M&S cashiers can refuse to handle pork and alcohol

[HermioneWeasley]

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10532782/Muslim-staff-at-Marks-and-Spencer-can-refuse-to-sell-alcohol-and-pork.html

I would be extremely annoyed at being held up by someone refusing to "handle" alcohol and pork. After all, the stuff is either in bottles or cellophane so it's not coming into direct contact.

Personally, I wouldn't have this policy, but if m&S think it's reasonable to refuse, why not put employees who object in a different part of the store, instead of inconveniencing customers?

And before cries of racism and Islamaphobia start, my family are Muslim (though I am not) and would have no problem with putting bottles and packs through a checkout.

Grrr
DD told me about this, and I launched into my, 'you really need to check your sources, this is just a whipped up piece of anti-Islamic hysteria and it makes you look silly when you repeat it...'

It is silly and not thought through. Are Christians allowed to not work on Sundays and Feast days? Could an Orthodox Jew refuse to serve any woman of menstruating age?

I would imagine that this is a storm in a teacup. What almost certainly would happen if someone said they couldn't do a core part of their job (such as selling pork) for rigorous reasons is that the manager would shift them to one of the many, many other tasks that are required to make a supermarket work. Apart from anything, putting staff in a position where they have to refuse to sell people sausages because of their religion is really not fair on your staff. People will get aggressive and difficult with them and it can all be avoided by giving them a more appropriate role within the organisation.

I never come across a cashier too young to sell alcohol any more. I assume this is because the supermarket managers are scheduling the 16 and 17 year olds for shelf stacking or something else that doesn't mean they'll be unable to do part of the job.

Although, I don't see that many very young supermarket staff at all any more, so it might be that they're choosing to hire older people in general.

I see it quite a lot. They press the bell, wave it in the air someone gives them a nod and they ring it through.

Although I have seen a poor cashier wait ages for someone to ok it. I wasn't in a hurry and didn't mind but can see how these delays can happen even with best of intentions and it is unfair to put them in a position where they can't sell stuff and then bugger off and not be there when needed!!

I just cannot get worked up by having to join another queue or waiting for a supervisor. I actually want to live in a society where we can slow down our rampant consumerism so that others beliefs can be respected.

Let's face it, nobody is buying essentials that they need to lay their hands on in seconds in M & S.

No, I think this is taking things too far. My local garage had an all Asian (perhaps Muslim) staff force. I went in for two bottles of wine one Friday when friends came around and on the Sunday for one for Dinner. The young guy behind the counter commented that I'd been in on Friday and told me I clearly had a drinking problem and should 'seek help.' I was and told him to mind his own bloody business. I respect the fact that people may not wish to drink but don't bloody preach to me for doing it!

According to that article Christian and Jewish sensibilities would also be considered by M&S.

I prefer using self checkouts.

Our local M&S often has under 18s on the till and I have to wait for a supervisor. I do so happily because my world will not end if I wait a few more minutes for my mulled wine. Why would I be any less willing to wait because the cashier was a Muslim?

Fackinell, he might just think you had a drinking problem, perhaps he was a reformed alcoholic?

"fuzzywuzzy"

Surely it is none of the cashiers business.

Still not on to comment on the wine buying, whatever the motivation.

Perhaps he had no right to comment on what his customers were buying?

'Let's face it, nobody is buying essentials that they need to lay their hands on in seconds in M & S.'

I regard lunch as fairly important in my day.

It isn't, but some cashiers think they need ot make ocnversation with the custoemrs.

A girl I worked with (white and not Muslim), used to be a checkout assistant at Tescos, she was of the veeerrrry chattty sort. She said she once had a customer who had bought a pregnancy test after a few items it transpired the customer had also bought condoms to which colleague said 'Bit late for these..' Understandably the customer was very upset and complained. Colleague said it was one of those moments where she spoke without engaging her brain.

Philoslothy

My issue with this isn't with waiting for a supervisor, it is being asked to go and wait at another till/checkout.

There's making conversation and then there's outright insulting your customers...

BTP

The OP didn't quote from the DM.

I totaly agree calamoty, but the guy who spoke to fackin and my colleague could have other reasons for saying what they did apart from being millitantly mozlamic.

If you can't be a rampant consumer in a shop (which relies on rampant consumerism for its profits and work which incidentally pays the wages of staff who work there) then when can you, for goodness sake? No-one should have to 'slow down' and move from queue to queue just to demonstrate their respect for others personal beliefs (note - personal, not religious)

You can't buy alcohol on the self checkout.

I think I still need to know why wearing gloves isn't acceptable. A few checkout operators in Tesco wear them, presumably provided by Tesco as they're all the same style.

You can at our local Tesco, the person supervising the self checkout had to put their pin in and authorise it tho.

yes.
true.
But I have a very low tolerance for needless waiting around, so I usually give up.

You can buy alcohol on the self checkout of every supermarket I've ever been in. You just need to wait for someone to authorise it, which can take a while.