Get off your phone

That would be MrMoonX then.

I've never talked down to anyone in a shop, I'd be annoyed if they told me to not use my phone, in fact I'd probably just walk out and leave then to put my shopping back on the shelves, they can't make up company policy like this worker did!
 
I think its rude too but thats my opinion.

Surely its just common decency to acknowledge and thank someone serving you. Giving them your attention for 2 minutes.

Some people are just disrespectful muppets at the end of the day.

But u
 
I think its rude too but thats my opinion.

Surely its just common decency to acknowledge and thank someone serving you. Giving them your attention for 2 minutes.

Some people are just disrespectful muppets at the end of the day.

But you can acknowledge and give attention. Half the time an interaction is no more than "hi", "no loyalty card", "thankyou". That can be done while on a call or not.
If a big shop is being done, the lady was at the end of the till waiting to start bagging, then not much other interaction is going to take place.

I don't see the need to constantly talk to someone providing a service, while they provide that service. Leave them alone and let them do their job if that is your choice as a shopper.
 
I don't see the need to constantly talk to someone providing a service,


And I don't see the need to be constantly on the phone. I appreciate that sometimes the call is important, but most calls are just social grooming. Well, take the phone away from your fat ear and pay attention to the person who is trying to help you. That wasn't hard, was it?
 
slow news day in the republic of effrontery

So would the checkout dude be all buthurt if a customer carried on a conversation with a friend standing next to them? Aside from the fact that the conversation was taking place via a mobile phone, I don't really see the difference.
What level of conversation do most of us have with the person at the till?
Most of mine are as follows:
Hi
Hi, that's three fiddy.
Here, cheers.

I'm not there to debate the meaning of life with them. Granted I take the time of day with my local shop - I see them a few times a week and occasionally chew the fat with them, but in an average faceless supermarket big chain store? Interaction is minimal and faceless, from both sides.

Perhaps the person in the original article should find a job where being paid attention to is more of a priority, or one where being wrapped up in cotton wool is part of the job description, better yet, one that does not deal with the varied social mores of the general public.

I guess it was a slow news day... this even made question time ffs.
 
My girlfriend tries to talk on the phone when in shops/restaurants/bars and she knows I don't like it, so she takes it outside/somewhere quiet or waits until later if it isn't urgent. If she does it I usually end up apologising to the person she has offended.

I get frustrated with my friends. Whenever i'm out with them, be it in the pub, having a bit of lunch, playing pool or whatever, they are bloody glued to the things. Constantly chatting to someone, texting someone, checking Faceache or twitter.
Its bloody rude and annoying.

They think i'm strange because I have an old £30 nokia on a £6 a month contract :/
 
And I don't see the need to be constantly on the phone. I appreciate that sometimes the call is important, but most calls are just social grooming. Well, take the phone away from your fat ear and pay attention to the person who is trying to help you. That wasn't hard, was it?

Excuse me? Fat ear?
I don't care how important the call is, the woman should have done her job. No issue, get over yourself trying to have some power, do your job.

What attention is needed? There was none at that time as the woman hadn't started doing anything.
 
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And I don't see the need to be constantly on the phone. I appreciate that sometimes the call is important, but most calls are just social grooming

It amazes me the stuff people seem happy to loudly chat away about in public. 90% of the time when somebody is defeaning everyone else on a train with a 'it cant wait' phone call it's not the simple 'I'll be in at XYZ time, can you pick me up' call but just random chatter. Do you really want to share your social circles gossip with strangers on a train or tell everyone in earshot what you had for dinner last night :confused:
 
And I don't see the need to be constantly on the phone. I appreciate that sometimes the call is important, but most calls are just social grooming. Well, take the phone away from your fat ear and pay attention to the person who is trying to help you. That wasn't hard, was it?

It isn't about needing to be 'constantly on the phone', but what logic is there in ending a phone conversation to briefly acknowledge the person on the till who usually stares at you with a vacant expression and offers the conversational equivalent of a potato.

It's not a social gathering, nor is it a forum for discussion and conversation. The checkout worker is there to do a job, and if she can't do that job without apparently feeling the need to be validated by random strangers, then she should either seek out counseling or a better job.

She is a petty functionary who realises that her job is **** and by proxy so is her life. By becoming offended, she is trying to apply a sense of importance and validity to her existence that is simply not there.

This needs to be quashed immediately as it is enabling people to tread on others' freedoms simply because they don't feel they are being valued - when the fault lies within the person and the way they see themselves/the decisions they have made in their life.

Those who share the view need to wind their neck in, realise what a non-issue is, and stop being so emotionally sensitive.

"Man up" I think is the appropriate macho expression here.
 
She is a petty functionary who realises that her job is **** and by proxy so is her life. By becoming offended, she is trying to apply a sense of importance and validity to her existence that is simply not there.

Just... wow. Whilst I am sure you are some sort of high flying FTSE 100 Chief Executive, that's a fairly terrible attitude of superiority you have there. It's also fairly flawed - quite a high proportion of people you will find on checkouts in supermarkets are there not as a dead-end career for which they are doomed but mostly as part time staff whilst they do other things - for example study at University or College.

One day perhaps they'll look down on you as you do on them.

Some of them might well be there for eternity but at least they are playing a part in society and contributing rather than just claiming benefits. A succesful society requires input at all levels. Where would we be without people prepared to work in such roles?

Not talking on a phone when you are engaging with another person is just common courtesy, it's nothing to do with 'validating her existence'.

Being served a checkout is an interactive two way process. Either take part or use the self service checkout.
 
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Being served a checkout is an interactive two way process. Either take part or use the self service checkout.

Self service checkouts are not as fast and generally cause more hassle. It not a forced two way service if the customer doesn't want it to be.

Manned service, its a crap job but someone's got to do it.
 
Self service checkouts are not as fast and generally cause more hassle.

Not if you know what you are doing - I don't have an issue with them. Many do, hence often irritating queues, but I wouldnt expect anyone here to be challenged by one.

It not a forced two way service if the customer doesn't want it to be.

Yes it is - you must interact with another person.

Manned service, its a crap job but someone's got to do it.

So offer a little respect. It's not hard.
 
[TW]Fox;24569047 said:
Just... wow. Whilst I am sure you are some sort of high flying FTSE 100 Chief Executive, that's a fairly terrible attitude of superiority you have there. It's also fairly flawed - quite a high proportion of people you will find on checkouts in supermarkets are there not as a dead-end career for which they are doomed but mostly as part time staff whilst they do other things - for example study at University or College.

One day perhaps they'll look down on you as you do on them.

Some of them might well be there for eternity but at least they are playing a part in society and contributing rather than just claiming benefits. A succesful society requires input at all levels. Where would we be without people prepared to work in such roles?

Not talking on a phone when you are engaging with another person is just common courtesy, it's nothing to do with 'validating her existence'.

Being served a checkout is an interactive two way process. Either take part or use the self service checkout.
Totally agree.

It's not exactly difficult to treat people you come across with a reasonable amount of courtesy & respect.
 
She is a petty functionary who realises that her job is **** and by proxy so is her life. By becoming offended, she is trying to apply a sense of importance and validity to her existence that is simply not there.

What a lovely person you are, putting other peoples jobs down is as low as you can get.
 
I'm with the checkout worker on this one, but then I did a few years of the same thing and used to find people like that just plain rude.

I sometimes went with the "ask as many questions as possible as loudly as possible to disrupt their call until they gave up", that was fun. :D

I would never dream of doing this to a person serving me, I always tell the person on the phone i'll call them back or I put them on hold for a couple of minutes.

This country would be a lot better if everyone was forced to do 6 months of retail work when leaving school. It teaches you that it's pretty crappy to be on the receiving end of some rude old bag with a stick up her ****.
 
[TW]Fox;24569047 said:
Just... wow. Whilst I am sure you are some sort of high flying FTSE 100 Chief Executive, that's a fairly terrible attitude of superiority you have there. It's also fairly flawed - quite a high proportion of people you will find on checkouts in supermarkets are there not as a dead-end career for which they are doomed but mostly as part time staff whilst they do other things - for example study at University or College.

One day perhaps they'll look down on you as you do on them.

Some of them might well be there for eternity but at least they are playing a part in society and contributing rather than just claiming benefits. A succesful society requires input at all levels. Where would we be without people prepared to work in such roles?

Not talking on a phone when you are engaging with another person is just common courtesy, it's nothing to do with 'validating her existence'.

Being served a checkout is an interactive two way process. Either take part or use the self service checkout.

Actually, no, you misunderstand. I'm not looking down on her at all. Nor her job.

I was simply stating that by making a big deal out of such nonsense, she is creating a way for her to feel good about herself. When you work in jobs like this, you quickly realise the contempt you draw from society, the misconceptions that perhaps you're some sort of idiot and the fact that you're heel end of society planted firmly in the muck. Essential, yes, but not really effecting change or experiencing a sense of worth.

That is a generalisation, yes, but it seems to apply for the majority.

As for myself, I'm further down the chain from her, working in a much more undesirable job - and yet, I don't feel the need to act as she does. I take pride in my work, rather than my job. I do what I'm paid to do, and I don't try to infringe on other people at work just so I can feel good about myself.

What a lovely person you are, putting other peoples jobs down is as low as you can get.

I never made any assertion that I was a lovely person.

And if you read it properly, you would understand that I wasn't putting down anyone's job. I was making a comment on her own perceptions.

I could also think of many things lower than putting down someone's job.
 
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