M&S have dropped a clanger

Gaygle · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:27

Efour said:
storm in a tea cup.

This phrase has never been used in such an apt situation at this. We as a nation certainly do know how to get our proverbial knickers in a twist over absolutely nothing. Please can we all get a grip and remember this was ONE CHECKOUT MEMBER OF STAFF, ONCE, IN ONE STORE

How many of you have ever struggled to be served alcohol and refused by a person of any religion due to their religion? I'm guessing 99.9% of us have never had a problem and I'm willing to bet most of us didn't even realise a very small minority of Muslims were even sensitive about handling bottles of alcohol!

Efour said:
Also lol at the wee analogy. What a ridiculous set of rules to live and die your life by. Well done.

This also. It unfortunately happens when someone who can't form an argument desperately tries to.

Janesy B · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:30

Go to East London and then tell me Muslim people have a problem with selling white people alcohol

chief barker · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:38

Janesy B said:
Go to East London and then tell me Muslim people have a problem with selling white people alcohol

Like i said. Show them the money and everything else is secondary.

The world is full of hypocrisy.

Angilion · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:38

ilcp said:
Would you eat off a toilet bowl that has been cleaned and is 100% bacteria/virus free? I am assuming no ( I personally wouldn't), would you drink the wee if offered? ( again I would say no and hoped you would too).. Wine for us is in the same category i.e. akin to urine and we are not meant to let it get on our skin/clothes.

If it happened as an accident, then that is fine but better safe than sorry.. I would respond to your childish post but I am taking the higher ground

No, you aren't. You're taking the religious ground, which is not higher. It's just...different. You reject evidence, logic and reason on a very fundamental level, so you think very differently.

I've no objection to you mindlessly obeying whatever arbritrary commands you've been given by whoever you have decided has the authority to interpret your book of arbritrary commands. That's your problem.

I do object to other people having to deal with the effects of that and I do object to the increasing power of that sort of thing on this country. It took far too long to get rid of the power of the last version of that and your version is even worse, even more domineering and power-hungry.

Oh and yes, I would eat off a clean, sterile surface. Because it's clean and sterile.

bloodiedathame · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:51

chief barker said:
But Islam is the religion of all mankind not of a specific race. anyone can follow Islam.

You didn't look it up.

bloodiedathame · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:53

Angilion said:
There isn't one, since it's an entirely artificial distinction. It means whatever anyone wants it to mean in their wish to divide humanity against itself.

No it doesn't. It's pretty clear.

chief barker · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:56

bloodiedathame said:
You didn't look it up.

I did and my statement still stands.

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:57

bloodiedathame said:
No it doesn't. It's pretty clear.

On the contrary it's a very accurate description of the term.

Drollic · 23 Dec 2013 at 20:58

Energize said:
Never have I known people in any other position of employment that can get away with refusing to do the work they are paid to do!

You can't work in the real world making a statement like that.

bloodiedathame · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:08

Energize said:
On the contrary it's a very accurate description of the term.

First I've heard of it.

*Admittedly this sort of race based conversation/argument doesn't really interest me and I don't usually get involved.

Buddy · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:10

Can't believe the reaction people have had to this. Our country prides itself with its multicultural populations and respect for each others beliefs. If waiting a few seconds for someone else to come and serve you your beer and pork what difference does it make?

Here's another example: doctors who do not agree with abortion will organise for the patient to be seen by another doctor the same day for a referral. The "customer" is served and everyone's views/beliefs are respected.

If you get your alcohol and pork at the end of the day what's the issue? For those of you who are foaming around the mouths over this seriously ?? ..... So with the example of thousands of doctors who are not comfortable with abortion you going to tell them they find another?

SexyGreyFox · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:13

chief barker said:
Like i said. Show them the money and everything else is secondary.

The world is full of hypocrisy.

but it isn't hypocrisy unless those Muslims who serve you have always claimed they won't because of religious reasons.
One woman in one store decided after reading her version of the Quran that she can't sell alcohol.

dowie · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:18

Buddy said:
Can't believe the reaction people have had to this. Our country prides itself with its multicultural populations and respect for each others beliefs. If waiting a few seconds for someone else to come and serve you your beer and pork what difference does it make?

Here's another example: doctors who do not agree with abortion will organise for the patient to be seen by another doctor the same day for a referral. The "customer" is served and everyone's views/beliefs are respected.

If you get your alcohol and pork at the end of the day what's the issue? For those of you who are foaming around the mouths over this seriously ?? .....

Issues have been posted in here already if you care to read the thread - where do you draw the line, can vegetarians/vegans object to handling any animal produce and/or dairy or does the moral objection require a deity attached to it? People could have objections to any number of things at work, at what point should special treatment be granted? Why should people get special treatment simply because supernatural beliefs come into play... a die hard football fan probably desires a free Saturday as much as an Orthodox Jew yet M&S's policy only protects the latter.

^TANK^ · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:22

ilcp said:
Would you eat off a toilet bowl that has been cleaned and is 100% bacteria/virus free? I am assuming no ( I personally wouldn't), would you drink the wee if offered? ( again I would say no and hoped you would too).. Wine for us is in the same category i.e. akin to urine and we are not meant to let it get on our skin/clothes.

If it happened as an accident, then that is fine but better safe than sorry.. I would respond to your childish post but I am taking the higher ground

Jesus talk about making a mountain out of an ant hill.

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:23

Drollic said:
You can't work in the real world making a statement like that.

I'm self employed, maybe some employed people get paid for refusing to work? I don't know, my line of work requires that I actually do the work I'm assigned or I don't get paid.

Buddy · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:26

dowie said:
Issues have been posted in here already if you care to read the thread - where do you draw the line, can vegetarians/vegans object to handling any animal produce and/or dairy or does the moral objection require a deity attached to it? People could have objections to any number of things at work, at what point should special treatment be granted? Why should people get special treatment simply because supernatural beliefs come into play... a die hard football fan probably desires a free Saturday as much as an Orthodox Jew yet M&S's policy only protects the latter.

I apologise if I didnt read all 14 pages of this discussion.....
At what point should special treatment be granted? Well as long as a service is not disturbed, should we not repect everyone beliefs? Deity attached or not.

And please prove if M&S give orthodox Jews a Saturday off.....

Buddy · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:32

Energize said:
I'm self employed, maybe some employed people get paid for refusing to work? I don't know, my line of work requires that I actually do the work I'm assigned or I don't get paid.

Person A asks person B to sell the alcohol for him/her.
Person A continues to work - seeing the next customer.
I know, took me a while to work out as well

Energize · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:40

Buddy said:
Person A asks person B to sell the alcohol for him/her.
Person A continues to work - seeing the next customer.
I know, took me a while to work out as well

That's not actually what happened though, the article says that the employee told the customer to look elsewhere for someone to serve them, not delegated the job to another employee (who was already probably busy and thus had the overall effect of reducing throughput).

The way I see it is:

Person A is paid to serve customers what they bring to the till. Person A refused to do this. Thus person A is refusing to do the work they are paid to do.

Christmas themed thank · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:41

I say it again: if you don't agree with what they sell, don't work there. How hard is that to understand?

RDM · 23 Dec 2013 at 21:42

ilcp said:
Would you eat off a toilet bowl that has been cleaned and is 100% bacteria/virus free? I am assuming no ( I personally wouldn't), would you drink the wee if offered? ( again I would say no and hoped you would too).. Wine for us is in the same category i.e. akin to urine and we are not meant to let it get on our skin/clothes.

If it happened as an accident, then that is fine but better safe than sorry.. I would respond to your childish post but I am taking the higher ground

You have a very strange interpretation of the Islamic laws around alcohol...

M&S have dropped a clanger

Mobster