The pettiest, jobsworth bollocks you’ve encountered? Probably won’t top this.

[ermwhatypu]

I was in Morrison’s today. The woman at the till was handing out vouchers on a strip as an offer with 3 pounds off. There were three on each strip that you had to tear off. I had a screaming baby with me and was trying to find my phone to pay. As she handed me the strip one of the 3 pound vouchers fell off the strip onto the till… right in front of the woman. I said I will use that one please, as I wrestle dd back into the trolley. She looks directly at me and says I must hand her the voucher for it to be valid. She handed me the voucher back and I gave it back to her. She then scanned it.

Why are people like this!

@ImCamembertTheBigCheese she might have been doing the latter but I can assure you she was certainly doing the former.

I genuinely don’t know what’s so offensive about saying ‘yes please could I use that voucher’ 😂

The phrase "more than my job's worth" surely means "I will get fired or sanctioned if I break this rule".

I do always wonder why people bitch about it in these cases. Why do people think they're so special that someone should literally jeopardize their job to help you get your own way? They don't make the rules!

We had a situation in TK Maxx where we weren’t allowed to buy a nail kit (incl scissors) as my teen daughter had placed it by the till, despite the fact both myself and DH were right there. I do get the reasons and don’t blame the staff, but it is a bit daft if the parents/a responsible adult are right there. We had to leave the gift set completely as they then perceived the set to be for the teens. They use bigger scissors in Reception at school! It’s similar to the rule where you can’t let your kids choose your lottery numbers as it’s encouraging gambling. All seems a bit over the top to me, but I wouldn’t want someone to lose their job over it.

I agree with this.
We had staff toilets at work that were four floors up in the staff locker room or downstairs through a warehouse with working forklifts and unloading lorries. There were no customer toilets but there were public toilets literally across the road directly opposite. The amount of shit the checkout staff got from people because we wouldn't let their kids pop to the loo. One child vomited over themselves on the shop floor -we provided tissue, two free packs of wipes, carrier bags for the clothes and disposed of all the soiled products. We still got a really nasty complaint filed against the staff who helped that they wouldn't allow the customer access to the toilets. It was a written rule that we couldn't - to do so was a disciplinary situation that could cost a job.
Retail is a really trying job. Not only do you get hard and fast rules that seem ridiculous that you have to apply, you then have to deal with the customer when you do so. It's embarrassing and you are often stuck between a rock and a hard place. We had a lot of 16/17 year olds in their first jobs who would get totally thunderstruck at any confrontation and would just stick to the script. Conversation with a customer doesn't come naturally to some people.
The voucher situation does sound a bit silly but we have no idea what's gone on behind the scenes. I highly doubt the cashier came up with the handing the voucher over rule herself. She could have been "vacant" for endless reasons from feeling shit to having a bad day to tuning out to that just being her natural way. Who knows. It doesn't really matter over £3. Maybe message the head office and ask for their explanation if it's annoyed you. Perhaps they will clarify why they do this. I do understand that things like this can be frustrating. I got stopped for apparently stealing bird seed (!) worth £2.49 at my local supermarket and was escorted back to the self scan tills to prove I had paid. Luckily it popped up on my phone banking immediately anyway so I showed that and left. They didn't apologise but 🤷‍♀️. The guy was just doing what he was employed for.

Did you get the discount? Yes? What’s the issue it’s more than their job is worth

I had similar treatment op. I wanted to post a letter and by coincidence got to the post box at the same time as the postman. He seemed friendly so I tried to hand him the letter but he explained it 'must go In the post box' so I did that then literally one second afterwards he took it straight out again! Bizarre and pointless.

😂😂

Covid really made a lot of people lose all perspective didn't it 😬

Case in point 😂

@bakewellbride that’s made me laugh so much. I just know I couldn’t be like that in any job. I would feel too ridiculous and would be happy to take it up with the powers that be above me.

This thread proves my theory...WORLDS GONE NUTS!!!

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/policy_on_staff_emptying_post_bo

When we asked nicely can't you please give us a break, we just got married, one gloomily replied, 'married. don't talk to me about marriage'.

This line made me laugh 😂

It's not mind-blowing.

It's really important that they check each specific prescription against the name & address.

My DSis is a pharmacist. More than once there has been an issue, which is a potential regulatory matter, where the wrong medication was dispensed to the wrong customer, in exactly a situation you describe. As well as safety concerns, it's a reportable GDPR matter.

I know it seems minor as there were 2 bags both for your dad, but it did need to be done.

I was a mystery shopper while in University. Most assignments from the first company I signed up with were making sure that things that are being described as jobworths in this threads were being adhered to. The actually description in the ops post is very similar to a 'mission' I was offered.

Oh the poster mention about the pharmacy things. You do realise that if there was an error that someone could get meds they are allergy to causing potential death/reaction. Sorry for picking you out but it annoys me when professions are getting given out about for protecting the wellbeing of their clients

if she doesn't have the headspace to make a comment directly related not only to her job but the specific task she is carrying out at that time, then she's probably not in the right job! Customer service = speaking to customers!
Besides which
-scans items - OP was ready to pay so item scanning had finished by this point
-keep queue moving - explaining what she needed rather the her and OP staring blankly at each other would have actually completed the transaction faster
-follows the rules - yes, as I've said, she should have explained this was what she was doing
If anything you're being patronising to assume someone working on a supermarket till can't possibly carry out a conversation while doing something else!

I do agree with @EarringsandLipstick here.

My DH is called Mr Carl Smith, and we live at 3 High Street Chipley. WN5 3LL.

He was born 12/12/1964.

He gets his meds from the ONLY pharmacy for 10 miles.

There is a Ms Carol Smith, who lives at 3 High Street, Chippen, WN5 4KK. A village a couple of miles away from us.

She was born 1/12/1964.

It's a scarily similar name, address, and birthdate! He has been given Ms Smith's meds a few times. She has probably had his too, but as his has always been there when he goes, I assume she gives them back! (As does he!)

Hasn't happened for several years, but happened a good 8-10 times for the first year we lived where we live now!

So yes, pharmacies do have to be very meticulous!

Disclaimer - names, birthdates, and addresses are fictional. ^

Or those people have actually worked in a role like that and have had to adhere to those rules to keep their job

@SweetBirdsong

I love the detail of your fictional addresses!!

And yes, exactly this. In one case that could have been serious, a patient mixup meant that an elderly patient got the correct medication but wrong dose (too much), while the other patient got the lower dose instead. A carer noticed he was more sleepy than usual, thankfully quickly.

It wasn't my DSIS error, it was the technician who didn't check. As dispensing pharmacist though she was still responsible & it wasn't nice (but rightly so, as it could have been a serious outcome for both individuals).

It was mind blowing for me.
She asked the name and address once, went to the back and collected the bags matching that name and address.
She then came back and asked me to confirm again before handing me one bag, then within 4 seconds asked me again. Why not just use my 2nd address confirmation to look at both bags before handing both over?!
I'm not blaming her, she's following the rules. So maybe this is the wrong thread as it's probably not a jobsworth situation but it was bizarre. Everyone in the queue thought so too. Guess you had to be there.

I'd imagine that rule has come about after someone being rightly or wrongly accused of theft by scanning a voucher they had to hand when the customer wasn't entitled to it.

I try to be understanding with customer assistants, as the pressure that gets put on you over a growing list of rules and targets by management can be a lot to put up with. One of my old bosses would end every meeting with "and if you don't like it, you know where the door is", no matter how serious or petty the subject was.🙄

Checkout staff are meant to accept official forms of ID as proof of age, not tattoos, pregnancies, items of jewellery, small children, 18th birthday badges, having a boyfriend whose ID shows him to be 20 etc.

Do you imagine because she ‘operates a till’ she is beneath you? I don’t know her, but I can tell you now, I prefer her to you!

I think your attitude is appalling esp for using the term jobsworth.

Its hardly a huge inconvenience to you. If I go to a shop and then say do x y z ill do it they have their reasons. Quicker to just do what is asked then not to and you csn greet on your way