I witnessed a retail employee being absolutely vile to an elderly man today

[Greenfinc]

This afternoon in a small branch of Lidl at the self service checkouts. Nobody was on the actual tills so no option to use them instead.

An elderly man needed some help scanning his shopping and was explaining to the employee overseeing the checkouts that he was partially sighted and was struggling to find the bar codes.

The employee was absolutely horrible to him saying being partially sighted doesn't mean he can't see and that there's a difference between being partially sighted and blind. Her attitude was vile.

She begrudgingly scanned his remaining items, as though he'd asked her to pay for them herself, and as he was collecting his change from the machine she sarcastically said "oh you managed to see that well enough did you"

I asked him if he needed any help and if he was ok and he explained that he'd had two surgeries on his eyes and couldn't see very well, and that he was only able to get about to the shop on his own as he knew and was used to it but struggled with the bar codes.

I told him I'd heard everything that woman had said to him and that I'm going to contact the head office about her and report exactly what I'd heard. He said he didn't want to make a fuss and that she was clearly just looking for an argument.

WIBU to report her to her employer regardless? I feel really sad about it and don't think somebody like that should be in a customer facing role working with members of the public. Horrible bully.

The man wasn't challenging her

I don't think that matters. I'm responding to the fact OP thinks she'd have kicked off because of the way the woman was, but if she wasn't shouting and only speaking rudely, it's highly unlikely she'd have started shouting at her.

If the colleague acted in the way that she did towards a vulnerable man who didn't want to cause a scene or make a fuss, then god knows how she would have acted toward someone who was calling her out on her behaviour

So sorry to hear that 😞
My brother has dementia and it would break my heart too.

She is absolutely vile and I would have reported her on the spot. She sounds like a disgusting person

Poor old man

Definitely report.
I think I would've flipped and said something the and then to her. Awful person.

Op well done.

My tweet to Lidl has got the attention of another local customer, also disabled, who says she was assaulted by an employee at the same store and she suspects it's the same person.

She has sent a DM to Lidl herself.

I'm going to see whether I can get confirmation that it's the same person.

If its the same woman then she needs sacking on the spot, what a horrible horrible place that is.

That is bloody disgusting behaviour. Thank you for trying to help him, hope something comes of it.
A few years ago I had impants in both eyes, and you have no idea how vulnerable it makes you feel.. I was 65 at the time. It's hard asking for help because you can't see properly.
Luckily everyone I asked was lovely and so helpful.
My Mum had macular degeneration, was in her late 80's, and couldn't see to put her pin in. This was before contactless payments.
The staff in her local Co-op were marvellous, and because she also used a Rollator, could'nt carry a basket as well.The manager told her to fill her rollator up and he walked round with her helping her.
Now that is good customer service..!!

Well done OP, this is truly shocking. That poor man!

Lidl's reply to my earlier DM on twitter attached here.

If I can get confirmation from the other lady that it's the same person then surely they have to get rid of her, it looks like this other lady is making a formal complaint herself now.

What are the chances of two disabled people being abused by different female employees, in the same branch, weeks apart?

It has to be her.

The employee was absolutely horrible to him saying being partially sighted doesn't mean he can't see and that there's a difference between being partially sighted and blind.

I guess times are really tough when a qualified ophthalmic consultant has to work extra shifts in Lidl ?

At the end of the day if she said and did what you say she did, she broke the law didn't she ?

Well done op it's absolutely not acceptable at all and usually you find these people are..

I've asked MNHQ to remove the screenshot I posted up thread about somebody else's experience at the same place.

It's not the same employee, astonishingly. Clearly it runs deeper than just the one nasty piece of work there.

Bloody hell! You should encourage that other woman to lodge a formal complaint if she needed hospital treatment, because clearly there are some serious issues that need addressing at that branch.

No one should be treated that way, in any area of life, and your going to his assistance is commendable. A quiet but firm word with her would have given her an opportunity to, perhaps, realise just how she'd behaved towards him and if she was unrepentant, then report it to the manager. As someone in retail, I'm angry that a customer would be left feeling so upset but I have to ask, are some of those commenting on how vile she is (maybe she is, but we weren't there and don't know her), along with the name calling plus calls for her to be sacked, from behind a screen, not seeing just how they are coming across? As for taking a picture of her and then sharing it on Twitter? It doesn't matter that you've taken it down, anyone could have taken a screenshot and continued sharing it. And as for the snobbish comments about Lidl and budget supermarkets, really?

Well don't for highlight it anyway

@DreamsInBlack you are making the mistake that she will act reasonable. She doesn't understand that she is being nasty to someone purely due to their disability.

Until you are the victim of such behaviour or see it happen upfront and personal to someone close to you, then you don't understand how thick and nasty some people are.

The OP has removed the picture on twitter.

I’m glad you complained, my mum is in her 70’s and had a stroke which affected her vision, it completely shook her and made her lose her confidence, this assistant would have completely made her not want to leave the house and she’d have become a recluse.

I hope she at least gets a warning for her behaviour.

however both the replies from their customer service are so generic, roughly the same reply I got when I complained about their staff texting on their phones while serving customers!

And you are presuming she will act unreasonably, despite not being there. The absolute vitriol in some of the comments is disgusting in a thread about someone being on the receiving end of unacceptable behaviour. You actually don't know what I have experienced so, again, a bit presumptuous. And the OP had no right to put it up in the first place. She can only hope no one took a screenshot.

A further reply from Lidl customer services email after I said I was disappointed that the initial response felt like a copy and paste generic reply.

That's fucking disgusting, I work in retail and today alone I've helped 3 people pack their shopping, talked down an elderly lady who was getting agitated, I'm 99% sure had dementia then rang her a taxi and got her a chair so she could wait in comfort. I also slow down my scan speed if people ask or I can see they're struggling (( I work in Aldi and must admit I'm pretty proud of my scan speed 🤣🤣🤣 ))

I hope your manager notices you going above and beyond for your customers. You sound wonderful and if that elderly lady was my relative I would be sending an email right to the top singing your praise 🙂

good for you op what a horrible woman and looks like shes not the only one

probably mates who ridicule people together and think its funny