To think they should have kept serving me?

[itsotoy]

Went to collect 4 parcels from my local shop. I told her I had 4, she gave me 1 and said “thanks, bye” … I informed it again it was 4. It was taking ages and she claimed she couldn’t find it - but she’d already scanned my code and signed it in the book that it had been collected.

She said “yeah I can’t find it” and then the guy with her told me I would need to wait whilst they served the queue behind me.

Sorry I get there was a queue of 2 people but I was there first and was in the middle of being served and had already been patiently waiting. I don’t think I should have to wait even longer because they couldn’t find my parcel.

Remember life before mobile phones and the internet, when you'd have to pick up a writing pad and pen, jot off a letter, place it in an envelope, pop a stamp on it , then trot off to the nearest postbox to send it to your local rag, or "Points Of View" on the telly, or something like that. How different life was back then. 😅

In some shops though the queue can be never ending.
People join it constantly.
At what point should the assistant decide that the serving of the "other customers" has finished?

How is this OP’s fault when it’s the shop - who are charged with receiving OP’s parcels and keeping the safe until collection - have messed up ?

My irritant used to be back in the days of landlines.
Being served or attended to in an office, the phone would ring and I'd be left standing there, while they dealt with the caller.
I've left shops due to it. Stick your sale!

How long does the queue get before they start serving other people? The door? The street? Four doors down?

Yes OP, IMO they should have kept serving you.

And again, if you can’t offer a decent and prompt service, why offer it at all ?

Some ridiculous posts in this thread, for those bemoaning the 'good old days' what happened to the customer always being right? I think someone even suggested that OP should have meekly slipped off home and came back later when the shop was quiet, so as not to disturb the imaginary queue or that she should be worried about how much the shop is making from a service that they have decided to offer. How is that any of OP's concern? If the shop aren't concerned about the service that they are offering I don't think OP should be expected to worry about their profit margin. OP I think YANBU they should have continued to serve you or at the very least one could have looked for your parcels while the other served other customers. I assume that as they had been scanned they would have been marked collected. I can only imagine how that would have went when you came back later and another member of staff was on.

And by the same token how long before they realise that if the queue is consistently this long, they are not employing enough staff ? Happens all the time. The customer is presented with shit service and made to feel like a nuisance because the business is trying to cheapskate it to save money.

🤣🤣 you are so correct op, some ridiculous accusations made against you.

I love a thread where every reply is nuts. Is everyone on glue now?

I think in little shops that double up as parcel points they only get a few pence per parcel. So they prioritise shop customers who keep the bills paid. I think it’s fine to say do you mind stepping to the side whilst we serve these customers.So long as they then sort out your parcel problem.

Yanbu to expect them to serve you.

You were also not faffing. They were.

If I have to wait in a queue it doesn't matter of the next four packages are collected by one or four people. I'm in a queue.i have to wait

Yabu for not telling us if they gave you the other three though. It is relevant because you'll have a nightmare getting that sorted with the original sender and a far bigger problem than making you wait, as they marked them collected

Agree. What if the next person could not be matched with their parcel? Would they all be told to wait ? The other member of staff could serve the queue while the first staff member stayed serving her.

So did you get the other parcels?

I am stealing the phrase “crickets!” to use in those times of frustration tinged with annoyance but which are not going to rock the universe

oh crickets, there is no more of the sour dough bread I like

oh crickets, a small bird has pooed on my car roof

only two eggs left and I wanted to make us an omelette for lunch, crickets.

😂😂😂

Sometimes it feels like people are just looking for reasons to say the OP is wrong

Me too 😄

Due to the staff messing around though, not OP….

But they chose to offer the service so somehow it must be (financially) worth it right?

The reality is that most people chose a shop that is close. Making said customer ‘just’ collecting a parcel like this is likely to make them loose customers too…. I wouldn’t go there for other things after that.

If there was one staff member they should finish looking for your parcels before serving anybody else unless you gave the go ahead to serve the person behind you. Otherwise you could be there forever which isn't your fault. If the shop offers the option to post/collect parcels then that's on them, doesn't matter how many the customers are posting/collecting.

If there were 2 or more then one person hunts and you stand to the side waiting whilst the other person (people) carry on serving.

Well I imagine if they'd actually looked for the parcels it would have been sorted in minutes.
But they didn't bother.
They should either offer this service and do it properly (ie sort the parcels out) or not offer it.

You must live where I live! The very small corner shop does Amazon and Evri click and collect and it's a total shamble too.

I need the laugh emoji

That's not what it means.