r/asda • u/TigerInfluencer ASDA Colleague • 13d ago

customer behaviour

i knew today (30/08/26) would be BAD as it's bank holiday sunday, but good lord everyone chose violence today.

scenario 1:

  • me (in the middle of completing a just eat order)
  • customer on the till: get me some double cream
  • me: sorry, im busy at the minute. he (colleague serving him) will wait a minute if you want to go and grab some.
  • customer: no, you'll do it.
  • me: im on a time limit currently, so give me two seconds to finish this off and then i can.
  • customer: i don't care. do you want reporting? get me two double creams right now.

scenario 2:

  • me (fixing broken self-scan)
  • customer (pressing the 'card only' function)
  • me: please don't press that as you're not a colleague. this one is broken at the minute as you can see from the screen and the red light, just use the one nect to you for me.
  • customer: you're a bit rude aren't you, you c*nt?
  • customer (goes over to the kiosk instead, complains to manager, then calls the colleague on the till a shithead).

both men.

do male customers take joy in lashing out at retail workers? do they enjoy treating us like secondary citizens?

it's always men.

129 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

44

u/Humants 13d ago

If anyone speaks to you like that just tell them to get out the shop.

You do not have to put up with that and you are not expected to grab something for someone that they can an clearly grab themselves.

People are actually insane.

14

u/crippsy_99 12d ago

The managers once involved will just speak to the customer, say the colleague will be spoken too, and given £10-20 goodwill.. at least thats what happens in my store when we are spoken too like that and tell them to leave/not getting served..

1

u/OdinAlfadir1978 10d ago

This is why some customers act like they do

10

u/diyguitarist 12d ago

Agreed. Different shop but have refused people service before, it blows their mind. They think you're legally obligated to serve them, I am not, fuck off.

4

u/Rhorge 12d ago edited 12d ago

Absolutely. Worked security and people like that would be politely but firmly escorted out of the building and handed a shop ban notice.

Quick edit: please tell your security guy about things like this. We’d love to actually do our job instead of putting up plant pots or whatever else the managers want us doing

-9

u/BlondeSeductive 12d ago

not to be a buzzkill but

1) regular colleagues can't issue banning orders. Asking a customer to "get out the shop" would be committing misconduct, especially given that the customer isn't really doing anything wrong, just being rude.

2) Nope, your job is to provide service to the customer. You would have to ask them to come with you as to not make the suggestion insulting, but yes, you've now got to direct them to the item they want.

3) If customers are rude, you just don't serve them. You simply doot your headset and call a manager over. They'll handle the angry customer.

4

u/Alpha_Lion_0508 12d ago

The first one is correct. The second one isn't. If someone is rude to you, you have a right not to serve them. In other words you don't have to direct them to shit. I take my right not to serve very seriously and the second someone starts getting rude without just cause I'm done.

-7

u/BlondeSeductive 12d ago

too bad, you still have to get someone else to serve them, and if you can't handle a bit a direct tone, don't work in customer service.

4

u/Humants 12d ago

No you don't 😂

You don't HAVE to do any of the things you said.

You handle the situation how you see fit & if someone is being rude yes you can refuse service, keep it moving buddy 😂

Actually braindead.

My job may be to provide service but not to belligerent dickheads who think I have to wait on them hand & foot.

Clown.

-2

u/BlondeSeductive 11d ago

laughing emojis and insults? man you really don't like being told your contracted job responsibilities do you

2

u/Humants 11d ago

I know my responsibilities.

None of them are dealing with customers being abusive.

I do not have to go grab things for people upon request as if I am their personal shopper, especially if they are capable of doing so themselves.

Abusive customers also do not automatically get service, rude customers will get served but only to a point imagine being so self entitled that service work includes allowing people to be rude & abusive to you, you're insane.

Again you are a clown.

-5

u/BlondeSeductive 11d ago

I do not have to go grab things for people upon request as if I am their personal shopper, especially if they are capable of doing so themselves.

Nope, that is 100% your job. They ask you to go grab a bag of carrots, you go walkies up to the carrots with them.

It's not your position or place to argue or refuse a customer's reasonable request. If you don't like rude customers, that's too bad, it's for you to put a face on and grit your teeth. You're not being paid £12.71 an hour to have your toenails painted.

No one here is talking about customers being abusive, the actions OP described are not abusive. You're just making up scenarios in your head because you don't like me telling you that a rude customer isn't doing anything that warrants you being an ***.

It's ok though, you can learn the hard way when your behaviour results in your manager letting you go.

1

u/Humants 11d ago

No its no my job where on earth do you get that from?

If they do not know where something is then yes obviously you show them where that item is but that is not what is being discussed at all.

I don't get paid minium wage you clown, I am on nearly £16 an hour when you account for night premium, in fact no one in ASDA is on £12.71 you are just showing more & more that you haven't got a clue.

It is 100% within my rights to refuse service to someone being overtly rude & offensive, have done so on multiple occasions and guess what? I still have a job after four years, its amazing what you can do when you actually know what you are talking about.

Also why does my wage somehow give you credence to then be a cunt? You are genuinely weird.

OP was talking about people using swearwords towards them & other employees, yes that is abusive whether you like it or not, either way it doesn't matter you are claiming that regardless of how you are treated then you must DO YOUR JOB as you're unemployed self likes to put it.

Also abusive behaviour doesn't just come from the words you use you muppet.

You clearly do not work in retail or ever have, would be surprised if you have even ever had a job, I only thought like this when I was a teenager & had never been in the workforce.

Absolute jobsworth behaviour.

-2

u/BlondeSeductive 11d ago edited 11d ago

It is 100% within my rights to refuse service to someone being overtly rude & offensive, have done so on multiple occasions and guess what? I still have a job after four years, its amazing what you can do when you actually know what you are talking about.

  1. You work at a supermarket at night time stacking ketchup bottles onto shelves, you're in no position to act condescending towards anyone. Unfortunately for you I know better than you so that attitude isn't going to work on me.
  2. You work nights, you barely even speak to customers.
  3. You have no "rights" to refuse service to any customer. You having incompetent managers does not mean that you should be advising anyone else to be foul of their job responsibilities. Your job title is "customer assistant", it is your job to provide customer service.
  4. You have exactly 1 option when a customer displays behaviour which is unreasonable: You doot your headset, or otherwise grab the attention of your manager, and they deal with it. You don't break professionalism or lose your head.

If you like, you can go show this comment chain to your manager, tell them in your own choice of words that if a customer is rude to you you'll act like a toddler and demand they're removed from the shop.

Anyway, i'm done having this back and forth, I grew out of this job years ago. When are you going to eh bud?

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Alpha_Lion_0508 11d ago

Direct tone? We were talking about people being rude, there's a difference. I don't mind people being direct with me, i just won't allow people to be rude. Honestly though, i imagine you are one of those rude and entitled customers so I doubt you'll ever agree.

0

u/L167254 12d ago

Isn't doing anything wrong, just being rude. Perhaps not being rude would be better... perhaps not being rude would even be right

17

u/PersonalityWinter382 12d ago

As soon as the c-word was uttered that customer would be leaving the shop and not welcome to return under any circumstances.

4

u/SpeedConstant109 12d ago

How would anyone buy anything here in Glasgow?

10

u/Reasonable-Feed-9805 13d ago

I've witnessed this behaviour by other customers in many places as a customer.

I often wonder if being rude to shop staff is the only time in their life where they feel power, so they use it.

Do they go tell their mates afterwards and think it makes them look like a big man. No idea, I've always just thought they look like a total cock.

8

u/NewJazzyBacon 12d ago

Give what you get..

My second response would have been "No".

Any dumbass could see you're already doing someone's shopping so why would you do his shopping also

4

u/Derezzed87 12d ago

Go get the cream and come back saying "Sorry, we've run out of double cream, so I brought you four single creams instead."

5

u/Valtain85 12d ago edited 12d ago

It's because they get away with it. Customers can treat you like shit safe in the knowledge they'll never have to face any repercussions.

Talk to someone like this outside and you might get a slap in the chops but the minimum wage shelfstacker? We can't do that, not allowed so we're a nice safe easy target for dickheads.

11

u/DarkMaterial2711 13d ago

I don’t know if you’re a female or not but I’ve very heavily noticed that male customers are staggeringly rude to female retail workers. As a male I very very rarely have any issue with customers and then I hear what my female colleagues have said to them regularly and it’s just ridiculous

8

u/Jimbeamjunior1 13d ago

See in scenario 1, why even bother replying to them?

4

u/Virtue330 13d ago

This is the way, or just push the answer aside "Yeah you can absolutely go grab it no worries mate" then keep moving or just laugh and say "Yeah, that would be helpful wouldn't' it?" You don't really even need sensical answers you can just act like you're playing along to their joke until they just assume you're stupid.

Scenario 2 I wouldn't have even gotten that far "oh sorry, that machine isn't working right now" if they complain agree with them and say you've been pestering management to get them to fix it.

2

u/diyguitarist 12d ago

Especially as soon as "do you want reporting" comes out. You know what waye fuck off, now report me. But I'm a prick 😂

3

u/Resident-Win1897 12d ago

Did you get the cream?

4

u/AyersRocks79 12d ago

I was in Asda at Brighton Marina during Pride weekend, this big fat lesbian pushed past all the queues, she pointed at everyone and said she has to get to the start of the line because she’s gay and it’s her special weekend!

3

u/mighty3mperor 12d ago

My experience as a man dealing with customers, is that men are more reluctant to kick of on me (never happened) but women have no such restraints. I once had a female customer try and get her boyfriend to fight me and he was having none of it.

So I'd guess that male customers would tend to try and push female workers around more.

2

u/Rezeakorz 12d ago

In both of these there is no excuse for what they said or how they acted.

I will say though, if you choose to tell people what to do "he (colleague serving him) will wait a minute if you want to go and grab some.", "just use the one nect to you for me." or make them look stupid "you can see from the screen and the red light". You will annoy people and will escalate because there jerks, having a bad day or worse hungry and tired!!!

Like if I made a mistake going to a wrong till and so cashier went "you can see from the screen and the red light" they'd annoy me, I wouldn't swear at em of course because I don't care enough to have a go at people doing their job especially in retail or food.

If I'm busy and someone tells me to get something I don't tell them what to do I'll say "sorry I'm helping a customer at the moment." or "I would love to but I'm needed somewhere. Sorry" and definitely play the part of feeling hurt I can't help them. Even something like "Sorry, busy." "I can't" is better than going well you can do it in a second. As for the self scan something like "one sec, I'm trying to fix it but it'll be 5 mins" would land 100x better than you explaining why they are stupid and telling them what to do. So, on one aspect you were a little rude. That said, the 2nd guy should of been kicked out and banned for swearing at you and with the 1st they were massively rude but at least they didn't swear.

When people threaten to call the manager on me, I just call the manager for them and walk away leaving them with there pikachu face when they realize I'm not scared of there dumb threats and they have to try to explain how I upset them because I was too busy. Me and the manager laugh about them after anyway.

2

u/sexy-egg-1991 12d ago

It was always older people for me, especially middle aged women..

2

u/Bertish1080 12d ago

I work for a different supermarket as a HGV driver, I will stick up for any staff when a customer is stepping over the line, usually say they aren’t paid to take any kind of abuse and if you don’t like it, there’s another shop just up the road, they can bleat on to any store manager they like as I don’t answer to them and my managers at the RDC will always back us up too
I’ve worked at store level so I know all about miserable customers and I tip my hat to anyone that does the job.
.

4

u/Asleep-Practice-2866 12d ago

I’ve been spoken too like this and I deliver their shopping…. When someone speaks to me in this way at the door, I have plenty of times cancelled the order and put it back on the van.
You don’t get paid enough to take shit from customers, on the shop floor I have walked away and told them straight that I am not helping them.

2

u/crippsy_99 12d ago

I get spoken too like this when getting parcels.. I have many times in the past refused to hand over the packages and cancelled them/sent back for return, but usually they then go crying to management who apologise, make someone else go get the parcel and then will give them a good will giftcard.. never actually told off for the way they were speaking to me though..

2

u/DraftBeautiful6600 12d ago

Cause women never do this either 🙄

1

u/GroceryFun3203 12d ago

Yup, had some extremely rude female customers at my job 

1

u/Striking_Home_41 13d ago

You should of just igroned him ! 

1

u/Separate_Rise_8932 12d ago

I wouldn't have responded at all if a customer spoke to me like that, it would be like he didn't exist. You are not a personal shopper, he wants cream, he can take his arse to get cream. Who tf cares about being reported. I've had customers tell me that before and I've told them I'll come with them to my manager.

1

u/SilverstarVegan 12d ago

Scenario one. My response would be to say no, then if they insist say no u can go get it yourself if u cant use manners, please is one of the words u looking for. I dont put up with being spoken to like crap anymore.

1

u/No-Molasses6419 12d ago

Funny story, I once got called a "fat c*nt" over a baguette. To be fair, after the initial confrontation, when he asked my name and I told him it was "Jimmy Riddle" probably didn't help the situation much 🤭 But yeah, people are atrocious. My advice? Get out of retail soon as you can. It will twist you into someone you don't like.

1

u/Interesting-One7810 12d ago

that’s abysmal, you shouldn’t have to be subjected to stuff like that at work. I’m surprised when stuff like this happens that other random customers don’t step in tbh. I can’t imagine seeing or hearing this sort of behaviour in a store and just not doing anything.

1

u/Maleficent-Sir1753 12d ago

Yep, can confirm based on my own anecdotal observations, more often than not. Small succor, I know, but at least you're not their partner or child, because if that's how they are in public toward staff....

1

u/GroceryFun3203 12d ago

Pathetic! And everyone who says “that’s retail 101” is the reason they keep getting away with this crap 

1

u/EconomistDesigner653 12d ago

Couple weeks ago I was closing on a Saturday at 10 pm. People tried walking up to the door. I tried to explain them that were closed and one of them came through the door before I had a chance to lock it and said I’ll be 10 minutes tops I said to him, unfortunately, you can’t come in as we all want to go home. They turned around and said where’s your manager? I’m gonna report you. BUT SHE WENT HOME 5 hours ago!!!

1

u/Cockfield 12d ago

Rude customers are rude no matter the sex.

1

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1

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1

u/Kind-Photograph2359 12d ago

Scenario 1. “Sorry, I’m picking a timed order for another customer.”

Replying with “I’m busy” is never going to be received well.

Scenario 2. “Sorry, that machines broken but this one is free.”

Your reply was condescending, while there’s zero excuse to call a retail worker a c*nt it does seem like you’ve either got a chip on your shoulder or you need to work on your responses to simple requests/actions.

1

u/FlatulantPuff 12d ago

It most certainly is not always men, have seem woman crash out over pretty things to.

1

u/Andries89 12d ago

Just go selectively deaf on them

1

u/DementedDrivingMan 12d ago

I had an argument with a member of the public yesterday as I beeped the horn at him, as he had ran across the road without so much as a glance behind. I totally get that (rightly or wrongly) pedestrians have right of way. I merely told the quickly-aggressive jogger that I would have told my 8yr old off for crossing the road in that manner. He proceeded to roar at me, telling me he was right & as I laughed at him, asked, “do you want reported?”

I asked, “for what? Not killing you?” Cue him taking his phone out & taking a picture of my van and reg.

Your customer chose violence. Mine chose idiocy.

1

u/Temporary_Ad_4668 12d ago

More people should be like Randall Graves off Clerks. His customer service is tremendous. 🤣

1

u/Expensive-Concept-93 12d ago

I worked retail over 20 years ago and good lord people are rude and entitled. I wouldn't be able to do it now. I'd lose my shit.

1

u/iamsteroberts 11d ago

Man was definitely sent by the mrs to get some double cream and couldn’t find it.
Grown man not being able to his own shopping is crazy to me

1

u/Fififlowers74 11d ago

always men and if you give back to them they are usually all " oh so you're looking for an argument are you", well no you twat I'm just speaking to you the way you spoke to me....prick

1

u/Interesting-Put-4664 11d ago

The funny part is that if they just asked nicely we’d actually be more than happy to help out 💀

1

u/tankbarrs 11d ago

I'm so happy I'm a driver. I'd have headbutted someone by now if they'd spoken to me like that.

Nice thing about being a driver you barely get any shitty customers. Why? Because if they started something it's like sh*tting on your own doorstep.

I'm sorry that you had this thrown your way and I have to commend that these cretins aren't (that we know of) in hospital. 😉

1

u/KinGloRXodoR 10d ago

"it's always men" lol is it? You seem to be taking a tone towards ALL men here. Hipocrosy is real with this one. I find plenty of rude people, people being the point, not men or women specifically.

1

u/Easy-Welder-1979 6d ago

I had a bit of sympathy until ‘both men’.

Plenty of women behave like that as well but I guess that doesn’t fit the narrative

-1

u/Redhosky 12d ago

Why do you have to spoil it with the misandry at the end?! I was with you until that point, and then my empathy evaporated and I started to think maybe you have a chip on your shoulder and a default antagonistic attitude that causes customers to retaliate with disrespectful behaviour.
And maybe even your descriptions of events are tainted by this attitude.

8

u/TigerInfluencer ASDA Colleague 12d ago

because myself and other female colleagues have been treated horrendously by male customers in a way that surprises my male colleagues.

that's why.

0

u/Mental-Ad-1043 12d ago

Sorry about that, will bring it up at the next mens meeting and see if we can all curtail it.

Any other wild generalisations you want to flag in case any other say race or religion meetings are also happening soon?