the make, you take brown envelopes.....you’re corrupt” which is probably the one that gets banded about the most and is would be lazy and boring if it wasn’t potentially offensive and career ruining.