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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Me or Sainsburys staff member?

278 replies

HouseofSkullduggery · 21/02/2022 14:31

My local Sainsburys is in a shopping centre with chargeable parking. You usually have to spend £10 or more to get free parking unless you are also using the pharmacy or Argos which is also inside.
So this morning I had to return some items to Argos that I bought yesterday. I did that no problem and never asked them to validate the ticket as I had a few other things to get from Sainsburys and thought it's quicker to go to the self service tills and do it myself.
I bought items which were just over £7. Paid and started to walk to the machine to validate my ticket. The staff member immediately saw me approaching and stood blocking the machine. She actually had to walk backwards to make sure I didn't go round her.
She then said have you spent £10? Where's your receipt? In a really snotty tone. I explained I'd just been to Argos too but needed other things hence why I was there. But no that wasn't good enough. She said no I would have to pay to park because I hadn't spent the £10.
She was really off and I felt like a naughty child! I just said again I'd been to Argos, I was in a rush and as it made no difference to her please could I use the machine on this occasion. But no she wouldn't back down.
I left and just felt quite bewildered at her attitude. Nobody normally mans the machine. I go in there all the time. Never had any issue. Even going through the normal tills staff have been happy to validate the ticket as long as youve bought something. I feel she was rude and a jobsworth. Aibu?

OP posts:
JauntyJinty · 21/02/2022 16:39

@planningtomakeaplan

OP, there are loads of people on MN who are absolute sticklers for the rules and love to roast people on AIBU for breaking minor rules.

I can't work out if

a. loads of people really are this petty and inflexible in their thinking in real life
b. we get a higher proportion of those kinds of people on MN
c. they're not actually sticklers for the rules, really what they're after is a stick to beat the OP with as that's how they get their kicks.

it's one thing to try to bend the rules

It's another to blame someone else when you don't get away with it

Kowloondairy · 21/02/2022 16:39

Literally just left this store and I can say that I have never been treated by any member of the staff there with anything other than politeness, they are helpful, cheerful and eager to help. The assistant in store did ask politely if I had spent the required amount, simply showed her my receipt, everything hunky dory.Car park was busy as it’s the school holidays so the staff have probably been asked to be extra vigilant with the tickets so that more customers can visit. Grow up and stick to the rules like most people.

PriamFarrl · 21/02/2022 16:39

@planningtomakeaplan

OP, there are loads of people on MN who are absolute sticklers for the rules and love to roast people on AIBU for breaking minor rules.

I can't work out if

a. loads of people really are this petty and inflexible in their thinking in real life
b. we get a higher proportion of those kinds of people on MN
c. they're not actually sticklers for the rules, really what they're after is a stick to beat the OP with as that's how they get their kicks.

Or d there are a load of people who think that they are extra special and that the rules don’t apply to them.
JinglingHellsBells · 21/02/2022 16:40

@HouseofSkullduggery

I forgot to validate the ticket in Argos as I was rushing. Admittedly this is not the staff's fault and I get that she didn't know I was telling the truth but it was the way she backed up to the machine then arrogantly blocked it that I found wrong. Surely it would have been better to take the customer's word and say next time you will either need to spend £10 at this till or get Argos to validate it but don't worry this time you can do it here.
Could you not have gone back into Argos and asked for your ticket to be validated? They would probably have remembered you.

Or taken the asst with you to the Argos dept?

In either case you did 2 things wrong- no validation and no minimum spend.

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 16:40

@planningtomakeaplan

OP, there are loads of people on MN who are absolute sticklers for the rules and love to roast people on AIBU for breaking minor rules.

I can't work out if

a. loads of people really are this petty and inflexible in their thinking in real life
b. we get a higher proportion of those kinds of people on MN
c. they're not actually sticklers for the rules, really what they're after is a stick to beat the OP with as that's how they get their kicks.

It's great if people are flexible but not great to abuse shop staff for just doing their jobs.

OP tried, she didn't get what she wanted, she should have shrugged her shoulders and moved on.

99point6 · 21/02/2022 16:42

Seems and unnecessarily manual process. Why does the carpark not have barriers instead?
In Sainsbury's in York centre it is the other way round. You pay the parking fee (30 mins free) and get the money off the shopping if you spend enough

PizzaCrust · 21/02/2022 16:42

@planningtomakeaplan

But it’s perfectly acceptable for the customer to speak to the employee like they’re a piece of trash?

You're just making things up now! 😂 The OP hasn't said anything about speaking to the employee "like trash".

I just said again I'd been to Argos, I was in a rush and as it made no difference to her please could I use the machine on this occasion

Even with OP dressing it up as nicely as she can for this thread so everyone can shower her with pity, it’s evident the conversation wasn’t OP being super apologetic and polite. Why?

  1. telling the employee what their job entails- rude
  2. Begging to be allowed to use the machine- rude and also puts employee in a shit situation
  3. “I’m in a rush”- why do all annoying customers use that fucking phrase. It doesn’t make a sodding bit of difference to me Margaret if you’re in a rush or not, rules are rules.

And from earlier in her initial post, trying to dodge her when going to the machine. If you genuinely didn’t think you’d done anything wrong, you wouldn’t even notice if an employee was walking backwards to stop you using the machine. She knew rightly.

So yes, I stand by my statement 100%. When you read between the lines, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck; it’s a duck.

Cognoscenti · 21/02/2022 16:43

I'm guessing she was tasked with monitoring the machine and would get stick from a manager if she allowed someone to use it without meeting the requirements.

Technically YABU, it would have been easier to let you use the machine, but I don't think a complaint will go anywhere as you should have had your ticket validated in Argos, and didn't meet the requirements to validate it yourself. I'd let it go and just remember for next time if it's being enforced.

melj1213 · 21/02/2022 16:44

@HouseofSkullduggery

I forgot to validate the ticket in Argos as I was rushing. Admittedly this is not the staff's fault and I get that she didn't know I was telling the truth but it was the way she backed up to the machine then arrogantly blocked it that I found wrong. Surely it would have been better to take the customer's word and say next time you will either need to spend £10 at this till or get Argos to validate it but don't worry this time you can do it here.
So as you admit, the staff member didn't have any way to know you weren't lying but they should have let you off anyway?

Stop being entitled and accept that the staff member was doing her job and you're not happy because she didn't make an exception for you.

Tsubasa1 · 21/02/2022 16:45

Why didn't you just pay for parking?

WindyState · 21/02/2022 16:46

@OrganisedChaos22

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!

I wouldn't have backed down.

Presumably if she went into argos she should have got her ticket validated in Argos.

She was in the wrong and got called on it.

Supersee · 21/02/2022 16:46

@HouseofSkullduggery

I forgot to validate the ticket in Argos as I was rushing. Admittedly this is not the staff's fault and I get that she didn't know I was telling the truth but it was the way she backed up to the machine then arrogantly blocked it that I found wrong. Surely it would have been better to take the customer's word and say next time you will either need to spend £10 at this till or get Argos to validate it but don't worry this time you can do it here.

So the rules are supposed to be bent for you? What happens if everyone pulled this? That's why rules are in place.

Cuck00soup · 21/02/2022 16:47

I'm willing to bet Sainsbury's would have expected their employee to a) listen to the customer and b) apply some common sense.

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 21/02/2022 16:47

@planningtomakeaplan

OP, there are loads of people on MN who are absolute sticklers for the rules and love to roast people on AIBU for breaking minor rules.

I can't work out if

a. loads of people really are this petty and inflexible in their thinking in real life
b. we get a higher proportion of those kinds of people on MN
c. they're not actually sticklers for the rules, really what they're after is a stick to beat the OP with as that's how they get their kicks.

Nah I just don't expect rules to be bent for me, nor do I expect an employee is wrong for doing the job properly, even if I didn't like it 🤷🏻‍♀️
PizzaCrust · 21/02/2022 16:50

@HouseofSkullduggery

I forgot to validate the ticket in Argos as I was rushing. Admittedly this is not the staff's fault and I get that she didn't know I was telling the truth but it was the way she backed up to the machine then arrogantly blocked it that I found wrong. Surely it would have been better to take the customer's word and say next time you will either need to spend £10 at this till or get Argos to validate it but don't worry this time you can do it here.
You’re having a laugh at this point, aren’t you?

Why would she take the customers word for it when you were clearly going to lie to get parking for free 😂. I highly doubt if she asked you “have you spent £10” you would have replied with “no I spent £7”. You would have said you spent £10 as to get the free parking you're so obsessed with getting.

It also makes no sense for her to say to you “next time you need to spend £10 for parking”, as you already knew that and still didn’t.

You are in the wrong. Stop thinking of 500 different scenarios where the employee bends over backwards to suit your demands. I’m honestly surprised you aren’t annoyed she didn’t have a red carpet to roll out to your car for you, as you have such a diva-ish attitude, it is starting to rival Mariah Carey’s.

Cognoscenti · 21/02/2022 16:50

@Cuck00soup

I'm willing to bet Sainsbury's would have expected their employee to a) listen to the customer and b) apply some common sense.
Maybe they expect customers to apply common sense and follow the instructions for validating the ticket. 🤷‍♀️ It does seem a little rigid, but I wonder how many people "went to Argos and forgot to validate my ticket" every day. They have no way of knowing OP isn't one of those people (and she could have went back to Argos to get it validated after the incident). Supermarket employees seem to get so much stick from customers feeling entitled to this or that, I couldn't get annoyed at the employee for probably being made to do that task by a manager.
PizzaCrust · 21/02/2022 16:51

@Cuck00soup

I'm willing to bet Sainsbury's would have expected their employee to a) listen to the customer and b) apply some common sense.
I’m willing to bet Sainsburys would rather have one entitled customer being told what the rules are than a car park of cars who have spent £30 between them one a single drink so they can park in the car park all day while they spend their money in other stores, and customers who want to do their weekly food shop and spend £80-200 can’t get parked at all.
Cantleave · 21/02/2022 16:52

@Bunty55

Its petty. I would complain to the Argos manager and let them deal with it.

It does make you wonder what makes some people tick though..

Why on earth complain to the Argos manager? Confused The OP didn’t ask Argos to validate her ticket. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s nothing to do with the Argos manager that the OP wasn’t allowed to validate the ticket, because she didn’t meet the spend requirement in Sainsburys!

The OP was in the wrong, she has no grounds to complain, end of story!

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 16:52

@Cuck00soup

I'm willing to bet Sainsbury's would have expected their employee to a) listen to the customer and b) apply some common sense.
She WAS Sainsbury's.
Pluvia · 21/02/2022 16:56

@HouseofSkullduggery

I forgot to validate the ticket in Argos as I was rushing. Admittedly this is not the staff's fault and I get that she didn't know I was telling the truth but it was the way she backed up to the machine then arrogantly blocked it that I found wrong. Surely it would have been better to take the customer's word and say next time you will either need to spend £10 at this till or get Argos to validate it but don't worry this time you can do it here.
She wasn't arrogantly blocking you, OP, she was doing what she had to do to prevent you breaking the car park rules, as he employer had instructed her to do.

Have you read the responses. You don't have a leg to stand on. You didn't bother to get Argos to validate your receipt and you knew you needed to spend £10 at Sainsbury's but you didn't bother because you though the rules didn't apply to you.

There's only one arrogant person in this scenario and it's you.

TooOldandTired · 21/02/2022 17:00

Is it definitely free if you shop in Argos?
We have a similar system in our Sainsburys/Argos and Argos used to validate but because the first 30 mins is free they will no longer do it (because you are unlikely to spend more than 30 mins dropping/collecting in Argos) and you can only get the free if you spend £10 in Sainsburys.
She was only doing her job, you could have gone back to Argos and asked them to validate if they are really allowed to.

TooOldandTired · 21/02/2022 17:01

Also not really sure how you arrogantly block a card machine!!!

DameOctaviaOstrich · 21/02/2022 17:01

@planningtomakeaplan

OP, there are loads of people on MN who are absolute sticklers for the rules and love to roast people on AIBU for breaking minor rules.

I can't work out if

a. loads of people really are this petty and inflexible in their thinking in real life
b. we get a higher proportion of those kinds of people on MN
c. they're not actually sticklers for the rules, really what they're after is a stick to beat the OP with as that's how they get their kicks.

What utter bollocks Most people can just see that the OP is completely in the wrong
okthx · 21/02/2022 17:02

OP, can you please explain… why do you think you’re so special? The employee was doing their job. End of.

bimbimbap · 21/02/2022 17:03

In Canary Wharf shops the staff validate your ticket, and although the machine is at the till it wouldn’t seem ok to reach round and do it yourself, otherwise anyone could do this without buying something…