Poor customer service & plain rude!

[deflatedbirthday]

I had a small shopping list so called at my local Tesco express on the way home from work.

I popped the items in a basket and headed to the self service checkout. After scanning one of the items I remembered my DH had massaged to say he had already picked up this particular item at lunch time.

I politely asked a passing staff member if they could please remove the item. There was a queue behind me and people at the other tills.

He proceeded to look me up and down and said quite smugly 'What's the problem? Do you not have enough money?' This was loud enough to be heard.

I said 'No. I just don't need it'. I could feel myself going red. 'Suuuurrre' he said whilst removing the item.

I proceeded to pay hurry out of the shop. I was mortified. The item was not expensive. I could have bought it but it was a fresh item and would have been wasted, hence my reason for asking for it to be removed.

AIBU that this was so rude and lacking any sort of customer service?!

What makes you think the staff member set out to humiliate anyone? I know I've been in a situation where I've had to put goods back because I can't afford them (or have the wrong purse). I've got a bit flustered too trying to calculate the maths. I'd imagine staff are seeing a lot more of this atm and he was just normalising it. He could also be checking if there was something wrong with the item (and you wanted a replacement). As for the 'sure', I'd take that as Sure, OK, no problem rather than a sarcastic Yeah sure you've just changed your mind.
I suspect OP was flustered and felt embarrassed and pressured by the queue and her emotions are influencing her thinking.

A shop assistant loudly quizzing customers on whether or not they are short of the price doesn’t normalise poverty. All it does is make that person feel singled out and embarrassed.

in my local small sainsbury (Croydon George st - outing) when you use self checkout the security staff (not sure) they are not clearly identifiable) approve alcohol purchase, then amble away so you have to call them back to remove security tag. Not to assist another customer just to have rest it seems. Now i just queue up at the till- it's perversely quicker

Otherwise we could normalise poverty by such measures as loudly exclaiming ‘look, this person is paying in coins, they must not have much money’ or ‘ooooh your card declined, are you in your overdraft!’

Sales assistants sometimes say nonsense and stupid things. It's because their brains go to mush from such a crappy job.
Source : 20 years of being a sales assistant.
The food item will probably still go to waste because by the time it makes its way to the staff member who has the exciting job of sorting through trolley loads of unwanted/returned stock to put back on the shelf will be in about 2 days time.

Sounds like you would have had to have been there to fully ascertain if anyone in the scenario was being unreasonable.

Yet again, people on here are batshit. If a shop assistant questioned my ability to afford things I'd say that was incredibly inappropriate and of course is a personal insult. It shouldn't have happened.

He was rude and inappropriate all he need to say was “yes I can do that”

Yes he was rude

There was no need to ask you that loudly

In a large toy shop in London I had asked to see two versions of an item so I could decide which one I was going to purchase (they were in a cabinet). I checked them both and told the assistant which one I preferred. She then shouts over to her colleague to get a boxed one "she picked the cheap one" is what was said.

I paid then requested to speak to the manager as I'm pretty sure there were several other ways she could have identified the version I had chosen. The one with the display box, barcode number, etc etc.

So I fully believe OP.

He sounds like a dickhead. Bored probably but no excuse

What makes you think the staff member set out to humiliate anyone? I know I've been in a situation where I've had to put goods back because I can't afford them (or have the wrong purse). I've got a bit flustered too trying to calculate the maths. I'd imagine staff are seeing a lot more of this atm and he was just normalising it. He could also be checking if there was something wrong with the item (and you wanted a replacement). As for the 'sure', I'd take that as Sure, OK, no problem rather than a sarcastic Yeah sure you've just changed your mind.
I suspect OP was flustered and felt embarrassed and pressured by the queue and her emotions are influencing her thinking.

@JudgeRudy

What makes me think he was trying to humiliate me was the tone of his voice and the smug look. Given I was there I think I can comment. It's was a long drawn out sarcastic 'sure'. I was not flustered, embarrassed (until after his comment) or pressured. It took no longer than someone checking ID for alcohol

It went straight back on display which was close to the till. He took it back whilst I was bagging my items

A voice of reason!

Yes, he was bloody rude. Cheeky little prick. I used to work in a supermarket, dealing with some proper arseholes and if I'd spoken to anyone like that I'd have been in deep shit.

So, to clarify, what you’re actually saying isn’t that OP is being unreasonable but that she’s a liar?

Can't believe some of the replies and quite frankly the ridiculous speculation from some poster 🤣🤣

Offering to pay for op's shopping! Op never said she didn't have enough money, deleting an item at self check out is part of staff's job description ffs.

If he made me feel uncomfortable with his sarky comments I'd have been annoyed, probably left then thought of a witty response long after 😂

YANBU at all

No ones saying she's lying but she can't possibly know his motivation. It's all supposition.

I feel like entered a parallel universe with some of these answers 😆

Witty responses would be welcome! I might return tomorrow and yell it through the door 😂

I can make a good assumption given that I was present.

I would email Tesco, they will probably just issue a reminder about customer service but it might help. I was at a self service in a Tesco once, with a large queue behind and I had to have a lot of items removed as my card was declined. I did not have the money. The staff eere great, obviously a bit annoyed because they were busy but they were discrete and kind. That is customer service.

@deflatedbirthday glad to hear it got put back out. Not wasted then.

This is my point. If he reacts like that to someone who merely asks him to remove an item, what would be say to someone who said they didn't have the money? There's just no need to embarrass people. I'm glad the staff you encountered were sensitive.

If he wasn’t being a smart arse he would have said nothing at all. Just put the item back - he didn’t , he asked a question designed to humiliate. Report him. People on low incomes who are struggling at the moment might no have enough when they get to the till, they don’t know this moron calling them out.

I beg your pardon? OP was just rudely humiliated by a member of staff and you're blaming her?!?! Are you quite well????