To interrupt the waiting staff

[TiredYetWired]

I was out for dinner with my sister and we needed to get the bill. I'm mid 40s and she's 10 years younger than me. She had already refused to call them when we were running a bit late as she doesn't like make phone calls. She often likes to make statements telling me how things are not this way anymore or you shouldn't do this/that anymore. The world has moved on etc like I live in a cave and I'm about 100 years old. Most of the time I just nod and smile as it's not worth the argument as she cannot be wrong.....

Anyway, we were at pre-thatre and wanted to get the bill. So I'd said excuse me to one of the waiting staff a couple of times and they hadn't heard me. I asked her to do it but she refused as they were talking (just chit chat not work guidance ) and we should wait for them to finish. I pointed out that they were working and that this was there job.....hence the eye rolls and her probably thinking I'm the worst....
AIBU to want to "interrupt" to ask them to get the bill, which is their job?

If they're just chatting and not waiting on other customers, it's perfectly reasonable to interrupt them.

Your sister might have confidence issues or anxiety 🤷‍♀️

Of course YANBU

Glad you got this mild moan about your sister off your chest.

Perfectly reasonable to catch a member of staff for the bill - I wouldn’t interrupt them talking to a customer or carrying plates, but perfectly fine to politely interrupt staff chit-chat.

Your sister sounds more like she has social skills/anxiety issues to be honest if she hates phoning anywhere or in any possible way inconveniencing a staff member. Socially I think phone calls are getting rarer and replaced with text based communication or voice notes and many restaurants are mostly online for bookings etc - but not to the extent you can’t phone the restaurant to tell them you’ll be late!

YANBU

There’s been a real slip in customer service standards in recent years and I for one don’t enable it. I don’t expect waiters to love their jobs (I’ve been a waitress at Uni and I liked the people but tolerated the work) but to actively deliver bad customer service is not on. I’d have just got louder and louder til they came over

To be fair, I genuinely think they hadn't heard me but I agree there has been a shift in customer service, especially where staff serving you in a shop continue their conversation over your head, or are standing around talking leaving you standing. I've worked in both hospitality and retail, and would not have dreamed of actively ignoring a customer. Quite rude if nothing else.

To the others she does probably have some anxiety but it seems to be when it suits her. I've seen her being perfectly capable of speaking to a stranger for a short period. Her job also has her interacting with the public and she manages this with ease, if anything.

I think YABU - if you wanted to get the bill, you could have gone and asked yourself. Why did you ask her to do it?

Because I had tried to, they couldn't hear me but they were standing right behind her. Thought that was clear in my OP.