Sainsbury's apologises to mobile customer refused service

[oldbluefox]

I wonder what the woman would have said had the checkout operator carried on a conversation on her mobile whilst serving her? Would she still have had a mobile phone conversation in interview or speaking to a celebrity?
I find it's disrespectful and total bad manners and if anybody does it to me I say I can see they are busy and walk away.
Instead of rewarding the woman Sainsburys should have backed their staff and reinforced the message by making it clear within the store it's unacceptable to hold a mobile phone conversation whilst being served. Some shops already do it but if everybody did it maybe they would get the message.

[stocktonmackem]

I work in a supermarket and often help my colleagues out in the Kiosk, you would be surprised how many people are on the phone whilst being served. They usually ask for what they want , carry on with their conversation and then leave without a please or thank you. My usual response in "Your welcome". They look at you as if you are in the wrong not them.

[Onelife]

I feel like I’m playing gooseberry here as my opinion on this subject lies somewhere between that of Mob and OBF.

On the one hand I agree with Mob in that the shop assistant was way out of order in asking the customer to refrain from using a mobile. It wasn’t her place to cast opinions about who she should and shouldn’t serve...end of.

On the other hand I agree with OBF in that the actions of this individual were disrespectful and demonstrate a lack of good manners...that being said good manners have seen a sharp decline over the past 20 years so it comes as no surprise... we are fast becoming a nation without moral compass.

Regards

OL

[oldbluefox]

I see the woman has said she is taking her custom to Waitrose. Hopefully they will be aware and advise customers their checkout staff will not serve customers who are holding a telephone conversation. Isn't this just basic manners and showing respect of one person to another? Or a modern idiom we are all expected to accept?

[qbman1]

I feel like I’m playing gooseberry here as my opinion on this subject lies somewhere between that of Mob and OBF.

On the one hand I agree with Mob in that the shop assistant was way out of order in asking the customer to refrain from using a mobile. It wasn’t her place to cast opinions about who she should and shouldn’t serve...end of.

On the other hand I agree with OBF in that the actions of this individual were disrespectful and demonstrate a lack of good manners...that being said good manners have seen a sharp decline over the past 20 years so it comes as no surprise... we are fast becoming a nation without moral compass.

Regards

OL

That's it in a nutshell, OL, just no manners any more.

God, I sound like my old granny !

[GillD46]

Sadly this inability to switch off mobiles, or at the very least avoid using them while dealing with others has become ever more commonplace.

My husband, a busy GP, regularly was expected to stop a consultation to alo patients to take calls on their mobiles! He used to tell the patiens to turn them off, but eventually gave up and did paperwork while they carried on lengthy conversations in his consulting room! The rudeness amazes me!

[Silver_Shiney]

I work in a supermarket and often help my colleagues out in the Kiosk, you would be surprised how many people are on the phone whilst being served. They usually ask for what they want , carry on with their conversation and then leave without a please or thank you. My usual response in "Your welcome". They look at you as if you are in the wrong not them.

I'd have responded to the look with "Oh sorry, I thought you said 'thank you'"......

[Dark Knight]

Moby
please feel free to stand in front of me on your mobile, whilst I try to talk to you
also be prepared to go and find your mobile when it is thrown some distance away

I suspect old Moby is either trying to wind us up or is one of those ill mannered snobs who thinks checkout girls are beneath civility and can be talked down too ?
answers via text to....
manners maketh man....

[Silver_Shiney]

I sound like my old granny !

I was nearly going to say you look like her, too, but that would be rude, so I won't

[qbman1]

Very decent of you, old chap

[Manoverboard]

Moby
please feel free to stand in front of me on your mobile, whilst I try to talk to you
also be prepared to go and find your mobile when it is thrown some distance away

I suspect old Moby is either trying to wind us up or is one of those ill mannered snobs who thinks checkout girls are beneath civility and can be talked down too ?
answers via text to....
manners maketh man....

Tis not a wind up ' Ull Nightly ' and I base my reasons on the respect I have for Sainsburys as a Company and also as an employer during the period when Mobietta was one of their butter patters ... a station in life that was at least three status levels lower than a checkout girl.

I am not a snob nor would I go into any public place with my Mobile switched on, in fact I try very hard not to use the blasted thing at all these days.

ps .... did I say welcome back, if so, sorry about that.

[Andrea S]

MOBY,
Butter patter !!! A blast from the past, oh what a taste.

I remember Sainsbury's when they just sold butter, cheese and cooked meat, way before supermarkets were around.

In our area they started to take over from Liptons.

[Lollie]

Interesting reading these posts.
As many may know we have a village Post Office and shop, talking on the mobile whilst be served is something which has become more and more common and which to the person serving is really annoying. Personally I think it to be extremely rude and having been in the position of having to wait whilst a customer finished a conversation whilst I stood and looked at the queue behind slowly fuming when he asked me for paper and a pen so that he could write down an order I decided to make a stand. Up went a notice basically asking customers who want to use their phone to make a choice, either to talk to us whilst we serve them or to stand aside until the conversation was finished and let us serve those waiting behind. It was headed 'Good Manners', we had nothing but comments of support and not one complaint. I have on occasion stepped to the side and served on the other counter but obviously that is not always possible.
It is a great shame that Sainsburys have not had the courage to back up their employee, I am sure they have offended more people by not doing so than they would have by making a stand themselves.

[Silver_Shiney]

Interesting reading these posts.
As many may know we have a village Post Office and shop, talking on the mobile whilst be served is something which has become more and more common and which to the person serving is really annoying. Personally I think it to be extremely rude and having been in the position of having to wait whilst a customer finished a conversation whilst I stood and looked at the queue behind slowly fuming when he asked me for paper and a pen so that he could write down an order I decided to make a stand. Up went a notice basically asking customers who want to use their phone to make a choice, either to talk to us whilst we serve them or to stand aside until the conversation was finished and let us serve those waiting behind. It was headed 'Good Manners', we had nothing but comments of support and not one complaint. I have on occasion stepped to the side and served on the other counter but obviously that is not always possible.
It is a great shame that Sainsburys have not had the courage to back up their employee, I am sure they have offended more people by not doing so than they would have by making a stand themselves.

Well done you!

[Kendhni]

The best handling of mobile phone ignorance I saw was when the phone of a contractor went off in the middle of a meeting. Rather than apologise and turn the phone off he actually responded and answered the phone. The person chairing the meeting told him to get out and never turn up at one of his meetings again ... the contractor thought he was joking but worked out how ignorant he had been when he was fired later that day.


I also loved the story on Carnival (I think) when a passenger, who spent half their day talking loudly into a mobile phone on deck, left it unattended ... despite the deck being full and a loud cheer going up when it happened, nobody allegedly saw who it was that chucked the phone in the swimming pool.

[Silver_Shiney]

The best handling of mobile phone ignorance I saw was when the phone of a contractor went off in the middle of a meeting. Rather than apologise and turn the phone off he actually responded and answered the phone. The person chairing the meeting told him to get out and never turn up at one of his meetings again ... the contractor thought he was joking but worked out how ignorant he had been when he was fired later that day.

Love it!

[Dark Knight]

quite right
my sales director goes mental if your phone rings during one of his meetings and dont even think of answering it either ,as you get the death stare and told to leave the meeting

[Dancing Queen]

Interesting reading these posts.
As many may know we have a village Post Office and shop, talking on the mobile whilst be served is something which has become more and more common and which to the person serving is really annoying. Personally I think it to be extremely rude and having been in the position of having to wait whilst a customer finished a conversation whilst I stood and looked at the queue behind slowly fuming when he asked me for paper and a pen so that he could write down an order I decided to make a stand. Up went a notice basically asking customers who want to use their phone to make a choice, either to talk to us whilst we serve them or to stand aside until the conversation was finished and let us serve those waiting behind. It was headed 'Good Manners', we had nothing but comments of support and not one complaint. I have on occasion stepped to the side and served on the other counter but obviously that is not always possible.
It is a great shame that Sainsburys have not had the courage to back up their employee, I am sure they have offended more people by not doing so than they would have by making a stand themselves.

Brilliant Lollie, this is exactly what I suggested ( several posts ago ) if all supermarkets, banks, PO's etc did the same it would soon put a stop to people inconveniencing others

[The Monocled Mutineer]

The schematic representing 'no mobiles' in certain train carriages needs redesigning as most people don't seem to understand what it means, judging by the endless chatter one hears on these devices in no mobile zones.

Haven't turned my mobile on for over a month.

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[Quizzical Bob]

That sounds like my wife. Only ever turns hers on when she wants to call someone. Some of these youngsters today have them glued to their ears.

[qbman1]

Given time, I believe evolution will take its course and they will be born with a mobile ready attaached instead of a left ear

[Mo2013]

This story is symptomatic of how people and organisations have allowed standards, dress sense and good manners to wither away. I've even seen it on this forum with people wanting to move the dress code goalposts on ships. At the very least this inconsiderate shopper didn't care whether she was holding up other shoppers but when you allow people to behave badly, they will, and the result is the society we now have.

[Manoverboard]

We were in Sainsbugs today and chatted to one of the checkout girls about this, she said that she would have more sense and self control than to take it up with a customer but that it happens all the time and it really is pig ignorance. She also said that she can fully appreciate why the checkout girl did what she did.

[Lollie]

I can totally understand why she did it, many people approach the counter whilst talking on their phone, between sentences ask for what they want, turn sideways and continue talking, ignore any questions, do not look at the person serving, push a note in the general direction of the assistant, grab the change and walk away without even a smile of thanks let alone a proper thank you. On the other hand we are told we must smile and retain eye contact all the time we are serving a customer - have to say that that it is actually impossible to retain eye contact as we just have to look at our screens whilst serving but we do smile, we do chat and we say thank you and goodbye!

[Jacknian]

I work on the customer service desk at a well known supermarket ( not sainsburys ) and every day someone will come to the desk and while still speaking on their phone throw a receipt at me or an item they wish to return. If I have no queue I wait, smile at them and do nothing until they actually speak to me. If I have a queue I speak to the person behind to the effect that the customer on the phone is clearly busy at the moment so I will serve the next customer. Amazing how quickly they finish their phone call ! More polite people if they have a call while at the desk will answer but say I'll call you back.