Mrs. Jobsworth at Asda

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Everybody hates officious, rude sales staff. We all know the stores who invest heavily in staff recruitment and training, like Boots the Chemist, Sainsbury's and Tesco's Supermarkets, Marks & Spencer, etc. 

My irritation is with the supermarket, Asda. Of course, most of their staff would not behave like this, but this one did and in spite of the intervention of the Resolver organisation, a year later there has been no response from the supermarket. Resolver tell me Asda have a poor reputation for dealing with customer complaints.

A New Self-Service System?

I went into the cafe to get a cup and tea and a cake on 14 September sometime between 11.30am and noon. One person before me was ordering hot food, so I passed her and went to the till to pay for the cake I had collected and to ask for my hot drink. 

This is usual practice - you go to the till as soon as you have collected your purchases - everyone does this otherwise you would have a line of people just buying tea or cold food, waiting in a queue for several minutes while someone's breakfast, lunch or dinner is being cooked and served.  Many cafes have the payment till separate from the food counter to facilitate this, but the same principle has always been used at this store even though the till is not on a separate counter. Except on this occasion!

The customer behind me finished ordering her lunch then moved forward a little waiting for it to be cooked. I had collected a cake, so I passed her to ask for a mug of tea, and to pay and leave the line, as is usual.

The server came out and shouted to the woman at the cashier, "Serve that lady first," pointing the customer behind me. I explained that I knew that customer was waiting for food and that I wasn't jumping a queue as mine was ready to go. The other customer confirmed this and said I had collected my purchase and so I was entitled to pass her because now I was actually first. All the same the server and cashier made sure her bill was done first and I had to wait for her food to be cooked.

When she was presented with it, she was very annoyed on my behalf.  I thanked her for being fair and trying to tell the cashier that she was out of order.

Then the cashier said that now I could have my turn. (Patronising!)  In hindsight, I wish I had just left my food there and left but I took my lukewarm tea and cake and went and sat down in the eating area. However, I did make my displeasure known.

The other customer continued waiting while her food was cooked. I watched her from my table, and she finally got it just as I was finishing my tea and cake.

But Asda Doesn't Do Customer Service

Not a major thing, because I wasn't in a hurry, but that's not the point. It spoiled what should be a pleasant break. I felt upset at the treatment and it wasn't necessary. It was petty and rude. And stupid, if that's not too strong a word.

I wrote to Asda asking them to ensure all their staff knew how the kitchen should work; how every other self-serve system works. All I needed was a brief letter from them telling me that the staff had been checked. 

The alternative is that all customers wanting drinks or purchasers of cold food, must wait (while their tea or coffee gets cold) until every single person in front of them, waiting for their food to be cooked, has been served and paid their bill. Where does that happen?

So far, in spite of several interventions by Resolver, who have a project to try to make Asda culpable, I have heard nothing.

Has anyone else suffered similar experiences with a Mrs. Jobsworth (or Mr.) in supermarket cafes? Asda need to get their act together.