AIBU to complain is this some kind of public harassment?

[Shooting4stars]

So 2 weeks ago I went into a well known local chain convenience store with my young son.

As I was being served at a till by a young man with a headset. He was trying not to laugh and kept shaking his head. He talked back into the headset and muttered things. I couldn’t hear everything he was saying but I did hear him asking for them to stop and saying “you’re sick”.

I looked up and I saw that there were another 2 men laughing and pressing their headset button and saying things to this young man who seemed to be uncomfortable with it. I decided to try and ignore it at first but it just carried on.

I made eye contact with the other men to let them know that I knew that they were obviously saying rude things to this young man. This made no difference whatsoever and the men smirked and laughed at me and carried on saying things; even though they knew I now knew what was going on.

In the end the young man on the till physically turned round to one of the men at another till and asked him “to stop winding him up”. When they carried on he threw his headset off.

Due to the contemptuous way they carried on knowing that they were making me feel uncomfortable as a customer, I asked the young man why they were all laughing and whispering into their headsets for its incredibly rude. He said they keep winding me up saying sick things in the headset about my girlfriend sitting outside.

I looked over to the young man on the tobacco till and as his customer was bending down picking her shopping up, he was simulating sex. He immediately stopped when he saw that I had seen him but laughed and smirked contemptuously. He was doing this in full view of my young son.

I was going to complain but busyness got in the way.

Fast forward to today. I went into the shop with my young son again. As I walked to the till the arrogant young man who was simulating a sex act last time came through a door and we made eye contact. I was being served by a polite boy but standing next to him was the young man who the other men had been “winding up” through his headset. Sure enough he was shaking his head and trying not to laugh again. I turned round and the simulating sex guy was standing directly opposite him saying things to him through the headset. My son noticed too.

I’m livid, I feel very uncomfortable and very annoyed my young son has to witness this every time we go into this shop. It’s obviously about me.

I feel this is public sexual harassment and I want to go high up with this.

Please could somebody advise me to to complain to and how to complain effectively about this? They need to be made an example of. I have kept receipts for both days, as the boy on the till tried not to give me the receipt last time.

Your advice would be much appreciated.

Definitely complain to store manager and in writing to head office. Was it tesco? I witnessed a similar incident in there. 2 young ladies clearly making comments about n ttrvtove man on their headsets and giggling. I remember thinking 'if this was men doing this to a woman it would be awful'. I should've complained.

No it’s not Tesco.

The contemptuous behaviour knowing I was fully aware of what was going on is what really shocked me the most. The arrogance and brazenness is unsettling.

I want them to see on the cameras what they were doing and I do not want to be fobbed off. I think the store manager would be a waste of time, as I think one manager or supervisor was involved in the first incident.

Is it possible to get in contact with the CEO directly? If they are doing this to me they will be doing it to others and I want them to be made an example of.
It’s sexual harassment. I shouldn’t have to put up with this and not should others.

Tweet perhaps. They will soon get in touch with you.

Yes I cannot find the email of anyone standing in the company, so I may have to join Twitter.

Social media - including here - is very effective.

If you didn't name change for this and feel uncomfortable naming the store , you could name change and start a new thread on here with the name of the store in the title. It's likely it will be picked up by the media.

Given how strongly you feel about this, I don't understand why you won't name the shop?

Ugh! That is awful and very grim.

I am VERY laidback and that makes me so annoyed

That's really grim, I would search high and low to find somebody very senior to complain to.

You can direct your complaint to the Head Office of the store and tweet “xx store, please let me know how to make contact with the person above store manager to report a sensitive incident”. If no response, tweet the incident.
It’s disgusting. They don’t deserve to be employed.

I do feel very strongly about this and it is being discussed in Parliament: Sexual harassment of women and girls in public places by the Women and Equalities Committee.

I did however want to give the store a chance to respond first and if I deem the response unsatisfactory I will be using social media. However, I may have to anyway as there is only a head office contact form.

The Coop?

Was it the co-op OP?

This is a recent thing in ours and I hate it. They are serving you whilst simultaneously ignoring you and talking to their mates in the headset about their evening plans.

Very rude.

I would certainly be putting a complaint in. Especially about the simulating sex little shit head.

It's Aldi isn't it? Last time l was in they were using headsets to discuss fantasy football or something ' nah mate thats a fuckin useless swap, no skills all drills' or some c?dross!

The other thing is the head office contact form requires very personal details and I do not want these men finding out my details.

Pumpkin and Positive

The other thing is the head office contact form requires very personal details and I do not want these men finding out my details.

Are you familiar with a computer and paper?

Just write a hard copy letter and address it to whoever you want at head office - the CEO, Head of Customer Services, Manager at the store - or send copies to all of them.

You can then put whatever contact details you want in there. I don't know why you are making it so complicated.

You have lots of options

• Twitter
• A thread on here with the store named in the title
• complaints form on line
• hard copy letter.
• go into the store and speak to the store manager
• forget about it

Put a fake name on, set up a new email address and complete the complaint form with those details.

I appreciate all your advice and opinions. Thankfully, I have not had the need to complain about anything like this before.

Blackberry it’s a good thing I am becoming accustomed to hostile people who enjoy trying to demean perfectly polite people!

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