Over familiar shop assistant

[StinkyCheeseMoose]

I had a bad attack of internal rage today.

Apart from a bit of snippiness - which the subject of my rage quite possibly didn't notice - I managed to keep it to myself.

I work in an office close to the high street of a small town. Every lunchtime I walk into town to buy my lunch and take it back to the office.

On my way back, I go into the newsagent to buy a newspaper and a flake.

The shop assistant is murderous-thought inducingly annoying. She is the kind of person who speaks to her elderly customers in a higher than usual sing-sing voice and seems to think that a bit of patronising chit-chat should be part of the service.

My annoyance started to accelerate a few weeks ago. I had bought a sausage roll from Greggs before I went into the newsagent.

"Oooo! That smells nice, what are we having for lunch today?" She asked.

I decided to ignore her question and paid for my paper and flake.

A few days ago, the weather was colder than had been forecast (unfortunately, the heatwave everyone else seems to be getting has passed us by). It was cold and windy and I wasn't wearing a jacket or cardigan.

"Oooo! Aren't you cold dressed like that?" She asked.

I ignored her question and paid for my paper and flake.

Yesterday, I put my paper and flake on the counter and waited to pay. As she picked up my flake, she said:

"Oooo! You really love these, don't you? You'll look like one soon if you aren't careful"

Am I unreasonable to expect a shop assistant to respect my privacy, not to quiz me on what I am having for lunch, comment on what I am wearing or what I am buying?

I don't mind a quick "It's a lovely day today" type of interaction, but all I actually want from her is quick and efficient service.

Right. Lining my hamster cage with iPads is going to be prohibitively expensive.

Would that my life was so perfect that I had the headspace to be offended by trivial comments from someone serving me in a shop.

Perhaps use Flake wrappers. The OP must get through loads.

She's not trying to make friends with you and she really doesn't give a shit about what you're wearing, having for lunch, or in how many times you buy a flake - she's just chatting, making small-talk and passing the time.

Stop being so bloody miserable and shop elsewhere if it pisses you off so much.

Victoria Meldrew.

If my colleague walked in and referred to their lunch being "concealed" we'd all be more likely to take the piss out of that and ask them why they were going to such efforts to disguise a sausage roll, than a shop worker trying to be friendly.

But then perhaps that's because we're not stuck up - your "because I don't work in a shop for minimum wage" is very enlightening as to your character.

🤣 change things up a bit and buy a Twirl instead 😉

Erm…sorry OP but are you saying you just constantly ignore her? She’s hardly trying to invade your privacy by saying the sausage roll smells nice and you always buy a flake? What exact intel is she going to gather from this information?

joking aside, I genuinely just think she’s trying to be friendly. You could just smile and say yes to her questions?

Dear lord! She's not going to do that! 😱

YABU. She’s just trying to be friendly and personable. Yes, it’s cringeworthy and I wouldn’t love it either, but you’re coming across a bit like Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave…

I LOL at the turning into a flake comment 🤣
I reckon she's winding you up now and she sees you as an amusing challenge.

Stop quizzing her on such a personal topic!! 🙄🤣🤣
(sarcasm, just incase)

Op would have been great on Beadle’s About!

A set up where the shop keeper has an emergency and can’t lock the shop so the op has to run it for her as the shop keeper runs out and then there is a steady stream of rude customers!

The op gets more and more wound up until steam is coming out of her ears and then Beadle appears as a delivery driver with a funny accent and there’s been a mistake and the shop have ordered 100,000 flakes instead of 100 and as the op steps outside the shop a tipper lorry deposits all the flakes on top of her…..

Is asking what lunch item smells so good really personal? Most people wouldn't find it so. She didn't ask you your address or how much your paycheck is.

😂😂

I’m from down south and I love a bit of chit chat in the shop.
Although the one I didn’t like was the bloke in Waitrose serving me who said “you weren’t paying attention”.. as I was distracted when paying. I said “ right yes well I’ve just lost my job” that was awkward..

And the poor woman has to put up with serving you every day. I expect she is developing a case of performative niceness just to annoy you and is probably practicing in front of the mirror right now. Good luck to her. Shop elsewhere, there are machines in supermarkets that don't interact with you at all. Go to one.

I know, polite mundane small talk, which most customer service assistants do to an extent, isn't "quizzing" someone....

I hope she's reading this and is now planning to up her game with her intrusive questioning!

Yabu to buy a flake every day

greggs and a flake? Healthy 🤣

It would be a lot cheaper to buy your Flakes in multipacks from the supermarket.

Are you southern by any chance?

Id find a different shop for my lunchtime goodies. People like her wind me up too. But then actually I take a packed lunch almost everyday. For me thats a lot cheaper and healthier and more variety (few lunch options in our town for vegetarians especially).

TBH I think you are rude hearing and ignoring the person asking you a question, you obviously have no manners at all…

I should be able to use the shop conveniently situated close to my place of work without being quizzed about my personal choices by a complete stranger

She might have volunteered in a charity shop for experience. The customers there want to tell you every last thing about themselves and are happy to supply details ad infinitum. A lady today told me that she was buying a huge second hand bread bin not for bread, but for her milkman to put her bottles in to stop the birds pecking the tops off. I hadn't asked. I rarely ask why people buy things.

It works both ways.