Mobile Phone Etiquette

ceebeeby

My pet hate is people who answer their mobile phones in group work meetings, and have a conversation whilst the rest of the meeting continues - or their phone bleep, bleep bleeps during meetings with incoming texts, that they respond too

Morty_007

My pet hate is people who start talking to me when they can see i'm texting...it's so rude!! If I was talking on the phone, would they interrupt?? Same thing as far as i'm concerned.

JoMac_2

SnowyOwl wrote: »

As a former check out assistant in a branch of Sainsbury's I can confirm that being ignored by a customer because that customer is yapping on their phone is exceptionally bad manners. I used to ask them lots of questions - would you like help to pack? is it still raining? gosh it's busy today isn't it? - that annoyed them back. People seem to assume that supermarket workers are mostly unintelligent underachievers and therefore inferior to the general public - that may or may not be true of some supermarket workers, but that is no excuse for being so rude.

I think it is rude to talk on your mobile when you should be interacting with others. I would usually chat to the till assistants as it must be a long day sat there, once you ask a question most seem glad to chat eg about the weather. However, what really bugs me is when the staff are talking amongst themselves and don't even acknowledge me but go on about the process of scanning goods etc. Recently in a local store I got to the till, the lady scanned the goods (clothes) whilst talking to a colleague. I waited for them to stop and asked for a gift receipt. She huffed and puffed and said she'd have to get a manager. He came and did what he had to do to the till, then she told me off saying 'If you want a gift receipt you have to ask before I scan your stuff'. Except she didn't give me a chance to say anything before scanning my items because she was too busy chatting. That made my blood boil but I didn't say anything. In my opinion too many sales assistants here need a crash course in customer care. There has to be a happy medium between them and the over the top cheerfulness 'are you finding everything ok?' of their American counterparts. I have done the job myself as a student so I know how poor the pay is but there's no excuse for bad manners.

wifeforlife

Well I think the checkout assistant is the rude one here. The amount of times I go to the checkout and they are in full flow conversation with a colleague sitting behind them, and/or completely ignore me as the customer.

Not even a hello, or Hiya

Also who is she/he to turn a customer away, surely the company involved should be greatful for any business in current times!


If I'm doing my shopping or a quick pickup of groceries as a busy working mum, and it saves me time to be organising calls or keep in contact with family, I will do so when it's convienient to me. I don't go to the checkout for any other reason to get my shopping bagged and paid for, although I pack my bags myself

Cate

Chickabee

I know the original poster didn't want to name and shame the M&S store but i have to say the very worst customer service i have ever come across is in the large Dunnes store at Annadale Embankment-

seriously the girls on the till in particular don't even look at you, grunt, and never say thanks when you hand them the money.
I thought it was maybe just a one-off but no it happens every time!
Half the time they are texting on their mobile or chatting to a mate when they are meant to be dealing with customers.

drew2k9

i still think its worse to be on the phone while someone is serving you.

people who say it is convenient for them to be on the phone while shopping, it musnt be that important, if you aren't willing to give it your undevided attention then waith the 3 minutes it takes to get your shopping scanned and packed. if you are really stuck for time and need to be on the phone then get it done online and delivered.

absoluteutopia

drew2k9 wrote: »

i still think its worse to be on the phone while someone is serving you.

My Mrs doesnt mind, she says i last longer when im not thinking about it

SnowyOwl_2

JoMac wrote: »

I think it is rude to talk on your mobile when you should be interacting with others. I would usually chat to the till assistants as it must be a long day sat there, once you ask a question most seem glad to chat eg about the weather. However, what really bugs me is when the staff are talking amongst themselves and don't even acknowledge me but go on about the process of scanning goods etc. Recently in a local store I got to the till, the lady scanned the goods (clothes) whilst talking to a colleague. I waited for them to stop and asked for a gift receipt. She huffed and puffed and said she'd have to get a manager. He came and did what he had to do to the till, then she told me off saying 'If you want a gift receipt you have to ask before I scan your stuff'. Except she didn't give me a chance to say anything before scanning my items because she was too busy chatting. That made my blood boil but I didn't say anything. In my opinion too many sales assistants here need a crash course in customer care. There has to be a happy medium between them and the over the top cheerfulness 'are you finding everything ok?' of their American counterparts. I have done the job myself as a student so I know how poor the pay is but there's no excuse for bad manners.

I couldn't agree more regarding checkout people chatting to each other while there is a customer standing there. Unfortunately in my checkout job I found that the worst culprits were the checkout supervisors themselves. They were supposed to discourage chatting between staff and courage "friendliness" between staff and customers. However if they had something to say they'd think nothing of going up to the checkout operator and ignoring the customer and then stand there blabbing whether it's about work or not. It was so rude, I was always embarrassed and apologised to customers when it happened at my till.

However regarding customers on the phone when at the till...two wrongs don't make a right - even if the check out operator is rude to you, it doesn't mean it's OK to be rude back. A person is only letting themselves down by treating other people like that.

Unless it's a self-scan till, then it's perfectly fine, lol.

smokiewater

Chickabee wrote: »

I know the original poster didn't want to name and shame the M&S store but i have to say the very worst customer service i have ever come across is in the large Dunnes store at Annadale Embankment-

seriously the girls on the till in particular don't even look at you, grunt, and never say thanks when you hand them the money.
I thought it was maybe just a one-off but no it happens every time!
Half the time they are texting on their mobile or chatting to a mate when they are meant to be dealing with customers.

Oooh, thanks for all the replies!

The checkout operator in question is really really friendly, always offers to pack and is ready for a chat - unless you are on a mobile phone!!!!!

Have to agree though, some checkout operators can be so rude, if I get to a checkout and the girls are chatting among themselves I just join in and interject some random comments for badness!

We are on orange, and our local supermarket Asda at Dundonald has no reception, so never have the problem in there!

tara747

JoMac wrote: »

I think it is rude to talk on your mobile when you should be interacting with others. I would usually chat to the till assistants as it must be a long day sat there, once you ask a question most seem glad to chat eg about the weather. However, what really bugs me is when the staff are talking amongst themselves and don't even acknowledge me but go on about the process of scanning goods etc. Recently in a local store I got to the till, the lady scanned the goods (clothes) whilst talking to a colleague. I waited for them to stop and asked for a gift receipt. She huffed and puffed and said she'd have to get a manager. He came and did what he had to do to the till, then she told me off saying 'If you want a gift receipt you have to ask before I scan your stuff'. Except she didn't give me a chance to say anything before scanning my items because she was too busy chatting. That made my blood boil but I didn't say anything. In my opinion too many sales assistants here need a crash course in customer care. There has to be a happy medium between them and the over the top cheerfulness 'are you finding everything ok?' of their American counterparts. I have done the job myself as a student so I know how poor the pay is but there's no excuse for bad manners.

OMG how bl00dy rude!!!! I would have gone absolutely nuts! :eek::eek::eek: