Calling people who work in shops "colleagues"

[earlydoors42]

I've noticed supermarkets and places like Argos referring to the people who work in their shops as "colleagues", not as if they are talking about their own colleagues, but as if that is the word for them for all of us.

So they will say things like "if you need help, find a colleague and ask them" - none of my colleagues are usually there as I usually only see them at my place of work.

Why and when did they decide to change the use of a word in the English language that the rest of us were already using for something else?

AIBU to think this isn't the way to use that word?

@DishingOutDone

I think its professional. Shop workers suffer with lack of respect from the public as it is.

What about the term "member of staff" denotes lack of respect?

@AlexandraEiffel

What would be better? Surely member of staff would be equally confusing as to whether they meant a member of their staff or a member of your staff. Ditto employee. Person working in shop? Shop worker? But how do we know what shop they are referring to. It's a real puzzle.

Don't be bloody daft.

This has been posted before

What would you prefer? Member of staff (by your logic doesn't work as not 'your' member of staff?), worker (sounds a bit demeaning), team member (same problem...not your team member?)

I think it's fine.

I had an ex boyfriend who didn't like me asking for the bill and said it was actually a cheque (can't remember why). It really annoyed him, bizarrely, as otherwise he was a very laid back guy. Language evolves.

In Waitrose staff are called "partners", and let me tell you that really gets confusing sometimes!

So they will say things like "if you need help, find a colleague and ask them" - none of my colleagues are usually there as I usually only see them at my place of work

Are you confused about whose colleagues the person is referring to? If it helps, you’re highly unlikely to see Dave from HR slicing ham behind the deli counter, or Maureen from Accounts re stocking in the milk aisle.

Or have you actually just created a post to have a pop at other people’s grammar not being up to your standards?

YANBU. It really bugged me as a "colleague" back in the noughties. I was a fucking minion, I knew it, they knew it. Call a spade a spade. I did not feel more valued or better treated by managers or the public because I was a "colleague",

They are the colleague of the person making the announcement. If you have difficulty understanding that, it's really not Asda (or whoever) with the language issues.

@Sn0tnose

So they will say things like "if you need help, find a colleague and ask them" - none of my colleagues are usually there as I usually only see them at my place of work

Are you confused about whose colleagues the person is referring to? If it helps, you’re highly unlikely to see Dave from HR slicing ham behind the deli counter, or Maureen from Accounts re stocking in the milk aisle.

Or have you actually just created a post to have a pop at other people’s grammar not being up to your standards?

Doubtful reading the OP, tbf.

@GreyhoundG1rl

Don't be bloody daft.

She's got you there, Greyhound, hence your non-response.

It comes from the french origins of the word, and can also mean loose and temporary ‘associatiations’ due to a shared feeling / idea / thought / location / experience. A lot of posh, wanky writers refer to their readers as colleagues and I do think this is probably where it comes from.

[quote Cadent]@GreyhoundG1rl

Don't be bloody daft.

She's got you there, Greyhound, hence your non-response.[/quote]
What?

@GreyhoundG1rl

I just went back through the thread to see what your "non response" and being "got" was all about, as it sounded very exciting.

[quote Geamhradh]@GreyhoundG1rl

I just went back through the thread to see what your "non response" and being "got" was all about, as it sounded very exciting.[/quote]
Can you explain, then? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Colleagues are mostly a peer group of workers in same business. I think they are just trying to use more respectful terms to encourage improved customer treatment of their staff. I worked retail while a university student and the treatment I had from customers was only slightly better than the treatment I had as a waitress. Very bad behaviour at least once a shift.

Yes, I absolutely hate this. They're not my colleague any more than they're my auntie.

@GreyhoundG1rl, sadly not. 🤔

The word works, language evolves.

I work for a supermarket, we use the word colleague to refer to members of staff in our company. My job title is "Services Colleague" and those on other departments are "X colleague" and that is on everything from my intranet profile to my payslip. It is the title the company has chosen to use for their staff, why is it so hard to respect that?

If someone comes to me at the customer service desk to ask for help with a grocery enquiry I will make an announcement for "a colleague from the grocery department to come to the CSD". Equally if I am making an announcement over the tannoy directed to any member of staff (from shop floor staff to the store manager) it will be prefaced with "Colleague announcement" so that the staff know that they should pay attention in case it is for them.

Therefore we also use the same term in any written signage/information as it is the title they have chosen to use for us staff.

This is not a new thing. It's over 15 years since I worked in retail and it was s thing back then. I don't see the issue.

I think it’s annoying too, and a poor attempt to create some sense of equality and that it’s not the hierarchical structure that it is. My work calls us ‘Our People’ which is similarly bullshit. No I don’t belong to you, thanks.

What do you call the people you work with? I think its nice and a lot better than 'shop assistant'.

I get what you mean OP as the word ‘colleague’ implies a relationship to another person, so using it on its own doesn’t make sense. I think ‘team member’ is a better option that some stores use if they want to emphasise the team/equality aspect.

The Partner thing in Waitrose/John Lewis just makes me think of, “Howdy, partner!”

If you really find this confusing I’m not sure you should be shopping unsupervised. It’s perfectly clear what they mean. Language evolves

I cannot for the life of me think why anyone should have a problem with it or find it annoying.