While I agree many shop assistants lack any customer service skills there are us that try hard to be helpful and polite at all times and yet it leaves you wondering why with the rude way in which customers treat you or thier filthy habbits.
I work in a garage, and always try to greet everyone with a smile and "Hello", but some ignore you and just glare, or chat away on mobile phones then tut and sigh at you interrupt thier coversation when you ask for payment or for them to enter thier pin number. I find it very rude that someone has to embark on a phone conversation when you are trying to serve them and then when they go to walk out of the door still on thier phone and you call them back asking them politely to finish thier conversation in the shop as mobiles are not allowed to be used near pumps they tell you in no uncertain terms where to go and carry on.
Then there are the ones that buy sweets and often before you can even scan them they are eating them while you are trying to serve them and get narked because you interrupt them to take the item for scanning, then they chuck the empty wrapper at you to dispose of before leaving. Would it really have hurt to be polite and wait 2 mins till you had actually paid for the item and left the shop, surely thats just common decency.
Then there are the disgusting ones, that will stand at the pump filling, with thier money, cards or coupon in thier mouths, then they come in and hand you the money/coupon wet with thier saliva and expect you to handle it. How would customers like it if we put thier reciepts or change in our mouths first then handed it back to them wet with saliva, I bet they would soon call us disgusting and create a scene. Believe it or not I would estimate 35-40% of customers have this disgusting habit. Are you guilty?
Then there are those that hold up the ques as they don't listen to a word you say because they stand and read the paper on the counter to save them buying it, while we get filthy looks and comments from other customers because we are not serving quick enough. Yesterday I asked a man 5 times to enter his pin number as he was engrossed in a paper and there was a que behind him, he grumpily waved his hand at me and barked "Hang on Woman".
I could list hundreds of things but I will stop here.
Luckily a small percentage of customers are lovely and make it all worth while, so please customers treat how you would like to be treated we are all human beings of the same race and equals with feelings.

Oh bevb!

I worked as an assistant mangeress for Shelter in one of their shops & the customer tales I could tell you! 

You should try the same rudeness but put half a dozen pints of lager on top of it !!!!  Thats what you get sometimes when you work in a pub!  Not only are some of them arrogant but they think they are irrisistable too :D and that you are there purely for their entertainment and of course they are allowed to grope you and make rude suggestions to you!!!  Mind you there were some lovely customers too. :D

I feel for you I really do as I work in a customer based environment and it never fails to amaze just how rude some people can be.  I work in a college and we teach IT to adults, would you believe I know everything about computers, Bill Gates has nothing on me!  or so my students and some members of the public think (adults) and if I don't know some are so put out to the point of being rude!  When on reception desk we turn into Citizens Advice Bureau, the Job Centre and Tourist Information and if we don't know the answer to 'are there any riggers jobs going on the docks' we will get a mouthful of abuse (that is my most bizarre request).  The job is worth it though for the students are truly grateful and they make my day.  I try my hardest to be friendly at all times and make the place welcoming but sometimes find it a struggle.  Keep up the good customer service bevb as it is worth it to the ones who appreciate it.

I worked in retail for 20 years and,believe me, I could write a book!! That said, the boot can be on the other foot and I have come across very rude sale assistants too. My pet hate is waiting to be served while they carry on a conversation. I think there are just alot of obnoxious people out there, whether they are serving you or being served by you!
There are some lovely people too though as has been said!

I think it is six of one and half a dozen of the other ..tolerance is going by the wayside in todays UK ..more tolerance on BOTH sides would make it a much nicer place to live IMHO

gosh, this brings back the memories.... waiting to take payment from someone, then having them stick their finger up their nose and pick out a boogie before handing you a note...and the guy who picked a huge scab off his face, poured blood all over the counter and then screamed at me because I didn't have a tissue to hand him.  

It used to be that people would comment that children were rude but these days it's the parents as well. It's a changing world for sure but I do agree that there are still many lovely people out there :)

once i had to nip in to a lidl's store quickly and the cashier was so up herself i couldnt believe, im mean lidl's for heaven sake

What's wrong with Lidl's?  :) :)

well nothing but its not like she was working at harrods is it

customer services head office for a major supermarket, the abuse you get via letter or phone is sometimes astonishing (though if they are really bad we can hang up on them, yay!) you have my sympathies. when i get someone awful i genuinely think to myself that they are more to be pitied than scorned, if they are that rude and unpleasent to a perfect stranger imagine how they must be to people close to them which = a pretty miserable life.

Guilty here .... i sometimes put the note in my mouth   , but do realise and hand the money to them with me holding wet side... from now on i will keep this post in mind and try not to put it in my mouth .....  lol

ooh yuck, when you think about some of the nose howking, scab picking, horrible people about and that many of the notes have been up someones nose to snort a line of coke I can't believe anyone puts money in their mouths.   On the plus side shusky1 you must have an excellent immune system, you and the rest of the population who do this. lol

quote[well nothing but its not like she was working at Harrods is it ]

Does it matter where you work?  I find that a very snobbish attitude, Sorry.  Whether you are a toilet cleaner in  public toilets or an executive manager  you are still human beings with feelings and should be treated the same.  Nobody has the right to be rude to anyone regardless of the job they hold.  Just because you have a higher status job doesn't make you a better person inside.

Well said Bevb!  :)

I find that a very snobbish attitude, Sorry

Hear, hear that's probably why the Lidl's assistant was the way she was with the customer!   ;-)

LOLOLOL, never thought of it like that cheeckychow. you have just converted me......will never do it again...

right so being a house wife is a higher status job than being shop assistant is it well considering you dont get paid for being a housewife no its not, and im a a million miles away from being a snob, i think we can all take some advice including you from the post you wrote

I worked in customer service for the government.  If you think people can be rude when they are paying for something you can try guessing at what they are like when they think it should be free - all of it - everything, and to boot they think they are directly responsible for paying your wages.  Fortunately for my sanity I have to admit the nasty ones were far outweighed by really nice people.  The nasties are more memorable though, due to their uniqueness.

Status is decided how and by whom, money?  This is the whole problem people don't value each other as people and don't respond to each other with consideration and respect but look at the service person as being lesser than them somehow. The girl in lidl is providing a service and is no less a person than the nurse on a hospital ward for example.

>considering you dont get paid for being a housewife no its not,

Status has nothing to do with money. The wealthiest people can be very low-status, and the poorest down-and-out be a gentleman. ;) It's all to do with manners, self-esteem and tolerance. :)

>The girl in lidl is providing a service and is no less a person than the nurse on a hospital ward for example.

The girl in Lidl is no less worthy of respect than the Queen.

it really shows that people who have posted on this topic feel people are worthy of respect after reading the last few posts

I agree I do think people are worthy of respect :-)

Hi Jetstone, I too work for the government (and reminded regularly about who pays my wages!)  I once had to write a snotty letter to someone, and, to be fair, didn't use the official one, I changed it to be polite.  The "customer" phoned in and asked to speak to THAT GIT xxx   xxxx (crosses being my name.)  I went online and said THAT GIT SPEAKING, boy did I get into trouble!  But being insulted for doing your job is common fact in the public sector.

im not a snob far from it! but i wont step foot in Aldi or Lidl! personal preferance
and if my fella goes shopping he knows not to tell me where it came from!
he loves Aldi as he lived in Germany for many years in the armed forces! doesnt mean i have to like it though...

What is wrong with Lidl's or Aldi's?    I was pleasantly surprised when I went into Aldi's in Perth.  It was clean, tidy, everything well laid out & the packaging legible.  Staff were chatty & pleasant and now I go there once a week to pick up a few items.   

Aldi and Lidl both have fabulous bargains, and a refreshing choice of 'different' goods, rather than the same old, same old things that the main supermarkets sell. The staff are very friendly too.

As I have more european tates I liek both Lifl and Aldi, teh bargains help me eek out teh pennies too.

I go in there and get all my basics and anything I miss I go next door to the UK supermarket.

Yes, I am an Aldi and Lidl shopper too!  Get my main shop from Sainsbury's or Tesco but Aldi and Lidl for 'bits'.  Just a thought.........what is everyone's interpretation of a 'snob'?  Mine is..........A 'snob' is a person who is nothing, has nothing but likes to look down on others who they think have less!.............Snobs are often a bit of a 'joke' really!  :)  :)

I love Lidl!!!!! And I think that a snob is someone who doesn't recognise that we are all equal regardless of appearance, financial position etc. Whether you are the customer or the shop employee we should all treat each other with politeness and respect.

I worked in retial for a while-never again!! The majority of customers were rude and treated staff like skivvies. The best piece of advice i was given was to be "overly nice" when someone was rude. When they are rude they are looking for an argument or something to complain about so if you are completely the other way, always saying please and thank you, is there anything else i can help you with sir/madam - it throws them off course and they have no option to be nicer. Loved watching rude peoples reactions when they were like that!!!
As for Lidl and Aldi - they do the best chocolate, bar none!!! And lots of variation and other goodies (alcohold for example) at amazingly reasonable prices. Fruit and veg is good too.

Imagine how much fun I have as a waitress, some of my customers are lovely but some are so rude its unbelievable. A couple of years ago a man came in with what I assume were work mates, he was in his late 40s and was drinking a bit too much well he told me that I was just a waitress there for his pleasure and kept making comments on my bum, after a while he told me before he left he was going to have a feel, which he tried to so I put my face right up into his and said if you so much as lay a finger on me again I will splatter your nose all over your face, so he complained to my boss who for once took my side told him he was lucky I didn't just hit him then asked him to pay his bill and get out. I know that he was just trying to show off in front of his mates but ended up looking like a complete jackass. I know that violence doesn't solve anything. They say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their waitress.
I try to treat everyone with respect that I expect to be treated with and think if we all did the same we would have far less problems in this world.
Mary

That is brilliant Mary!  :)  :)  :)

The saying I always keep in mind is ' Treat others how you would wish to be treated yourself'. Very true and the other ' smile and it will come back to you a 100 times' also works.

OOO Floradora,

That's what I always thing too :)

Have brought my children up to always treat people with politelness and respect - it costs nothing and is priceless!!

If that isn't a good enough reason to be kind to others, never forget, the waitress/cashier/supermarket person may just turn out to be your next Doctor/Solicitor/Accountant ;) ;)   Just because they are in one job doesn't mean that's all they are capable of ;)

ETA. I think (not thing LOL)

yes!!! so true, the number of people i want to scream "i have a degree you know!!!" at is astonishing. the way people treat you on the phones in here, it's quite pathetic actually, i don't understand how abusive folk can be of complete strangers. i question their upbringing.

> Have brought my children up to always treat people with politelness and respect - it costs nothing and is priceless!!
>

good stuff :)

>What is everyone's interpretation of a 'snob'?

Mine is someone who thinks they are above everyone else when in reality the opposite is true so they try to bring everyone else down to their level by acting superior so they feel better about the lacking in themselves. 

From one who has often shopped in Aldi and Lidl :-D :-D

What has having a degree got to do with it?  :)

when you get snidey letters about how you should get a proper job it gets a bit straining... i'm in the lib at 10am most morning, do classes and work 25hrs plus in customer service till 11pm and people look down on my colleagues and i (most of whom are in the same postion) for being in a non professional job. though i must say that did come out wrong and i would not suggest that anyone should be treated that way, no matter what they do (sorry)

I am glad that it 'came out wrong' Astarte as I wouldn't like to think that you thought that having a degree gave anyone the right to 'scream' at others!!  :)  :)

oh certainly not! genuinely did come out wrong. no one has the right to speak to another person that way, no matter who they are/what they have done/ their wealth whatever. really sorry it came out that way

:) :)

My weekly shop goes....

Aldi - for most things, their labelling is brilliant and we find loads of gluten free food there as they put less 'fillers' in their foods (Baked Beans etc.) their washing powder is ACE :-D  Their Smoked Salmon is really tasty and not too salty :)
Morrisons for Fish and vegetables and 'free from' supplies

Tescos for things I can't get in the other two, but very reluctant as I find them very expensive.

My Mum, Sister, lots of friends and me all shop at Lidl. They have great cold meats -great variety and I love their chicken Korma ( in a tin.) When we go to dinner at friends houses, the talk often comes round to Lidl and what fab bargains they bought that week and usually we're eating some of it. Aldi for wine and that tip came from a wine collector who raves about their quality and value.
My hubby adores Lidl stollen - naughty but he can't get enough.
BUT their best thing by far IMO is their microfibe cloths, I used to buy authentic E-cloths  but have found them at Lidl at a fraction of the price and just as good.

Ok I don't go either BUT I may go have a little look now.  ( in the dark) :-D   just kidding :-)

I run petrol stations and the amount of rude customers I have had to deal with is unbelievable. I do not put up with any rudeness to my staff at all.

I also find as we run  assisted car washes(we'll wash wheels etc before you go through ) that most of the customers are lovely but you get the odd one who comes swanning in in his nice car and totally talks down to you. I am a very hands on manager and am quite happy to clean the site, serve behind the till or do the carwash and one day I was on the carwash while a member of staff was on his lunch break. A man swanned in in his brand new car and was really talking down to me. I just got on with the job. He obviously thought that working on a car wash I was waaaaay below him which I hate as it doesn't matter what job anybody does we are all the same. He then asked in a cocky voice if it tipped well doing that job. "I have no idea" I replied "I run the site". Well his jaw dropped and I have since seen him around the site and he has always been polite with every member of staff since!!!:-D

Oh go on Blue,
Try their soft dried apricots  delish!!

Aldi do some brilliant offers. I've signed up to their weekly newsletter as you get some right bargains!!!!:-D

It's funny how some shops get reputations. I won't shop in Lidl's, I was once at a Drive through McDonalds and remembered I had no milk, so told my teenage sons, I was just popping in to get some milk, the shock horror on their faces, and the rebuffs of don't go in there, it's not nice in there! They had got this from their friends at school, and I laughed at them and said don't be silly, well I understood why, the atmosphere was not like a supermarket, the bargains were great. but the atmosphere felt sombre and the first person in there I bumped into was a drunk! And I almost slipped on some spilt milk.

I grabbed my two pints of milk and headed for the checkout, the checkout lady was lovely, but looked depressed with no life in her, I couldn't wait to leave.

It may have just been that Lidl, but it put me off for good.

And the milk was off when I opened it. :-(

I wouldn't say I was a snob, as I have friends in all walks of life, and never look down on other people, everyone is equal to me, and I don't care where anyone works, or what they do...... but I guess I am a snob when it comes to quality and going into nice places. I want to be in a place that feels nice. Lidl's just didn't feel good for me, bargains or not.  I'd rather pay £1 more for goods and walk out with a smile on my face and not a quick grab and exit. :-)

I think you must have picked a bad store Carrington, the one in a local town to us is great, loads of bargains and it seems really nice in there, although the Netto in the same town is terrible, it never looks like the floors have been cleaned and losts of things seem to be knocked over/in split packaging.

I do like Aldi as well though, they often have a run of 'non food' things like power tools, outdoor clothes etc, all at reallly low prices, we picked up a bench pillar drill a couple of years ago for about £30 and it's still going strong.

Claire