Booths is getting rid of their self service checkouts.

You could have used the self checkout, had your items and been in time for the train. Cutting off nose to spite face comes to mind.

Fleurpepper I went to a shop the other day, and they pretended (I am sure) that all the real tills were out of order, and I had to use self-check. I told the assistant I didn't want to, and she said 'oh don't worry Madam, I shall help you' in such a condescinding manner. I told her I knew exactly what to do, but didn't work for WH Smith, and left my shopping basket and walked out.

No, I was not rude at all. Calm and polite. Why didn't I? I said it, I do not work for the shop, and I want to protect jobs. I went to the shop knowing there were 'real tills' - but was being forced to use self scan. Why should I?

Well, we will have to agree to disagree. Why should I replace the items myself? It is not my job. They chose to close all tills and force me to self-check- their choice. And mine. Last post on this matter.

You have gone from deciding the assistant was lying about the tills being out of order, to her being condescending when she would have put them through the self serve for you (which is what she would have done), to protecting jobs, to now not having time to replace the items yourself because you were waiting for a train. My experience of W H Smith shops in stations is that there's always a queue at the manned tills, the self serve tills go through much quicker. If your train was that imminent I'm surprised you risked trying to make the purchase.

Of course nobody has to use self checkouts, but if the manned tills are down (I would assume the assistant was telling the truth, how horrible you assume she was lying) and that's all that's available don't just dump your basket for someone else to have to deal with.

Germanshepherdsmum

You could have used the self checkout, had your items and been in time for the train. Cutting off nose to spite face comes to mind.

I could. I chose not to. Politely, on principle.

I never accused the young woman of lying at all. I do believe that it is a new policy, to close all tills to force customers to use self-check.

My choice- it is all about choice. I am sure you know that GSM, but you can't resist personal attacks on me. Same old, same old.

Have a lovely evening.

I too thought that in the time it took FP to register her protest ,
( I told the assistant I didn't want to, and she said 'oh don't worry Madam, I shall help you' in such a condescinding manner. I told her I knew exactly what to do, but didn't work for WH Smith, and left my shopping basket and walked out )
deposit her basket and stomp out in high dudgeon, she could have let the assistant who offered to help, put it through the self check till and be on her train and on her way!

Yeah, I would def have let the assistant do it, she was being helpful.

Dealing with Joe Public can be challenging 🤣

Urmstongran

Dealing with Joe Public can be challenging 🤣

😂😂😂

Well, if it was only five items then whizzing them through the self-service checkout would have taken no time at all for the assistant.

Who knows - perhaps the ordinary tills had broken down?

I'm trying to think of the saying .......

No personal attack on my part FP. I simply said I considered that it was impolite to refuse to use the self checkout and just dump your basket of goods for someone else to replace. My opinion hasn’t changed and I would have said the same to any poster here, though most would not I think act as you did. Originally you said that was someone else’s job to put your items back on the shelves, now you’ve said you needed to catch/meet a train. I am not alone in having said you could have bought your items and been in time for the train.

Yes, I know about choice and principles but I also know about good manners and I have never suggested that anyone offering me help was being ‘condescending’. I’m happy to accept any and all offers of help even if I know exactly what to do, without accusing the offer or of being condescending or patronising. Most people actually like to feel they have helped someone. Who am I to take from them, even if it’s their job? Principles are noble things, but not if they are exercised at the expense of someone else, especially someone offering the assistance they are (pretty miserably in all likelihood in this case) paid to offer who is dog tired from being on their feet all day and being polite to difficult customers - as they must for fear of losing their vital job. Not exactly a level playing field when you can behave badly towards someone and they daren’t respond in kind, is it? I worked as a Saturday shop assistant in my teens, and an exhausting job it was, but in those long ago people were so much more polite - and in my experience the people with money were the most appreciative and polite to the lowly shop girl.

Ah well, we have at last one thing in common. So did I- at the local Coop.

Choice, and I was not rude. End of.

Have you moved back to the UK, now, Fleurpepper, using all these British shops?

Just spent one month there. And visit very often for long periods. You know ACs, GCs, so many friends and property too- if that is OK with you?

And the Coop exists in many many countries ;)

Your ideas of choice and rudeness are very different to mine FP.

Loving the extensions to the story. It’s like a serial.

Can we have a little consideration for those who:
Have limited time for shopping
Dislike queuing behind someone exchanging life stories
Find interacting with others difficult
Find standing for long periods difficult so appreciate the speed of self check out
Like the opportunity to pack as you go instead of loading-unloading-loading
And consideration
for shop assistants who have to cope with awkward customers.

So, how about praising those shops that offer the options to customers?

Or are those who prefer scan and pay or self check out not worthy of consideration in the minds of the manned tills only brigade?

Fleurpepper

Just spent one month there. And visit very often for long periods. You know ACs, GCs, so many friends and property too- if that is OK with you?

Oh, sorry, thought you said you had sold or rented out your property here, my mistake or misremembering 🙂

Sorry about the weather, it's been shocking for a visit here.

Mollygo

Loving the extensions to the story. It’s like a serial.

Can we have a little consideration for those who:
Have limited time for shopping
Dislike queuing behind someone exchanging life stories
Find interacting with others difficult
Find standing for long periods difficult so appreciate the speed of self check out
Like the opportunity to pack as you go instead of loading-unloading-loading
And consideration
for shop assistants who have to cope with awkward customers.

So, how about praising those shops that offer the options to customers?

Or are those who prefer scan and pay or self check out not worthy of consideration in the minds of the manned tills only brigade?

Like everything else in life, a balance is ideal!!

I never accused the young woman of lying at all. but you did in your initial post I went to a shop the other day, and they pretended (I am sure) that all the real tills were out of order, and I had to use self-check. You may not have said to the assistant "you're lying" but you have said that they were in your post. Pretending is just you avoiding the word lie. Not nice.

Mollygo

Loving the extensions to the story. It’s like a serial.

Can we have a little consideration for those who:
Have limited time for shopping
Dislike queuing behind someone exchanging life stories
Find interacting with others difficult
Find standing for long periods difficult so appreciate the speed of self check out
Like the opportunity to pack as you go instead of loading-unloading-loading
And consideration
for shop assistants who have to cope with awkward customers.

So, how about praising those shops that offer the options to customers?

Or are those who prefer scan and pay or self check out not worthy of consideration in the minds of the manned tills only brigade?

Totally agree- as said, it is about CHOICE.

The CHOICE is being taken away from many.

The 'pretence' was from the shop/business, not the young woman who was left alone to help customers, who had to queue if they required help, instead of quick pay at the till.

CHOICE

I have been a loyal Booths customer for over 25 years, when we moved to East Yorkshire I missed them so much but fortunately have a Waitrose.

We have a store in the Dales where we have our holiday home and give a Booths voucher to our guests on arrival in lieu of a hamper/wine etc.
Many guests who have never experienced Booths before rave about the store.

Staff is well trained and really knowledgeable they are often in the 55+ category, a lot of the food is locally sourced, the wine and cheese selection is outstanding and they clearly listen to their customers.

They bring out a free Christmas book every year, our Southern friends who have just spent a week with us in the Lake District couldn’t believe the offerings!

They are an independent chain and have no connection to Waitrose.

It ain’t so grim up North!

^The 'pretence' was from the shop/business, not the young woman who was left alone to help customers, who had to queue if they required help, instead of quick pay at the till.*
Like I said, I’m loving the extensions to the story.

Glad you enjoy it. Be my guest.

A “work in progress Mollygo ?

Perhaps she thought you were a tourist/visitor to Britain FP and was just trying to be helpful?

That’s a distinct possibility RM. I wonder if FP considered that? She would of course have been a visitor, not being as I understand it resident in the UK. That may explain the polite offer of help which was interpreted as condescending.

Re the OP,
Booths can afford to do that, because they’re mostly relatively small supermarkets.
Quote from Booths managing director. Nigel Murray.
Despite the wider pushback, it “made sense” to keep the technology at two of Booths’ busiest stores in the Lake District – in Windermere and Keswick – as these could get “quite busy” if a large number of tourists turned up during a short time period, Murray added.
Acknowledging that in busy stores, customers should be given a choice. 😁
Well done Booths!

Germanshepherdsmum

That’s a distinct possibility RM. I wonder if FP considered that? She would of course have been a visitor, not being as I understand it resident in the UK. That may explain the polite offer of help which was interpreted as condescending.

The assistant was doing what she was trained to do - offer to help the customer with self checkout.
I don’t work the self checkouts, on the manned tills I often get a customer who is slow packing and I will offer to help - mostly the response “oh thank you” occasionally I get a very terse “I can manage perfectly well”, rude customers are a fact of life, it bugs new recruits, I’ve been doing it for years and I just smile and greet the next customer.