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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why people think they are so above others?

119 replies

LolaTheShowgirl · 21/12/2008 20:03

I work in customer service, both over the telephone and in person. Most of our customers are wealthy people, but the majority are lovely. The other day a lady came in and she had the most gorgeous Radley handbag. She must have seen my checking it out, because as she turned to leave, she muttered 'this is a case of you can look, but you can't touch. on your wage, this kind of thing stays directly in the shop window, darling' and flounced off. I was nothing but my nice, smiling self to her so where that came from, I don't know!

OP posts:
SalLikesEggnogUnderMistletoe · 22/12/2008 13:35

Fair enough, and I appreciate that I was lucky (if that's the right word, but you know what I mean) to be able to afford it, but I just find it difficult if I have to almost be ashamed of something expensive or if I should try and hide it in case someone else thinks I'm a snob. It's not always true - I don't even think it's true in most cases.

Podrick · 22/12/2008 13:42

Don't worry, I expect she is like this everywhere.

In restaurants she will no doubt regularly have the food she orders gobbed on etc by staff, and that's if she actually has any friends to go to restaurants with.

I would have found it hard not to say "CHAVVV TASTIC, grandma!!! Bet you've got Burberry print knicks on too!" as revenge. Or a more genteel retort "shame you couldn't afford to buy good manners and common decency at the same shop, or did you swap them for the bag?"

Makes the blood boil

used2bthin · 22/12/2008 13:46

Just want to add my annoying customer story. I used to work in a consessions bit of Debenhams and one day a lady came in looking for something which wasn't in stock. My colleague and I were really helpful and rang the other shop in town to see if they had it, which they didn't so we were trying to call another branch but couldn't get through due to some problem with the phone system. The lady stormed off, shouting back over her shoulder "well thats WHY you are just shop assistants!" We both went then just posl because it was so rude it was ridiculous!

tiredsville · 22/12/2008 13:55

I am too embarassed to say how much I have paid for bags, for fear of being flamed, and too be honest I feel a bit of an idiot for doing so.
Like Sal says, the cost of the bag is irrelevant, it's the cheap, tacky manners of the woman which was the problem.

MrsSeanBean · 22/12/2008 13:58

Most shop assistants I come across are lovely, but you do get some (who may sell the overpriced handbags and so on) who think they are a cut above their customers.

This made me fume many years ago.

My mum, who incidentally is very wealthy in terms of property owned and has never had a mortgage (not that that matters) but anyway, what I'm trying to say is - she doesn't flash the cash, hence she doesn't dress up to the nines in designer gear. She once asked to try on a hat (in what the owner fondly thought was an upmarket shop), only to be told - 'Oh but that one's very expensive'!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blood boiling again just at the memory. I was only about 11 at the time. Mum didn't make a big deal of it but I was .

Reminds me of the shopping scene in Pretty Woman!

ScottishMummy · 22/12/2008 14:02

radley bags are very nice unlike said lady,but you know what just a bag not a social statement

tiredsville · 22/12/2008 14:02

Some of the shop assistants are so pretentious, the joke is their monthly wage couldn't afford some of those handbags.

ScottishMummy · 22/12/2008 14:05

most up its own jacksie snippy shop is spaceNK.boy does that place feel unfriendly all overpriced slap

tiredsville · 22/12/2008 14:11

My local SpaceNK, the girls are really friendly. They had a snotty bunch initially, but they seemed to have replaced by the friendly bunch.

needmorecoffee · 22/12/2008 16:12

you in Brizzel MrsSB?

MrsSeanBean · 22/12/2008 16:13

No NMC, but within striking distance. Maybe we could meet to fuel our mutual coffee addiction and disdain of ugly handbags in Harvey Nics sometime

lilacclaire · 22/12/2008 16:17

Yip, you shoulda said, "Yes, your husband bought me the same one as well"
Smug bitch!!

needmorecoffee · 22/12/2008 16:26

that might be fun MrsSB. We could go to the Harvey Nics cafe and scare people
After Xmas dd will be at school full time. I'll be a free woman!

MrsSeanBean · 22/12/2008 16:34

Good plan NMC. Stay in touch and we'll sort something out! I won't be 100% free alas, will have restless 18mo ds, unless I can arrange a babysitter, which will allow free reign to rummage through all the bags!

needmorecoffee · 22/12/2008 16:40

could be fun. You, me (scruffy hippy type in a wheelchair) and a toddler.
And a shop full of snooty people

MrsSeanBean · 22/12/2008 16:46

We'll cause havoc I'm sure

CoteDAzur · 22/12/2008 16:51

I had no idea what a Radley bag was and had to look it up.

She was that arrogant because her bag costs, what, 200 pounds?

Good thing she didn't have a Jimmy Choo bag worth over a thousand, or a larger YSL or LV bag in the thousands.

lalalonglegs · 22/12/2008 17:11

You should have said: "Oh, it looks so familiar... Yes, I remember, our cleaner has the exact same one."

StayFrostyTheSnowMam · 22/12/2008 19:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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