Embarrassed in Wilkinson's ...aibu?

[cursethenroomstick]

My house I rent through housing association.
I work full time and pay my rent myself,don't claim benefits (not that anything is wrong with that,I just know people can be a bit judgemental)
Anyway my housing association did some works on my house and made such a mess.
Anyway I was given decorating vouchers to use in wilkos.
On my letter from HA it states paint,paper,soft furnishings ,rugs etc
So I got my paints etc and spotted a lovely little rug on sale for £15.
Got to the till she scanned my items and I said I was paying with my decorating card.
She snapped "you can't buy rugs it's for paint only"
I said I have my letter..she grabbed letter and scanned it
Then shouted over (whilst massive queue behind me)
You can't buy rugs can you with this free DSS voucher (not sure what DSS means ,maybe housing tenant?)
The woman on the other till said you could
She then shouts back "bloody hell thought it was just for paint ...rugs and rolled her eyes"

Aibu to think there's just no need ?
I felt so embarrassed
I pay for everything myself and the only reason I got these vouchers was because the HA made such a mess.
Im embarrassed to go back in there again now

I am so sorry, @cursethenroomstick. People are awful. No manners, no class, very little social grace.
Reminds me of guy I know who worked in a small pharmacy - he thought it was hysterically funny to humiliate guys who went in the shop buying condoms (they were kept behind the counter back then). He’d say as loudly as possible,
”What size do you need, small or extra-small?” and other non-witticisms like that.
At least they were having sex - lol he wasn’t.

Her attitude towards people living in social housing is similar to the MNers who regularly start threads about moving people out of "subsidised" housing, or the PP who talled about you receiving "a helping hand at the moment". There are a lot of people around who are as prejudiced as her, and who enjoy humiliating people they perceive as 'undeserving'.

Please please do complain about the way she treated you. Not just to that store's manager, but also to Linda and the national Customer Services team. And let your HA know, so they can take their business elsewhere in future. It's your rent money that's funding this woman's job (and your tax payments funding any benefits she receives - she may well be getting UC herself is she's as badly paid as other posters have suggested!)

Please complain. She was doing it to be deliberately insulting. Hence using DSS which is a stigma loaded term which she used to try and embarrass you. DSS was disbanded in 2001 and I’d have given a little history lesson tbh. But I’m a pedantic cow when necessary.

My HA doesn’t issue wilko vouchers for decorating and I didn’t know rugs were part of that scheme. However there is a way of checking and she could have been much more discreet.

DSS is Social Security so yes Benefits. I'd definitely complain. Lots of Councils and HAs use these vouchers for such purposes.

I would go to head office, if you go to the store manager they might protect the staff member. If the staff member had no issue about shouting sensitive information across the store then you never know how things are being run.

The woman was a nasty bitch.

There is nothing wrong with living in a HA home or having vouchers to put right what workers made a mess of. There is everything wrong with the way she treated you. She did it deliberately to make sure everyone knew you were a 'benefit scrounger' and were trying to buy things 'you are not allowed' with a decorating voucher.

FWIW, people who do this kind of thing are usually struggling themselves. They are the kind of people who think benefit claimants/those living in social housing are getting too generous a deal and and somehow getting more than they are when working. It’s a widespread feeling amongst minimum wage earners

@WombatChocolate I think this sums it up

I know how op feels I too used to live in social housing and had so many occasions where I felt judged by twats. I also once got a mean comment for using healthy start vouchers when I was a single parent - the woman in the shop said "MY daughter doesn't get these for HER kids. Mind you SHE works" I did work!! I just didn't earn much so I got a top up. And so what even if I didnt work it's none of her business and it could be for all sorts of reasons . I'll never forget it

Anyway Op deffo complain as others have said 💐

People in social housing do often work.

Yes so many people are under the impression they don't. Or they want to believe they don't

I don't think they were shaming. Maybe you are embarrassed and wanted discretion?

Rugs are decoration. You did nothing wrong. She was horribly rude. Complain.