To have been annoyed at bloke in sports shop for telling off my son?

[NoJokeBoak]

Our sports shop has a gaming section now (makes no sense to me either!) separate to Sports shop apparently but no real separation physically.

I was stood looking at games and a worker approached and said to DS (who is 10) "Don't do that, you can't just leave things here, this is a separate part of the shop. You can't dump things here. That's not nice!"

It was a really condescending tone, really 'super nannyish'

I asked what was happening and he said DS had put a Nike bag on a hook with gaming items on and it didn't belong there.

I asked him to direct any issues to me and I will be the one to tell my son off, not him, he had no right to.

He huffed and walked off. I asked DS what happened and why did he have a Nike bag and why did he hang it up in the games section.

He said he didn't bring the bag over, it was hung up there already and it got knocked off by a lady going passed with a buggy, so he was just putting it back rather than leaving it on the floor.

On hearing that he was just trying to be helpful I went back to the worker who was laughing with his mate and calling me a Karen!! I explained to him that DS hadn't brought the bag into his section, he was simply picking it up off the floor after it had gotten knocked off from there.

He just kept saying its a different section and the bag didn't belong there.

I just left as he wasn't listening to me at all and I was annoyed at being called a Karen for standing up for my son.

WIBU to email HO, I got his name but does that actually make me a Karen if I complain 😐

Exactly this, if anything OP firing off an email complaint only proves the term this lad called you

How very dare a woman over 40 ever make any sort of complaint about anything?

I'd complain OP.
The shop worker sounds like he was on a power trip or something. and some of these replies are ridiculous. The guy had a go at a 10 year old boy....... simply because he could. People like this really piss me off.

The kid has picked up a bag from the floor and hung it on a hook. But apparntly @NoJokeBoak , according to some of these replies who appear to ahve entirely missed the point, its your fault for having an unsupervised brat who was trashing the shop and your fault he didn't speak up for himself (at the age of 10 to a man twice his size, who was being a dick to him).
I'd say you have a lovely son for thinking to pick the bag up and for not answering back to an adult tbh.

And even if the op's son HAD picked up a bag in the store and then wandered over to the games section and put it down. So the hell what? People do that all the time when looking at stuff, or get distracted or forget where its meant to go back if they change their mind about buying it. In no way was that an act of a naughty child, and no way should the shop worker have even mentioned it to him.

And then for taking the piss out of OP and name calling, because she stuck up for her son. Just reinforces the guy is a total dick. So yeah, based on all that I would 100% report his ass.
Perhaps he'll think twice next time about having a go at someone - just because he could.

Pisses me off so much when men (its usually men lets face it) do this. I bet you he wouldn't have had a stern word with my 20 year old 6ft 2in nephew. Prick.

And in fact all the OP's son has learnt from all this is that if someone knocks something onto the floor in a shop etc you leave it there.

When said woman makes a complaint about a non event, then yes, they're fulfilling the stereotype

Yabu to write passed when it's past. Rude shop assistant though but these minor things happen in life and your son would do well to ignore such shite.

When said woman makes a complaint about a non event, then yes, they're fulfilling the stereotype

So you think shop staff should be able to call customers names...interesting

I mean fair enough slag a customer off when they aren't there but to do it when they could potentially hear you is gross stupidity if nothing else

"The games section is because e-sports is big business and a very real thing."

The reason game has moved into sports direct is because the owner is one and the same and he wants to save money. Nothing to do with "E-sports"

Of course it's stupid, but hardly worth a complaint being raised.

There are many thing that occur in life that aren't great, but don't warrant complaining about.

Yes OP, keep quiet and don’t complain about your child being given into trouble by someone who wouldn’t have spoken to another adult like that and being called a pathetic slur by gossiping shop workers. Know you place and accept appalling customer service - because, heaven forbid, you might just fit some ridiculous, outdated and misogynistic stereotype. Dear god, a fate worse than death indeed.

What? It's totally fine to not have your eyes glued on a TEN YEAR OLD every second in the shop.

That's taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level!

Besides even if she'd seen it happen it wouldn't have changed the outcome since she'd probably have assumed that's where the bag was supposed to be.

Exactly.

I can’t even reply to that seriously it’s so ridiculous 🤣🤣🤣

Yup

Complain to head office and give them a piece of your mind over this as you and your son are their customers and describe in graphic detail the appearance of the idiot with the big mouth and demand an apology because his customer service is at gestapo level and as a customer you and your child deserve respect. Tell them you'll go to the press and they will have sort their stupid colleague out.

@SirChenjins perfectly put.

Op please complain about the gossiping and the Karen slur. I'd acknowledge that the initial faux pas of telling off your son was an accidental misjudgement which you can understand but the subsequent behavior was unprofessional, sexist and ageist. Not to mention entirely knobbish.

Yes if you want to move from Karen to swivel-eyed loon do this.

Exactly this, if anything OP firing off an email complaint only proves the term this lad called you

I don't expect this sort of ignorant post from Mumsnet posters.

It 'proves' nothing of the kind. That's part of what the misogynistic 'Karen' slur is supposed to do and people like you are not helping. It's not even now being confined to the over 30s, but to young school children as a recent thread showed.

I've never heard a man be called a Karen.

Can you imagine if retail workers started giving everyone into trouble for putting items down in the wrong place?! It's literally part of the job to keep the shop tidy because things get moved, looked at, knocked over etc.

I have told customers off after seeing them dump stuff all over for about the fifth time. We are not cleaners or servants.

@Soubriquet ·
If I was being bollocked for picking something up and putting it on the wrong line..I would like them directly in the eye and drop it back on the floor

What an entitled person you are.

Oh I agree. I wouldn’t have complained about the other but but I would definitely consider the bitching and the Karen comment

It indeed does prove it, as does thinking it's a misogynistic slur.

The only people who think these things, usually fit the stereotype

Please do this op, I bet their head office staff need a good laugh

Shoppers should be respectful towards their fellow humans workplace.

It's no wonder retailers become worn-out on the job.

Some people feel entitled to be rude.

I have told customers off after seeing them dump stuff all over for about the fifth time. We are not cleaners or servants

He didn’t ‘dump stuff for the fifth time’ - and if the assistant had been doing a good job noticing what customers were doing and of tidying the store he’d have seen it wasn’t the OP’s son who had hung it there on the first place.

Of course it’s a misogynistic slur - and who the fuck cares if it fits some ignorant, pathetic, outdated stereotype.

It indeed does prove it, as does thinking it's a misogynistic slur. The only people who think these things, usually fit the stereotype

@candycaneframe
It 'proves' nothing of the kind just because you say so, Candycane.

Perhaps research the 'Karen' term and read a few threads in FWR here, where you'll find explanations as to why it is misogynistic and what the term misogynistic means. Educate yourself before jumping in.

Thankfully Mumsnet agrees about the term, and if you call someone a Karen you'll find your post is deleted.