to have complained about the disabled worker in Tesco?

[twigtree]

There's a long-standing staff member at my local Tesco Express who has difficulty walking and is usually on the till. While I appreciate he has mobility issues, his customer service has been consistently bad for years. He regularly sighs and seems annoyed by basic requests like a receipt or pointing out a wrong price. He also shouts if I don't hear him the first time.

I generally use the self-service to avoid him, but the other day I had an issue where the till kept erroring (someone else's bag was briefly on the scales). He was the one assisting, and despite my explaining the situation, he just stood there and shouted at me to remove the item, even after I had. I had to tell him firmly not to speak to me like that.

I've now complained to head office about this pattern of rude behaviour. AIBU?

I can't agree, I used to work in retail myself and cut retail workers a lot of slack as a result, but I would still report bad service. And if I've felt moved to complain you know it's bad.

How do you know he hasn't got other issues?

There is a chap in Morrisons nr me, he is disabled and also has Tourette's, he could easily be seen as rude and inappropriate at times.

Even if he has none of these, its hard enough for a disabled person to get any job, you and perhaps others complaining, could mean he is sacked.

I wouldn't dream of complaining about a disabled person, their lives can be utter shit without the able bodied having a go at them as well.

OP, I completely understand why you mentioned his disability, and think it was perfectly reasonable. Some people are just being disingenuous.

If you report him he’s going to struggle more.

So do I. When autistic people are forced off PIP and into jobs, is the OP going to complain that they don’t make eye contact?

I agree.

Are you seriously saying that a disabled person does not have to treat customers well because of their disability?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

If his disability is an impediment to him being able to provide CUSTOMER SERVICE (ie his job description) then he needs to find a more suitable job. Possibly the store could move him to a less customer facing position should this be their policy but this is utter new age lunacy to just accept that everyone else must just suck up their bad feelings in dealing with him because of his own short comings.

It is not awful at all. Clearly quite a number of people think OP should overlook the rudeness because the shop worker has a disability that must make their life difficult. It’s a relevant factor to consider, whichever decision was made.

There are a lot of disabled people who ca provide good kind friendly customer service. Those people belong in a customer facing position at the front of the store.

If a persons disability prohibits them from doing this then there are other jobs within the store which may be more suited to them if this is the stores hiring policy.

A store needs customers and customers would prefer to be treated kindly and with some degree of professionalism no matter who is assisting them in order for them to want to return to the store!

I am sure there are other issues from what I have seen.

So it is ok for a disabled person to have a go at an able bodied person because their lives are tough? He has been unpleasant for years and I have let it go many times.

Which job are you allowed to do that in?

That is hardly the same.

It's a power trip I think.

So many won't say a word face-to-face, but they'll run home and contact head office by email or phone immediately.

no , I get it. Sometimes people are reluctant to complain about someone's rudeness if they have a disability, like its understandable for a disabled person to be rude to someone who isn't disabled.....like in dramas, disabled people could never be the villain.

I think the disability has everything to do with it : you would be much more likely to give a disabled person leeway in this situation given. Along the lines of he probably needs the job more than you need excellent customer service. Right now he is obviously struggling but reporting him is not going to help.

Because sometimes when confronted people can be a bit unhinged! I would happily go and tell a store manager if I was being treated poorly but I doubt I would take it up with the person themselves.

My best comeback to rude treatment is simply to ask them… ‘Are you ok?…’

So let him keep shouting at customers? I have seen him shout at mostly women to who end up just going silent and not speaking up.

It isn’t exactly the same, but having worked with hundreds of autistic people over 30 years, there have been comments from teachers and members of the public about their ‘rudeness’ and slowness in responding to requests.

Maybe they just rushed home and contacted head office like you did?

I echo this, although @Hwi is often argumentative for the sheer hell of it.

I feel like being one of those people. I'm autistic, I've also worked in retail for years (Sainsbury's for 11 years and Screwfix for three.) Managed to not be rude to people unless they've really pushed me (told one bloke to fuck off once, because he was being so patronising to me I lost my temper, and walked away.) My store manager at Screwfix was much more supportive and if customers were being obnoxious we got him or one of the other managers to deal with them. Otherwise I'd do my best to help people. OP is in the right. If she was disabled as well would all you people be so happy to jump all over her? I hate being shouted at.

The NHS, in my experience.

If they did, it made no difference. He is still shouting 😂

You can still be a rude arsehole and disabled.

Last time I was told I was brave and inspirational for leaving my house (I use a wheelchair I haven't achieved world peace ffs) I told them I could still be a git.

Rudeness is one thing. Shouting at customers is another.

Not necessarily. You don't get the sack because one person complained these days (thank goodness.) He might get a disciplinary or a 'record of conversation'. Big deal. I've had several of each!