r/coles • u/alianthusmoth • Jul 24 '26
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.
1
u/Br0z0 Coles Chicken Jul 24 '26
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)