Told off at supermarket for using the wrong checkout

[ToldOff292]

I was shopping in Morrisons today and then went to self-checkout. There were some clear screens covering some of the checkouts but I thought this was for social distancing purpose.

The till was ready to be used (as in not turned off), so i scanned my items and I bought some paracetmal which triggered an age check to come up meaning a shopkeeper had to come and confirm it.

Anyway, this girl started telling me to watch where i'm standing and "you shouldn't even be using this till, it's closed you know" and rolling her eyes at me.

I just said "sorry I didn't realise".

But AIBU to think some shopkeepers think we're psychic? They could have turned the till off if they didn't want people to use it?
There was no "do not use" signs on it either 😕

I don't understand the mindset of 'retail staff have every right to have an attitude because of covid' - retail staff aren't the only occupation working throughout and they are not the only people having stress because of covid.
It seems on here many people think retail staff have the right to be rude to customers - they're in the wrong job if genuine retail assistants have this mindset.

I don't think retail staff have 'every right to have an attitude' but could understand if they weren't their usual cheery selves having spent 12 months dealing with Covid related stuff. From the panic buying at the start to now, must be really hard.

Complain/vote with your feet, but just move on.

We definitely need a picture
We really don't.
The whole thing is ridiculous and a mountain has been made out of a mole hill.

Absolutely no excuse for rudeness. If anybody has a customer facing job there is no excuse for taking out any frustrations on the customer. If they can't live by that, then they should find a different job because it really isn't for them.

@notacooldad

We definitely need a picture We really don't. The whole thing is ridiculous and a mountain has been made out of a mole hill.

I agree. I still can't picture the zig zag thing but I don't think it's worth dwelling on.

I agree. I went to get a coat altered today and the woman on the counter was so frigging rude I told her I'd go elsewhere. Customer service, my fine ass

Self checkouts are a bit bonkers at the moment. In Asda the other day, I noticed they've done an entrance at each end of them, one half of the machines for trolleys and one for baskets. Nobody was at the trolleys side, but they made me join a queue of about 8 people for the baskets.

I find that I'm of an age now that I just bite back, I dont care how tough a day you have had you should never be rude to a respectful paying customer.

At the start of the first lockdown in an Asda I joined a short que for the express check out only to be huffed at and very rudely told I should be queuing the other side, a polite request and a smile would have been much better. Once I along with a couple of others in front of me moved she put her hand out in front of me and said " two metres, two metres " I politely replied that there was indeed a two metre gap but she kept arguing and trying to make me move. At this point she got my full attention and I told her to sod off, I told her that I have been an engineer longer than she has been on the planet and I dont need anyone to tell me what two metres look like.

A Tesco where the lady on fruit and veg is always chewing, aggressive up themselves security guards, I could go on .....

If spoke or acted in anyway rudely to a customer at work I would rightly expect consequences.

( I cant remember if it was actually two metres rule at the time, may of been a different measurement but you get my drift)

Just don't be rude !

I told her to sod off, I told her that I have been an engineer longer than she has been on the planet and I dont need anyone to tell me what two metres look like

So Just don't be rude ! doesn't apply to you?

I am cringing at that.

@Nowayhozay completely agree! I hate the presumption that the customer is purposely at fault or that the customer is just 'trying to push in' when 99% of the time it is a genuine error.

If I am the 108th person today to make that mistake then you need to make the rules more obvious and also don't take it out on that 108th customer.

Ridiculous mindset to think they are "allowed' to be rude, if I ever snapped at a parent, i'd be in big trouble

If you had to move something, lean over or squeeze past to be able to use it then you were in the wrong, if you just went to a open till which wasn't in any way blocked off then they need to make it clear it's out of use. Usually in most self checkouts (never shop in Morrison's so not sure in this for them) there is a pole with coloured lights on green means available red means not available.
I work in retail and I can tell you that staff get frustrated at people not following the rules during this time and while you feel you did nothing wrong it's hard not to let that frustration show when people have been kicking off all day at being asked to do something they don't want to do. Here in wales we have all non essential aisles closed off and restrictions on what is allowed to be purchased. I can't tell you how many times a day we are verbally attacked or treated like crap because things outside of our control have been decided by the government. Sometimes shortness from an employee may not actually be because of what you did but because over a shift it all adds up. We are only human and it isn't always personal.

@Ellpellwood

Self checkouts are a bit bonkers at the moment. In Asda the other day, I noticed they've done an entrance at each end of them, one half of the machines for trolleys and one for baskets. Nobody was at the trolleys side, but they made me join a queue of about 8 people for the baskets.

That is mad at the moment, well it's mad anyway but particularly now. Why on earth would you make people queue when it isn't necessary?

@ancientgran I know! Surely you just keep everyone moving?

@honkytonkheroe

Absolutely no excuse for rudeness. If anybody has a customer facing job there is no excuse for taking out any frustrations on the customer. If they can't live by that, then they should find a different job because it really isn't for them.

😂😂 okay.

Over the past year I've had - on a regular basis - stock thrown in my face, threats of violence and tirades of swearing. Why should retail employees have to put up with this?? Why are customers allowed to be absolutely disgusting to us but we always have to remain "pleasant" to them. I try to nice and kind to every customer - even when they are rude to me but sometimes on the 50th rude customer of the day, I do lose my patience. I think 99.9% of people would too.

I work at Sainsbury’s albeit as an online shopper not a till assistant, but they have alternate tills off too

However, they are actually done as a no entry sign on the till showing they are off so it’s really obvious that they are out of order to use

Yanbu

@Sparklingbrook

I told her to sod off, I told her that I have been an engineer longer than she has been on the planet and I dont need anyone to tell me what two metres look like

So Just don't be rude ! doesn't apply to you?

I am cringing at that.

Maybe I need to qualify that , " Just don't be rude to a customer " if she had dealt with me in a polite and professional manner that would have been the end of it.

@Nowayhozay

I find that I'm of an age now that I just bite back, I dont care how tough a day you have had you should never be rude to a respectful paying customer.

At the start of the first lockdown in an Asda I joined a short que for the express check out only to be huffed at and very rudely told I should be queuing the other side, a polite request and a smile would have been much better. Once I along with a couple of others in front of me moved she put her hand out in front of me and said " two metres, two metres " I politely replied that there was indeed a two metre gap but she kept arguing and trying to make me move. At this point she got my full attention and I told her to sod off, I told her that I have been an engineer longer than she has been on the planet and I dont need anyone to tell me what two metres look like.

A Tesco where the lady on fruit and veg is always chewing, aggressive up themselves security guards, I could go on .....

If spoke or acted in anyway rudely to a customer at work I would rightly expect consequences.

( I cant remember if it was actually two metres rule at the time, may of been a different measurement but you get my drift)

Just don't be rude !

You were much much ruder.

She said you shouldn’t be using that till omg what a bitch !! Why didn’t you just say to the girl well you should of put a sign up .
Honestly I wouldn’t get upset over this . It’s not rude what she said it’s only how she said it . Is this what the world is coming to grown adults getting all huffy because they were told they used the wrong till .
Cut the ‘girl’ some slack they are getting all kinds of grief from customers at the moment .
Eye roll from me

@lockdownconfused i didn't have to squeeze through anything or move anything, I literally walked up to it as normal,
The zig zag screen goung through the middle was just that: in the middle. Apparently the checkout next to me could be used but the screen didn't highlight that the one I was on was not to be used - it was the same distance from all the tills.. no red lights either (never seen these) or signs

T \ T
/
T \ T
/
T \ T

For those of you confused, this is the best way i can show it so T = till

And that didnt work out - ignore the last message haha!

The till diagram didn't send like i thought so ignore it

T/T
T\T
T/T

Hopefully this works but there were obviously bigger gaps between the tills and screen but same distance apart

And ... you’ll get over the trauma op .

This is the type of thing I meant they are on all the tills in my area (I don't go to Morrison's)
I would suggest that they make it more clear that it's not for use, but I would put her response down to having a bad day!