Give the check out assistant a medal and a promotion

Greatnan - you've used a Kindle Fire You know what predictive text is like.

That instance there could be seen as a bit amusing.

absent maybe you should take that to pedants corner.

I see Sainsbury's are backing down and saying actually the customer was rude but they can't do anything about it.

Which only goes to prove that Sainsbury's initial reaction was pure political correctness and had nothing whatever to do with any principles about how people, even check-out workers, should be treated. Well done, the British public.

Another one in support of people treating each other with respect and wherever possible being positive and friendly. As a relatively new gransnetter I'm still being surprised by the way in which some posters resort to personal insults in order to support their own point of view. In this discussion, the majority of posters express sympathy for the check out operator, and feel the customer was rude and compounded that by her actions after the incident. That seems to be the consensus amongst most people who have contacted radio phone ins, papers etc. It's good to have a discussion, and I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that the folks who say the customer was right seem to be the same ones who are resorting to rude comment son here

Fortunately, Iam64, the huge bulk of members who actually post (which is apparently a tiny fraction of total membership) are kind, compassionate and courteous. I think the balance of replies on this thread proves that.
I find it quite amusing that I can virtually guarantee a negative response to anything I post from the same handful of people. When the first one pops up, I wait for the next two or three to join them.

Interesting. There seems to be universal disapproval of a husband who treats his wife as a robot homemaker and bedwarmer, and beats her if she is uppity enough to think she deserves better.

However not everyone thinks it wrong for a customer to consider a checkout assistant as a robot till-operator and bagpacker and reports her to management for commenting to the treatment.

The same rules apply in the home and in the workplace - and online. Otherwise it is the survival of the most ruthless, and to hell with civilisation.

I actually disagree with the small percentage of people whose sympathy is with the customer in this instance, but I would support their right to have an opinion, even one I disagree with.

Of course. I think that goes without saying. But those who disagree with the minority are still entitled to blast the opinions of the minority with better arguments and better principles, which is what has happened with this topic.

PS I hold quite a few 'minority opinions' myself, on other subjects.

Agree completely Bags.

Let me qualify that, I agree completely with your first part of your sentence.

The first part of which sentence?

Sainsbury are just going over to the side they see as winning. The politics of supermarkets involves keeping the customers onside.

I agree that people who hold different views are entitled to argue robustly.

I think you're right, jings. Their ruling 'principle' is to keep the majority of customers on side.

It's good to see the public (and reasonable Gransnetters) standing up to say they are on the side of being polite and courteous, whatever position you are in. The customer isn't always right - we have consumer rights, but we don't have the right to be rude to others without facing the osequences.

That checkout assustant might have been a little tactless in her dealings with the rude cstomer, but I'm glad to see she has been so well supported.

Funnily, there seems to be only me and Sel who are the unreasonable gransnetters.

Funny too, how petulant GNers can become when anyone disagrees with them.

When please consider how your choice of words 'reasonable Gransnetters' can be read. You are implying that those who disagree are 'unreasonable'. I don't think this is the case.
You were very quick to say 'it's starting up again' yet...

I wonder if Waitrose customers would be bothering to discuss at such length, something so comparatively unimportant.

That was a coward' s wink. I am ashamed of it.

Why don't you all go on Twitter and read some of the ugly things that are being said about Marion Bartoli. It might give you some perspective of what is truly rude.

Who cares about the customer? Not me. I've been infuriated by this particular kind of rudeness myself whilst standing in a queue behind someone who chatted constantly whilst packing and paying.

However, if I were the cashier's employer I might not be all that happy. I would want staff who could rise above customers' rudeness and deal with it in a firm but polite manner.

Aka from now on I shall ignore your posts. You are one of the unreasonable, impolite people I was thinking of.

Well that's me told isn't it!
I'd invite other GNetters (reasonable or unreasonable!) to read my last post and explain what When has taken offence to.
I'd prefer to ask her myself but she's not speaking to me!