How are you supposed to shop when you are treated awfully?

[Mummypig2020]

I popped to jojo this morning as Dd needing some shoes. She’s 3 and Dh works during the day so I took her with me.

We were barked at as soon as we walked in (no one else was in the store). Don’t let go of dds hand, no touching anything. I don’t mind these things but to be made to feel utter shit about it. It was horrible and I really had to bite my lip from not crying (hormonal!).
I just felt so sad for Dd, she normally loves that shop :(

I said jokingly “wish we could just go back to normal” to be shouted that it won’t ever go back and if I touch something it will not keep other people safe 😑😑

I can’t think of anything I need enough to make me go into a shop with all these rules in place. Nothing I can’t get online anyway.

Christ OP, you sound wetter than water left out in the rain. "So sad" for DD because she wasn't allowed to run around and touch things in a clothes shop? I think she'll survive. Need hubby to come shopping with you because he can pay the bills? Embarrassing. Woman up!

I wish people would remember that shops like everyone else are trying their best in completely unknown circumstances.

Many have only been open for a few days so even with the best will in the world things won’t be perfect and I think as shoppers we need to realise that things like browsing stores and measuring ourselves against a wall won’t be able to happen

@TheClaws regarding what happened at Tesco- she no longer works there. As I stated back then, I have a family member who used to work there and has remained on SM with a couple of workers.

Apparently everyone was glad to see the back of her, so I feel somewhat vindicated in complaining about her.

And, as stated, I don't bother with that shop anymore as I have found the next nearest shop far better at handling the restrictions.

It appears many others on here are also voting with their custom.

They will calm down. The staff at our local Tesco were like this at the very beginning: shouting orders at people, generally seeming to rather enjoy their new power and authority as we queued outside.

Now the staff have calmed down, everyone knows "the rules" and ignores them and it's much more comfortable.

Avoid the high street for a few weeks and things will feel much less stressful, even if not "normal" again

Crowdedhouse- what, I'm wrong for being appalled that porters were refusing to transport ventilated ITU patients to Radiology for what actually are 'life-saving' diagnostic tests?

Porters with full PPE and the same training I have?

I’ve been to a few shops and it was a very orderly and pleasant experience, alBrit strange.

Albeit, even

‘Full ppe’

It’s not a guarantee against covid though is it?? So many healthcare workers and doctors have died from covid despite still wearing full ppe.....

It may not be a guarentee but what are porters/ other workers and doctors supposed to do just refuse to work and let everyone go untreated and hope for the best.

I'm laughing at the idea of a line of people waiting for 20 minutes while people looked at make up.

There’s going to be huge unemployment, I imagine many stores will close and the staff will be jobless. A local cafe near me has closed forever. I stopped going in because the older waitresses were really rude and grumpy - before lockdown. The nice cafe a few doors down has been doing brunch via Uber Eats, I have ordered from there.

My Waitrose has really nice staff. No shouting or barking. Unlike the local Co-Op where the staff shout at customers (who were all standing on the floor markers) and called customers “fucking idiots” to each other! No word was spoken at the till either despite my “hello” and “thanks.” I’ve not been back since.

Itsintgeshed I think a big issue regarding PPE was that there wasn't any. In the first 12 days after lockdown as the numbers shot up, we, Covid facing HCPs, were told there was no need to wear any when dealing with anyone other than ventilated Covid positive patients, and that it would 'scare' the public.

I wonder how many HCPs got infected, then?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3939538-To-think-a-pregnancy-test-is-an-essential-item?pg=1 This happened to me in the pharmacy. Does anybody think that’s acceptable?

My partner was shouted at in Sainsbury's (I think it was) for his feet being over the front of the sticker on the floor. He did point out his feet were bigger than the allocated standing space so would they rather his heels and therefore body went over line the back or just his toes to the front?

@FluffyKittensinabasket

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3939538-To-think-a-pregnancy-test-is-an-essential-item?pg=1 This happened to me in the pharmacy. Does anybody think that’s acceptable?

No, but did you ever complain to them?

I think as shoppers we need to realise that things like browsing stores and measuring ourselves against a wall won’t be able to happen

Nobody is talking about that - a 3 year old child needed shoes. She needs her feet measuring. You can't do that without taking the child to the shop. The staff did not behave in a sensible way.

Yes the OP said that she felt sad for her daughter because she usually likes that shop, but the fact remains she needed shoes. For her feet. Which are attached to the rest of her.

There’s going to be huge unemployment, I imagine many stores will close and the staff will be jobless

Agree. Hopefully the good businesses will survive and the ones who treat their staff and/or customers like they are dog poo won't. Britannia Hotels comes to mind...

lankylemon - yes I complained to the manager who was apologetic and said the assistant would be dealt with.

I am always polite to retail workers. In return I do not expect to be shouted at or belittled.

@cologne4711

I think as shoppers we need to realise that things like browsing stores and measuring ourselves against a wall won’t be able to happen

Nobody is talking about that - a 3 year old child needed shoes. She needs her feet measuring. You can't do that without taking the child to the shop. The staff did not behave in a sensible way.

Yes the OP said that she felt sad for her daughter because she usually likes that shop, but the fact remains she needed shoes. For her feet. Which are attached to the rest of her.

Yes but the op was upset because she wasn’t allowed to measure herself against the wall. That would suggest that her expectations for the trip where a bit naive really.

Nobody is denying that a child needs to be there to shoe shop but you prepare the child for the fact that it won’t be the same so they will need to hold mummy’s hand and not touch things

All the people crying about how low paid service industry staff aren’t tugging their forelocks at them hard enough may wish to consider the statistics in this article about comparable death rates from covid before you march off trying to get them sacked.

I’m certainly not demanding anybody tugs a forelock at me or that anybody is sacked. Basic manners would be nice. If I went around work swearing at people I would expect to be disciplined. Waitrose staff manage to be polite with no deference or fawning. It’s not acceptable for staff in a Co-op shop to shout at customers who are standing quietly on the 2 metre circles waiting to pay. Calling customers “fucking idiots” is not on. Nor is refusing to say a single word during a transaction.

Do you think the pharmacy assistant in my example was doing her job well? If she always treats customers like that she is in the wrong job. Unemployment will be 10-15%. Employers can be picky about who they employ now.

I’m not going around bowing and scraping to staff nor do I expect them to do the same to me. In Waitrose I always have a chat with the cashier, ask them how their day is going and thank them.

DH and I are also key workers. I don’t expect any thanks or praise, I’m doing my job in an area that the public don’t really think about. Which shows what we are doing is working! If I didn’t like my job or if I couldn’t be civil to my colleagues I would leave.

Agree completely @fluffykittensinabasket. However, more importantly, did you get a test in the end....?

ArgumentativeAardvaark - thank you for remembering me! I got a test from Amazon. It was a BFN but my period isn’t due yet so 🤞🏻. I was hoping it might pick it up early!

I took DD to Clarks the other day and they were lovely, approached her without a mask first (obviously staying 2m away) before putting it on and moving closer to measure her feet so as not to scare her (she's only 18m so reliant on happy smiley faces to know all is ok!)

Just take her somewhere else, it's probably not worth getting upset over