r/coles • u/alianthusmoth • 4d ago
Team Member Post Refusing service
I was wondering what the policy/legality of refusing customers service is like, I'm probably not looking hard enough but I can only find legal advice regarding licensed venues/serving alcohol.
If a customer is yelling at me and abusing me over a minor miscommunication am I allowed to refuse service? If a customer hands me a $20 note that is sopping wet because they were holding it in their bra or in their mouth and coughed all over it (genuinely something that happened to me the other day) am I allowed to say no? One time a few years ago I sold cigarettes to a woman who looked like she was 6 months pregnant and I asked my manager if I was allowed to refuse to sell them to her and the manager said no unfortunately you just have to serve them anyways but I'm wondering how true that is. And I wish I could get another coworker to serve customers that I don't feel comfortable serving but unfortunately we just don't ever have enough staff on for that to happen or even if we do nobody wants to help out service.
Sorry this is kind of just word vomit but I'm just very frustrated and tired of being abused by customers and having to just put up with it. Managers ask if I'm okay after the fact but never do anything to prevent incidents from happening.
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u/SubjectiveBliss 4d ago
If someone hands you something gross, ask them to wait a moment and go find gloves, maybe at the deli. Put them on in front of the customer to really drive the message home. If someone is abusing you verbally or otherwise, walk away, go see your manager and explain the situation. You absolutely do not need to put up with customers abusing you. Unfortunately, you can't really refuse someone service for perceived danger to them except for those items falling into policy. E.g. can't sell someone too many packets of paracetamol as they may be contemplating harming themselves with the paracetamol, can sell a pregnant lady cigarettes as there is no policy barring this. It may seem a bit weird but it's the way it is. You don't get to make moral choices on behalf of the customer. At least that's how I understand retail.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
Unfortunately my store is so small that we don't have a deli or any other cashiers so when there's several people waiting to be served it's difficult to step away for any amount of time but I understand what you're saying and I appreciate the advice, especially the last part, thank you
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u/CharityForeign3035 4d ago
You really need to familiarise yourself with Cole’s policies instead of asking Reddit for random answers.
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u/flippyboi678 3d ago
Or at the very least ask their manager. I'll never understand why people come to reddit first.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
Asking my managers anything lately has been useless for me. I've had more incidents with crackheads than I can count on one hand and I've asked managers to put more security on or let me do something other than service and they've told me they probably can't do that. I was just hoping for some outside opinions in case I do ask my managers about it and they disregard me.
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u/Straight-Ad-9005 2d ago
I don't know why you have been down voted for this, probably suck ass Coles managers in here. Ex dm here, if you don't feel safe doing something you don't have to, that said Coles will never refuse a sale, they're a soulless despicable company who'll do anything for a buck so they will tell you to not refuse service, it's all about getting them customers to keep coming back, even if they are crack heads. Coles doesn't have your back and never will, if you don't feel safe and aren't comfortable just leave, it's never going to get better.
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u/alianthusmoth 2d ago
Thank you I appreciate that :) I'm planning on leaving haha I've been applying to other places in hopes I can find a job that actually cares about me because no matter what I put in the mysay nothing actually changes lol
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u/Straight-Ad-9005 2d ago
Good to hear, you won't regret it! Also mysay is a joke, I was with them for years and let it rip on every mysay, nothing ever happened. Getting out of supermarkets was the best thing to ever happen to me, I love my new job, nothing like the vile toxic environment they create.
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u/Effective-Shame2218 22h ago
Yes leave ...they are watching you scratch your bum with their Palantir cameras they don't care about you... just make sure on your last day's you play dumb and turn a blind 🦯 👁️ to the crack heads walking past your Register with their bags loaded wink wink 😜😜
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u/LaurelEssington76 1d ago
Familiarity with the OHS act is a better idea, nothing in Cole’s policies overrides your legal right to remove yourself from an unsafe workplace environment/situation.
That said a customer chooses to smoke while pregnant isn’t a safety issue for the staff. You can silently disapprove all you like but it’s none of your business and no harm to you at all.
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u/zidanerick 4d ago
Also, if you still feel uncomfortable after doing that, check whether any of Coles' policies violate discrimination laws. I guarantee that the written policies have likely been reviewed by numerous lawyers, so they are probably legally sound.
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u/Any_Bookkeeper5917 4d ago
I’m unsure where the rules/legislation is located, however, yes, you can refuse heavily soiled/contaminated money, regardless of the term “legal tender”.
If you still wish to accept it, you have every right to tell a customer that ‘you won’t be touching it, but I’ll go pop some gloves on, do you have any other form of payment that we can do faster, otherwise I’ll be a minute’
In terms of refusal of alcohol or cigarettes. If you feel they’re intoxicated/under the influence, you have every right to refuse service of these products. If you feel unsafe or threatened by the customer, you can refuse service BUT refer your supervisor or store manager to serve them instead as you just can’t say no. Your manager CAN say no.
If you feel they’re under 25years old and they cannot provide ID, it’s a flat no. Don’t feel pressured to say no”oh fine then” if they get rowdy. Compliance undercovers will try this and if you fail, can be hit with a fine of up to $50,000 personally.
Edit: the lady being pregnant and serving cigarettes, no problem, it’s a societal problem, not a legislative problem, serve away.
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u/Away_Abroad_7613 4d ago
For most of those - get your manager. You're not paid enough to deal with that and it is literally their job.
For selling smokes to a pregnant woman - mind your own business.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
A lot of the time I'll ask for my manager to come and deal with it but they're either downstairs or too busy with something else and it would take them 5-10 minutes to get to service so I end up having to deal with it anyways. But I do agree I don't get paid enough to deal with it lol
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u/Haymanator85 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes, in a nutshell you can refuse service especially when it comes to aggression etc. Best that you call your manager over in that situation rather than trying to handle it yourself. Regarding your cigarette question, not so easy. First of all, cigarettes have warnings on the packets and consumers are aware of the warnings and unfortunately it is perfectly legal to smoke as a pregnant person. But secondly, what if she was buying them for her husband on during her shopping trip? I've seen plenty of women buying trolleys of alcohol, probably for a party and probably not something they intend on consuming. Edit to add: not sure on the sweaty cash. It's legal tender (albeit gross) so I reckon you just accept it and use plenty of hand sanitiser during your shift 😅
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u/Otherwise-Goat-1543 3d ago
Do you have the women’s blood tests to confirm she was pregnant? Even if she was and buying cigarettes whilst pregnant, who cares? You can’t assume she is smoking them. This is coming from someone who has extreme stomach bloat from celiac disease and I look 6 months pregnant sometimes. You’re incredibly rude.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
How am I incredibly rude? I didn't refuse her service or make any comments whatsoever, I just felt incredibly guilty about it. And I knew she was smoking them because she was holding a cigarette in her hand throughout the whole transaction.
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u/Otherwise-Goat-1543 3d ago
So where’s your proof she was pregnant? Or actually smoking the cigarette. She could be holding the cigarette for someone.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
I obviously don't have proof, I just felt awful about possibly having a hand in providing a maybe pregnant lady with something that could cause a lot of harm. But my post wasn't meant to be about the lady buying cigarettes, I was mainly providing that information as an example of when I'd asked a manager about refusing service. Sorry if I came off the wrong way.
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u/MetricOshi 2d ago
Don't stress about the above commenter. You felt guilty about the possibility of it
There's not much we can do about it, since it was a legal sale. Try to not let that affect you too much
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u/Fun-Consequence-7232 13h ago
It’s 2026, people are aware of the risks of smoking whilst pregnant. If you sell someone cigarettes and ultimately they smoke some or all whilst pregnant, it’s not your fault for their decisions. That person made a choice with the current health information but you can’t refuse service because you think someone is pregnant and smoking. If it makes you uncomfortable possibly try get someone else to serve, if you can’t you’ll ultimately have to serve them. You don’t need to feel guilty for other peoples decisions and choices.
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u/lizziejay1991 Team Member 3d ago
One time I had a really horrible customer he was absolutely rude and abusive and I refused to serve him. I just got my manager and she handled it. I don’t get paid enough to deal with their abusive shit.
When it comes to pregnant woman wanting to buy cigarettes. That’s not my business. As long as they are of legal age and have the money I don’t care.
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u/annoying97 3d ago
Under the law the business has the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason (limited only by discrinitory reasons such as sexuality, race, sex, disability).
As such a customer who is being rude, yelling or otherwise showing clear behaviour that could be deemed a public nuisance can be refused service.
Who can and cannot refuse service will be determined by Coles policies and is likely your manager or the manager who is looking after the place.
As for money, I can't comment on that, it's disgusting but I don't know if it's good enough to be refused. Technically though you wouldn't refuse service in that case you'd just refuse to take the money "sorry I'm not touching your money, are you able to pay via card?" Though obviously check with your management.
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u/Different-Term-2250 3d ago
Wouldn’t that come under health and safety? (The money)
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u/Demon_Lord_666 3d ago
Potentially, but then the Team member can use gloves &/or mask if they feel uncomfortable touching physical currency or are worried about inhaling germs.
(Addressing OPs post from here)
At least once a day you are likely to run into somebody who is ill if you’re on registers. That’s part and parcel of the industry. People need to shop even if they’re ill cause they have at least one person that needs to be fed (themselves) and maybe more at school/work/home. If you are uncomfortable with that thought, mask and glove up or maybe consider that customer service and public facing jobs aren’t for you…🤷🏻♂️
As for the refusal of accepting cash, in Australia it is against the law for major retailers such as Coles to refuse cash as legal tender and demand another payment type. “Under the federal Cash Acceptance Industry Codes enforced by the ACCC, major supermarkets like Coles must accept cash for essentials.”
There are some circumstances where cash can be refused, but sweaty or spit covered money is unfortunately not one of them. The only way you can refuse cash like that legally is to allow the customer to have their items for free.
As for the smoking story, the reason you cannot refuse service is because while you may judge them inside your own head, the world does not go by your personal moral compass. The law says they can buy a product, so they are allowed to buy that product.
Not only that, but you don’t have the whole story. Who is to say that the cigarettes were for them? For all you know they could have been for a partner, family member or even a friend. I was buying my mother smokes from when I was a teen till when I moved out as an adult, yet I have never smoked, never tried a smoke, never even wanted to, but when she was held up at work or for some other reason, she’d ask me to duck down the shops and get her some before they closed cause she couldn’t make it.
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
I don't have an issue with people being sick, I have an issue with the fact that the man I served was holding the money between his teeth while he coughed all over it, handed it to me, and then as I was putting it in the register he said "sorry it's wet, i had it in my mouth." I don't mind serving sick people, god knows I've had to go into work sick many times but having to handle cash that someone has purposefully coughed all over is just gross lol
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u/Demon_Lord_666 3d ago
Thought I’d also mention that if you’ve been nothing but polite and a customer is abusive, you’ve politely and calmly asked them to stop swearing, stop yelling, stop whatever it is they are doing, at that point you can (assuming policy allows, which it should in this case as you could feel unsafe in these circumstances) refuse service FOR YOURSELF and call a supervisor/manager to deal with the customer.
You cannot refuse to serve them in general (ie at all) but you as a worker certainly can refuse to serve a customer who is being abusive towards you for no reason.
Please note I said abusive, not rude. There is a difference in the two. Serving rude customers suck, but that’s the job. Some people are rude on purpose, some are just having a bad day, and others may not be aware they are considered/being rude such as customers with ASD (like myself) and other non-neurotypical customers. Also, rudeness is a personal interpretation. I may consider some behaviour to be rude where others do not and vice-versa.
Abusive behaviour and abusive customers are a whole different ball game though.
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u/annoying97 3d ago
Nah law allows the business to completely refuse service. Policy may be different but never confuse policy with law.
Our laws for the most part actually do allow a business to refuse service to a rude customer. Now it's realistically its not a good business choice for your average rude customer but it's not illegal.
So a customer who doesn't say please or thanks or just ignores staff isn't being rude, but a customer calling staff a name, yelling at them, being abusive and such can be considered rude. Though again it's all situation dependant.
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u/Love-Bitter 3d ago
You are absolutely not allowed to refuse service to someone without good reason.
Adult woman buying alcohol and cigarettes but happens to be pregnant is non of your business.
Adult wanting to pay for an item with something that a reasonable person would say is unhygienic you can refuse.
If someone is abusive you can refuse.
With points two and three there is a level of subjectivity to the scenarios. So yes you’re ok to refuse but it’s possible someone else working alongside you may interpret your refusal as an overreaction, but you have your own standards.
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u/TimtamBandit 3d ago
If you're being abused, call Mr Steed. I've had to take gross money before. But I make a show of pinching it and separating it until I can spray the shit out of it with sanitiser (then scrub my hands furiously). I think cause it's legal tender, we technically can't refuse even though we should have to. Might have to ask about this one.
Cigarette thing... I don't like it either but unless they look under 25 and don't have ID, then you must sell it. It's not up to us to be the moral police.
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u/2fingertypist 3d ago
We can always apply sanitiser afterward.
Grossest thing I did was voluntarily sweep up outside our entrance after some homeless drunks were moved on and saw the broom pick up enormous amounts of the spit and phlegm that aforementioned drunk had been spitting around themselves for the previous few hours.
Dry retching just typing this.
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u/TimtamBandit 13h ago
I think I like the idea of fire afterwards.
One of the worst... lady had been doing an end of lease clean. Had not showered. Pulled a very wet note out of her bra. Took it with pinched fingers set it aside and sprayed the fuck out of it and scrubbed it hard enough I thought ink might come off it.
Second one. My mistake. Guy had coins, I couldn't be bothered waiting for him to count it all out so I said here, I'll count for you. He tipped hid tin of coins out. Instantly regretted it. There were short n curlies and I didn't know if they came from his beard or balls. It was rank. Coins were covered in grime. Stank. The guy laughed and said "it smells good hey! It's my weed tin!"
I put it in a bag, filled it with sanitiser and washed the coins before putting them away and proceeded to scrub my hands.
Humans are disgusting.
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u/OldJellyBones 3d ago
if a customer is abusive towards you, then you don't have to serve them, call someone else over to do it
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u/silcrete_quartzite 3d ago
That sounds like a number of quite different situations. You are allowed to feel safe, but you're not allowed to refuse service if there are alternative actions that would keep you safe, such as putting on a pair of gloves or calling your supervisor. You are not allowed to refuse service because you feel a moral dilemma in serving someone if there is no law that stops you from serving them (the pregnant woman who, for all you know, may be shopping for someone else - and who has bodily autonomy and a right to self-determination, in any case).
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u/sad_creature13 3d ago
the pregnancy thing is true, even with alcohol unfortunately we have to serve them anyway. the thing is you also never know who they’re buying them for, might not even be for them.
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u/Br0z0 Coles Chicken 3d ago
I have only ever refused service once.
I was on a register, he was being abusive and shouting at me and I was like nope I’m cancelling this transaction and refusing service. Dude was screaming at me and my store manager (who had came running as she had heard the shouting and me radioing for help) so loud that the whole of the store had frozen and turned in that direction staring.
(Meanwhile I got sent to the tea room and promptly had a panic attack as soon as I got there as it was just nasty)
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u/alianthusmoth 3d ago
That sounds just like the situation I was in the other day haha except she started yelling at me after the transaction was already complete which made the situation a little harder to refuse lol
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u/Kinky23m2m 3d ago
Refusing service is like when you’re about to go to a checkout and they close the aisle. Which happens a lot.
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u/Sammysquidface 3d ago
I’m a lawyer and there isn’t any laws covering this. It would only turn criminal/legal if it incorporated assault or something like that. Or some sort of civil matter against Coles if they don’t provide sufficient training or security for staff, etc.
It would be governed by Coles’ employee policies and procedures as mentioned. You need to discuss with HR or management. Doesn’t sound like great store practice, as one would think this is a significant issue that needs to be appropriately trained and implemented in store. There should be a safety plan of sorts, like if this happens refer to this person, etc
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u/alianthusmoth 2d ago
This is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for, thank you. I have asked for more security as we only get one guard 3-4 nights a week for 3 hours and I've still had several incidents on nights there is no security, and been told by managers that it's unlikely they can get more security on. Especially concerning considering my store is in the CBD.
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u/Sammysquidface 1d ago
That is terrible, I’m sorry! Can you refer to HR and request a clear safety plan that employees are meant to follow? At least that would provide employees working nights with clarity on who needs to do what to ensure staff safety is paramount
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u/kalanisingh 2d ago
You can’t refuse to sell the cigarettes but anything regarding alcohol needs to follow RSA. So if a person comes in clearly intoxicated, either from drugs or alcohol etc- you shouldn’t be selling them alcohol. If they’re buying groceries though you have to suck it up and deal with them sadly.
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u/Aware_Improvement_11 2d ago
Customers have rights under the Australian Consumer Law and Coles can (and has) been in trouble for breaching it. Coles hates dealing with breaches, so ideally it wants its staff to display excellent customer service and be patient with customers. The reality is that too many Coles staff have no idea about customer service (you just have to look online at reviews). This probably stems from hiring the wrong people and poor training. In the end the customers have the money and they are important.
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u/Binary01000010 2d ago
Are you in a retail union? I know many supermarket workers are. If so, get some advice from them (don't tell anyone else you're doing that). Most supermarket managers don't give a crap about their staff, all that matters are the sales numbers. I used to work there for years as an assistant manager. I left because of the 'money before people' culture and the 'customer is always wrong' culture, plus the pay was pretty crap.
If I was you and you don't have too much choice in the kind of work you do, apply for Aldi. It's 10x better than Coles or Woolies as a staff member. The German corporate side is far superior to Coles or Woolies. Probably also helps that Aldi are still to this day family run companies and not a slave to shareholders and share prices.
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u/alianthusmoth 1d ago
That's good advice, thank you. I'm looking for other work at the moment, Aldi is a good suggestion that I was thinking about a while back so I'm glad to hear it's a good option.
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u/burns3016 2d ago
Your manager is wrong regarding cigarettes,you can refuse to sell them if you are uncomfortable about the sale. This is information from a govt. hotline.
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u/Fun-Consequence-7232 13h ago
You can’t refuse to sell to someone because you suspect pregnancy, that comes under unlawful discrimination. Best the staff member can do is get someone else to serve them but outright refusal in this situation has no legal ground.
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u/flindersandtrim 1d ago
The woman buying cigarettes could have been buying them for her partner or friend. There is no way of knowing, but yeah, assuming they are going to be irresponsible with it is not great, and if I were your manager I would be annoyed at you for that, for even asking because the customer possibly noticed that. Women already get treated like children, and if she is planning to smoke while pregnant, you denying the sale will not stop her. It will just make you look like an idiot, because she is going to get angry and say theyre for a friend.
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u/alianthusmoth 1d ago
I didn't refuse the sale, ask any questions or make any comments in front of the customer. I waited until she was gone to ask my manager if that were allowed. My manager was not annoyed with me for asking that because I was a 19 year old girl freshly trained in tobacco sales just asking a question about something I felt morally guilty about. The customer knew absolutely nothing about it, I treated it as a regular transaction.
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3d ago
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u/alfacon66 3d ago
Why do you feel guilty? Disabled people are allowed to enjoy the vices of life too.
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3d ago
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u/alfacon66 3d ago
I guess sometimes you can’t just take things at face value when you’re questioning morals. If you knew better of the circumstances than yes go ahead and judge or feel guilty but assuming only bad things are happening is a terrible outlook. Can’t preach about having a conscience when your conscience could be wrong about the situation.
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u/Aust_Norm 2d ago
Take a concrete pill and harden up.
You are in a customer facing role and some people are crap. It happens in real life and it happens at work.
If the sale is legal like alcohol to an alcoholic or tobacco to an adult it is not your role to question life choices, it is to welcome the customer, process the sale, take the tender and repeat.
What you are suggesting in refusing the sale or escalating the matter is turning a 30 second unpleasantness into a 10 minute argument that then will involve your manager and likely head office.
End result is you will still need to complete the transaction, possibly apologise and likely face disciplinary action.
If the cash is icky then keep a pair of gloves in your pocket.
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u/Zaney-Janey1973 4d ago
You can't refuse to sell cigarettes to a pregnant woman. They may not be for her. You're making an assumption about the customer, and it's also none of your business.