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Original poster

Altercation with butcher

172 replies

CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 13:42

DH just came back from our local butcher and is a bit ShockConfused

The man being served ahead of him ordered 20 chicken thighs, 20 burgers, sausages, minter lamb chops etc

The butcher serving him said "that sounds like a BBQ for a large crowd" and got told to "just fucking bag it all up" Butcher refused saying that not only did it seriously deplete his sticks but that he wouldn't be party to someone breaking the lockdown regulations. The man got swearier and was asked to leave. As he left he shouted that he had driven "fucking miles" and wouldn't be coming back.

DH thinks he didn't quite expect the round of applause the butcher got, or the "well fuck off back there, then" that was shouted at him by a man probably in his 80s.

Apart from the obvious twattishness it struck us that Mr Big obvious didn't expect a hick town butcher, or customers, to be quite so capable of saying no!

Quite different from my encounter in the farm shop last weekend. Made me wonder how all those of you living in urban areas are doing - not saying all urbanites are tests more that we know who our local twats are and tend not to let them get ahead of themselves.

I hope you are all managing to avoid such prats, wherever you live!

OP posts:
Leaannb · 10/04/2020 15:54

@Carrl why was the Butcher so rude to assume that he was buying for a BBQ? If someone accused me of doing that I wouldn't be nice either....20 chicken thighs is 2 proteins for 2 meals for my family. I buy more than that for a family of 8 for a week

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/04/2020 15:54

I couldn’t give a shit if he had a large family so needed it for a barbecue, was bulk shopping for a month (how’s that acceptable when panic buying isn’t?), was shopping for others. He would have depleted that small shop of food meant for others in the area. The OP already explained that they had a large aged community, so they would be affected by the bulk buyers and many would have no cars or would have to increase the risk to their heaths by travelling around for food. I actually think your local butcher should still have a limit on what he’s prepared to sell to individuals, OP.

Bringringbring12 · 10/04/2020 15:55

* didn't expect a hick town butcher, or customers, to be quite so capable of saying no!*

It does sound a bit hick to be honest.
The butcher for asking. Either Impose a limit or don’t.
The incredibly rude customer about which you have started this thread
The 80 year old man for getting sweary

And finally, your DH. I kind of imagine him quivering with excitement about it all and then telling you as soon as he got home and you immediately rushing on mumsnet to start a thread about it!!

Original poster
CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 15:58

Erm... bulk purchases are usually pre-ordered. He didn't initially say no. The man was rude

OP posts:
lowlandLucky · 10/04/2020 15:58

OP next time you see your Butcher tell him that most of us on here think he is a wee star Smile

alexdgr8 · 10/04/2020 16:00

well done the butcher and supporting customers for standing up for decent behaviour. we all need to do more of this.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/04/2020 16:00

so if he always sells bulk buy why did he turn this person away

I dare say a rural butcher will know his regular bulk buyers well and he will calculate that into his monthly stock. However, a random customer bulk buying might not be accounted for.

JingsMahBucket · 10/04/2020 16:01

@CuriousaboutSamphire
Except we are quite rural and many people, farmers etc, don't shop every week and always bulk buy. That and he sells bulk buy

If this is the case, then why did he make a comment about BBQing then? I get that it was probably a lighthearted joke but it seems it probably pushed the rude customer over the edge after standing in line and driving miles to get there.

I’m on the fence about this too when I’m usually not so equivocal about this stuff. I do believe in rationing and looking out for the greater good of community but sometimes community policing can go a bit far. The guy could honestly just have been having a bad day. So it goes...

Original poster
CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 16:04

Ah, bring nice imagination you have going there. Attached to a pretty unpleasant attitude!

I can see that the butcher's initial comment, with or without smile, was probably I'll advised. And I can see that a man of 80 probably shouldn't have been shopping.

But I do live I a very rural, small market town. The kind that within living memory had 12 pubs and a population of less than 6000.

Hicksville. Farming country with new build estates rapidly engulfing medieval centres.

Excuse us for playing them banjos when a stranger walks into town!

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 10/04/2020 16:06

Surely the customer was wrong to be driving miles to go there in the first place

bluebeck · 10/04/2020 16:07

Your butcher was an ass. Not to mention dumb. He had to idea why that man was buying that food. Thats a weekly shop for people

100 pieces of meat? Shock

Any shop you go to is likely to ask you to leave if you swear at the owner - COVID or no COVID.

Shop owners can choose to sell what they like to whom they like.

itsgettingweird · 10/04/2020 16:07

Loving your butcher.

And even more so the elderly gent who swore 🤣

The fact he reacted the way he did shows his intentions weren't honest.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/04/2020 16:08

But I do live I a very rural, small market town. The kind that within living memory had 12 pubs and a population of less than 6000.

Blimey! That’s massive compared to where I grew up. 😁 Mine was more along the lines of The Hills Have Eyes. 😁

moita · 10/04/2020 16:10

Awful how some people talk to other people.

managedmis · 10/04/2020 16:10

Ass?

managedmis · 10/04/2020 16:11

Ain't nobody got time for dat!

Next!

diddl · 10/04/2020 16:14

He could just have said it was too much & offered what he was willing to sell?

Possible the customer thought that a small place might welcome his business rather than it being because he thought that he wouldn't be told no?

That's not to say that he wasn't rude of course.

Original poster
CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 16:14

Mine was more along the lines of The Hills Have Eyes. Until 4 years ago I lived in a tiny hamlet about 80 people.... Here feels like a busy metropolis.

OP posts:
Original poster
CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 16:16

Possible the customer thought that a small place might welcome his business yes. I suspect he did have that patronising air about him. DH did say he had also parked his car on the zebra crossing zig zags Grin

OP posts:
oncemorewithfeeling99 · 10/04/2020 16:19

I find these sorts of stories really depressing. Maybe the butcher was justified, certainly the customer was rude. But the spreading of these stories online bolster all kinds of frankly bonkers vigilante behaviour. I’m glad I haven’t left the house for 3 weeks and have avoid it in real life.

Mummyoflittledragon · 10/04/2020 16:19

He was in the wrong for driving miles. If he actually needed that much to feed his family rather than for a bbq, he should have looked to local suppliers rather than take more than his fair share from a small community not even local to him. Wholesalers for restauranteurs for example can get hold of this amount.

Original poster
CuriousaboutSamphire · 10/04/2020 16:21

@oncemorewithfeeling99 you are probably right.

I'll stick to shopping takes like my one last week at a farm shop. It was much nicer all round.

OP posts:
GotTheCityOnLockdown · 10/04/2020 16:21

Did everyone clap OP?

GabsAlot · 10/04/2020 16:22

so forget the amount what about the fact he drove miles-thats not essential

Coffeecak3 · 10/04/2020 16:25

@CuriousaboutSamphire tiny! There’s 15 of us living in our hamlet.
Swells to 21 in summer.

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