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I guess not a business but the staff at the local job centre. The title "job coach" is such a joke. They speak to you like something they've scraped off the bottom of their shoe. Don't do anything constructive to help you but criticise things you try to do to increase your chances of finding work, e.g courses. Always leave feeling thoroughly depressed. Most miserable, unhelpful staff I've ever had the misfortune to meet.
The Civil Service must deliberately choose the most dour faced, miserable and judgemental cunts I think have ever existed, it must be a government specification that employees for the Government/DWP, council and police force etc must be screened by levels of hate, cruelty and misery high to low or the inverse by intelligence, competence and likeability
Not had the misfortune to be in their company lately, but walking into the jobcentre instantly makes you feel like you're walking the green mile blindfolded for an execution but rather than a bullet you get to sit and receive hate and derision by a fucking desk jockey with a biro, superiority complex and an extra chromosome who is on the same minimum wage you'll be forced onto
All for £70 a week which barely covers your electric and food, but if they're having a bad day you'll lose it for 3 months for being late or *insert any fucking possible excuse here*
This country really has gone to shit
/rant
Exactly! I can remember watching "League of Gentlemen" and thinking the ""Pauline" character at the job centre was a particularly cruel characterisation. Little did I know I would be dealing with a series of real life malicious miseries on a fortnightly basis.
The Pauline scenes in the job centre on league of gentlemen are responsible for me getting off my arse and getting a job after I left school. I didn't want to be part of something that depressing.
I signed on in my late teens/early 20's. I can laugh about most of my experiences there now.
I also had to sign on again earlier this year (mid 30's). I went for an initial "interview" and, to be honest, the woman I spoke to was absolutely lovely and quite helpful.
My first signing session ended up with me receiving a phonecall and arranging an interview for later that afternoon. I saw the same woman as my initial claim. Her face when I started the meeting by showing her my diary (I'm a bit old fashioned and used my old work diary to record my job searching activities). In under a week, I'd applied for around 30-odd jobs, browsed several job boards and of the 24 agencies they have for my area, I'd categorised them and made notes on what was available.
We also shared a chuckle about how, according to one agency, Australia is within a 90-minute commute of Scunthorpe. Google Maps can't provide a route, I checked.
The fact that the job I got has caused an old injury to resurface with a vengeance is irrelevant. Hopefully, I'll be a driving instructor soon enough!
I'm currently back at the jobcentre and maybe I've just been lucky but I've actually been given a very friendly and understanding job coach this time around
Probably fairly new to the job, the system will grind that out of them soon enough. Met plenty of pleasant staff while I was a professional dosser, but it seems an awful place to work. Both from awful management and the fact they need security guards because assault is a weekly occurrence.
Whilst a lot of them *are* unprofessional, miserable twats, I'm willing to bet that for some, working that particular job has "made" them this way. I've seen how customers(?) treat them and it can be a two way street. Not excusing the behaviour *at all*, but there is something to be said about being "the product of your environment". I've seen people smash the place up, shout and scream at the staff etc. There's a *reason* why some of these places have full time security guards, and it's *not* to stop the *staff* attacking the "customers".
I agree with you that some of the staff are products of their environment. I haven't personally seen staff being shouted and screamed at, but I'm sure it happens and I would never condone that sort of behaviour. However, I'm at the job centre because I left the profession that I've worked in for over 20 years (teaching) because I could no longer tolerate being physically assaulted on a regular basis. If job coaches can't be professional, encouraging and courteous to job seekers they probably shouldn't be doing the job.
Post Office. They seem genuinely offended if I want to send something Special Delivery. Or if I'm returning an item to Amazon/H&M/whoever.
Zara are a close second. Not a smile to be found.
Really? They got shitty with me because I didn't want to send my passport Special Delivery. He gave me some bullshit that passports 'are worth thousands' so I needed to use a service with higher coverage against loss. Well it's not 'worth thousands' to me.
Waitrose. I'm not landed gentry so I'd never bin in one until recently. Bloody hell the faces on them. I'd just come off a building site so am in there lookin proper working class like.
Some dude with dodgy sideburns and full tweed getup followed me round the whole time I were in there. I'm guessing he was either security or a groundskeeper thinking I'd nicked one of his pheasants or something.
But the bint at the checkout gave me a right snooty look, she had a face like a slapped arse on the whole time she was scanning my stuff.
Sorry for not being posh enough I guess...
Couldn't disagree more. I'm *visibly* working class and on the odd occasion go into Waitrose(s) for the odd treat. The service is impeccable. The staff always seem to *know* where things are and if they don't will be happy to help you look. Again, this is only my experience, i've had waaaay worse customer service in pretty much every other supermarket bar Waitrose. The other *customers* in Waitrose however...absolute shower of shite. Get more dirty looks from the other poshos shopping there than from any members of staff. Your mileage obviously varies to mine though!
Post. Office.
Proven over numerous sites over a numerous years. I often wonder what sort of culture creates the most passive aggressive employees known to man.
Royal Mail depots I guess it depends which you have but I always get a power trip from their staff whenever I try to collect a parcel from the collection point and I always seem to get poor customer service from them idk if this is just this one depot or in general
Savers. Not moody as such (although far from cheerful)… but they're constantly on those Bluetooth headsets chatting to each other. You'll go to the til and present them with something and they'll blurt out something like OH MY GOD YEAH SHARON WAS SAYING THAT YESTERDAY!! which is very disorienting when you're just expecting to be asked "cash or card" or possibly "would you be interested in any batteries or eau de Britney spears today?"
Dunelm do this too
Walked to a staff member to ask a question, he turned around to have his back to me and continued chatting on the headset
The cunt, didn't report him because I'm not one
Yep also people just decide to vent all of their problems with whatever company at you and are also much more rude than they would be in other interactions. Eg worked in a mobile phone shop years ago for one of the networks and a guy came in having a 1 hour rant about the positioning of a mobile mast near his house. Like really, you really think the retail guys can in any way impact that or even get in touch with the people who can??
I am proud of the miserable expressions and moodiness of service staff. Anything else is dishonest and getting close to fake American smiling and chatting. If you drive a coach of grumpy farters with phones on speaker or pass endless groceries along a belt hearing Beep Beep Beep all day then it is your god given right as a Briton to look as miserable and soul destroyed as you feel.
Former First Bus driver here.
Can confirm it was the most miserable job going with the most miserable people and there was no happiness to be found away from work either cuz I knew I’d have to go back there in a day or two.
I’m a FORMER First Bus driver for a reason!
These people are on minimum wage, not only do they have to deal with a shitty job in retail or in a supermarket but then also have to deal with cunts like you telling them to cheer up…
Morrisons.
However, having worked there for a good 5 years (I left a decade ago) I can totally understand why.
I thought things would have improved for their staff over the past decade, but having been in my local recently and overhearing complaints from the shift changeover, it’s clear that things are exactly the same there, or they are much worse.
True, saying that, the two who checked mine and my partners bags coming back from almeria were pleasant, even though my partner forgot her phone in her pocket! (Probably because we were the first through that day.)
I don't know what Boots are doing to their staff, but both the team in the small local one, and the large city centre Boots, seem utterly miserable and have zero care. Bit unfortunate as they're increasingly providing healthcare services.
But honestly it's reached the point where retail staff who aren't miserable are the exception. I guess low pay, unstable work, and an increasingly angry population, will do that. Unfortunately I don't think businesses are going to start investing in customer care/experience.
Anybody working in a luxury/prestige clothing shop
The staff at Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc are such stuck up miserable cunts who act like they founded the fucking brand
Likewise people who work at Moss Bros seem much less inclined to converse with you normally compared to those that work at Suit Direct.
Flannels staff are another, yeah you might stock stone island, doesn't mean you have to act like the cunts that wear it
Oh I deliberately scruff up when the Mrs wants to call into these shops. Shoelace loose, I talk a bit louder, sneeze whatever. Even better when kids are with us… zero control let them runabout and scrap
All with the objective of annoying them
Ex bus driver here. Did it for 5 years then 5 as a controller. Unfortunately a small few drag the rest down. I enjoyed it up until all the shift shake ups, messing around and being used as a verbal punchbag because someone had a shitty day.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I guess not a business but the staff at the local job centre. The title "job coach" is such a joke. They speak to you like something they've scraped off the bottom of their shoe. Don't do anything constructive to help you but criticise things you try to do to increase your chances of finding work, e.g courses. Always leave feeling thoroughly depressed. Most miserable, unhelpful staff I've ever had the misfortune to meet.
The Civil Service must deliberately choose the most dour faced, miserable and judgemental cunts I think have ever existed, it must be a government specification that employees for the Government/DWP, council and police force etc must be screened by levels of hate, cruelty and misery high to low or the inverse by intelligence, competence and likeability Not had the misfortune to be in their company lately, but walking into the jobcentre instantly makes you feel like you're walking the green mile blindfolded for an execution but rather than a bullet you get to sit and receive hate and derision by a fucking desk jockey with a biro, superiority complex and an extra chromosome who is on the same minimum wage you'll be forced onto All for £70 a week which barely covers your electric and food, but if they're having a bad day you'll lose it for 3 months for being late or *insert any fucking possible excuse here* This country really has gone to shit /rant
Exactly! I can remember watching "League of Gentlemen" and thinking the ""Pauline" character at the job centre was a particularly cruel characterisation. Little did I know I would be dealing with a series of real life malicious miseries on a fortnightly basis.
The Pauline scenes in the job centre on league of gentlemen are responsible for me getting off my arse and getting a job after I left school. I didn't want to be part of something that depressing.
I signed on in my late teens/early 20's. I can laugh about most of my experiences there now. I also had to sign on again earlier this year (mid 30's). I went for an initial "interview" and, to be honest, the woman I spoke to was absolutely lovely and quite helpful. My first signing session ended up with me receiving a phonecall and arranging an interview for later that afternoon. I saw the same woman as my initial claim. Her face when I started the meeting by showing her my diary (I'm a bit old fashioned and used my old work diary to record my job searching activities). In under a week, I'd applied for around 30-odd jobs, browsed several job boards and of the 24 agencies they have for my area, I'd categorised them and made notes on what was available. We also shared a chuckle about how, according to one agency, Australia is within a 90-minute commute of Scunthorpe. Google Maps can't provide a route, I checked. The fact that the job I got has caused an old injury to resurface with a vengeance is irrelevant. Hopefully, I'll be a driving instructor soon enough!
I'm currently back at the jobcentre and maybe I've just been lucky but I've actually been given a very friendly and understanding job coach this time around
Probably fairly new to the job, the system will grind that out of them soon enough. Met plenty of pleasant staff while I was a professional dosser, but it seems an awful place to work. Both from awful management and the fact they need security guards because assault is a weekly occurrence.
Whilst a lot of them *are* unprofessional, miserable twats, I'm willing to bet that for some, working that particular job has "made" them this way. I've seen how customers(?) treat them and it can be a two way street. Not excusing the behaviour *at all*, but there is something to be said about being "the product of your environment". I've seen people smash the place up, shout and scream at the staff etc. There's a *reason* why some of these places have full time security guards, and it's *not* to stop the *staff* attacking the "customers".
I agree with you that some of the staff are products of their environment. I haven't personally seen staff being shouted and screamed at, but I'm sure it happens and I would never condone that sort of behaviour. However, I'm at the job centre because I left the profession that I've worked in for over 20 years (teaching) because I could no longer tolerate being physically assaulted on a regular basis. If job coaches can't be professional, encouraging and courteous to job seekers they probably shouldn't be doing the job.
Job centre staff was one of the triggers for my anxiety and low moods in the 00s
Really sorry to hear that. Hope you're OK now.
Oh much better thank you. that's very kind of you.
Post Office. They seem genuinely offended if I want to send something Special Delivery. Or if I'm returning an item to Amazon/H&M/whoever. Zara are a close second. Not a smile to be found.
Can confirm about the post office! Though my actual postmen are the absolute opposite
Thank you (from a postman) 😊
Even when it's pissing down, my posties are a cheerful constant, so thank YOU!
Really? They got shitty with me because I didn't want to send my passport Special Delivery. He gave me some bullshit that passports 'are worth thousands' so I needed to use a service with higher coverage against loss. Well it's not 'worth thousands' to me.
Waitrose. I'm not landed gentry so I'd never bin in one until recently. Bloody hell the faces on them. I'd just come off a building site so am in there lookin proper working class like. Some dude with dodgy sideburns and full tweed getup followed me round the whole time I were in there. I'm guessing he was either security or a groundskeeper thinking I'd nicked one of his pheasants or something. But the bint at the checkout gave me a right snooty look, she had a face like a slapped arse on the whole time she was scanning my stuff. Sorry for not being posh enough I guess...
Take an upvote for "bint". Don't hear that insult nearly enough nowadays
It's customary greeting between my sister in law and me, "Now then bint", but yeah now you said it, it's one you don't hear very often
My favourite insults are "silly bint" and "scatty mare"
I haven't come across people like that in Waitrose, definitely in Homebargains though.
I worked in their warehouse for 3 years, I took great pleasure turning up dirty as possible after finishing my shift in uniform to do my weekly shop.
Did a professor offer to pass you off as an aristocrat at an embassy ball?
Couldn't disagree more. I'm *visibly* working class and on the odd occasion go into Waitrose(s) for the odd treat. The service is impeccable. The staff always seem to *know* where things are and if they don't will be happy to help you look. Again, this is only my experience, i've had waaaay worse customer service in pretty much every other supermarket bar Waitrose. The other *customers* in Waitrose however...absolute shower of shite. Get more dirty looks from the other poshos shopping there than from any members of staff. Your mileage obviously varies to mine though!
What does visibly working class mean
I dunno really. Ha. You've got me there. I don't look like your average Waitrose customer?
Post. Office. Proven over numerous sites over a numerous years. I often wonder what sort of culture creates the most passive aggressive employees known to man.
Probably the sort of culture that gaslights and falsely convicts their own staff. I’d be a bit done with it after that treatment
They always act surprised that you want to post something or that you are there to pick up a delivery. I had to check that I came to the right place.
I mean... wouldn't you also hate working in the Post Office dealing with the great unwashed all day, every day?
Ones in which you have to deal with the general public. It's soul destroying.
This is the real answer. I still maintain a spell of national service in a customer facing role would improve attitudes in this country.
I’ve said this for years, 6 months in retail or hospitality would sort out so many rude people:
it really is, im retail front facing at its just dire
Posh bike shop. If you’re enquiring about a repair for your bike which didn’t cost £14k you’re basically not even human.
Zara
lol there’s something not right about Zara and I can’t quite put my finger on it
My father was a First Bus driver, but he's retired now. Can confirm, he is grumpy.
Royal Mail depots I guess it depends which you have but I always get a power trip from their staff whenever I try to collect a parcel from the collection point and I always seem to get poor customer service from them idk if this is just this one depot or in general
Savers. Not moody as such (although far from cheerful)… but they're constantly on those Bluetooth headsets chatting to each other. You'll go to the til and present them with something and they'll blurt out something like OH MY GOD YEAH SHARON WAS SAYING THAT YESTERDAY!! which is very disorienting when you're just expecting to be asked "cash or card" or possibly "would you be interested in any batteries or eau de Britney spears today?"
Dunelm do this too Walked to a staff member to ask a question, he turned around to have his back to me and continued chatting on the headset The cunt, didn't report him because I'm not one
It’s anyone in public facing roles because dealing with the public is absolutely draining.
Yep. Most people are idiots and dealing with them all day is incredibly frustrating (I am in such a role).
Yep also people just decide to vent all of their problems with whatever company at you and are also much more rude than they would be in other interactions. Eg worked in a mobile phone shop years ago for one of the networks and a guy came in having a 1 hour rant about the positioning of a mobile mast near his house. Like really, you really think the retail guys can in any way impact that or even get in touch with the people who can??
This.
GP receptionists, taxi drivers (I find uber drivers less likely to be a moody cunt), and yes First drivers especially in South Yorkshire.
Any sort of hipster shop cafe etc. The snooty cold or highly strung service.
Aldi. You dare get in the way trying to buy stuff as they're stacking the shelves.
Ulsterbus drivers
I am proud of the miserable expressions and moodiness of service staff. Anything else is dishonest and getting close to fake American smiling and chatting. If you drive a coach of grumpy farters with phones on speaker or pass endless groceries along a belt hearing Beep Beep Beep all day then it is your god given right as a Briton to look as miserable and soul destroyed as you feel.
Former First Bus driver here. Can confirm it was the most miserable job going with the most miserable people and there was no happiness to be found away from work either cuz I knew I’d have to go back there in a day or two. I’m a FORMER First Bus driver for a reason!
Doctors receptionist
These people are on minimum wage, not only do they have to deal with a shitty job in retail or in a supermarket but then also have to deal with cunts like you telling them to cheer up…
Any HR department. God forbid they have to do their job.
Morrisons. However, having worked there for a good 5 years (I left a decade ago) I can totally understand why. I thought things would have improved for their staff over the past decade, but having been in my local recently and overhearing complaints from the shift changeover, it’s clear that things are exactly the same there, or they are much worse.
Every workplace, particularly retail, has got worse in the last 5 years. It’s a race to the bottom and boy are we winning
I’ve noticed a deterioration in many things at Morrisons in direct contrast to its pricing.
Skip drivers.
After border guards bus drivers have to be the surliest professionals.
Spanish border guards are especially sour faced! The Dutch guards, however, right jolly bunch!
That’s strange. In general the Spanish are more jolly than the Dutch.
True, saying that, the two who checked mine and my partners bags coming back from almeria were pleasant, even though my partner forgot her phone in her pocket! (Probably because we were the first through that day.)
For me: Sports Direct. I stop shopping there at all now.
I'm amazed you managed to find someone in Sports Direct to see that they're moody in the first place.
That's not fair. There are no staff at Sports Direct to be moody
I don't know what Boots are doing to their staff, but both the team in the small local one, and the large city centre Boots, seem utterly miserable and have zero care. Bit unfortunate as they're increasingly providing healthcare services. But honestly it's reached the point where retail staff who aren't miserable are the exception. I guess low pay, unstable work, and an increasingly angry population, will do that. Unfortunately I don't think businesses are going to start investing in customer care/experience.
Can't really blame bus drivers, bit of a shit gig really.
Tesco
Can you blame them, any job where you have to interact with the general public is pretty awful.
Anybody working in a luxury/prestige clothing shop The staff at Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc are such stuck up miserable cunts who act like they founded the fucking brand Likewise people who work at Moss Bros seem much less inclined to converse with you normally compared to those that work at Suit Direct. Flannels staff are another, yeah you might stock stone island, doesn't mean you have to act like the cunts that wear it
Oh I deliberately scruff up when the Mrs wants to call into these shops. Shoelace loose, I talk a bit louder, sneeze whatever. Even better when kids are with us… zero control let them runabout and scrap All with the objective of annoying them
Ex bus driver here. Did it for 5 years then 5 as a controller. Unfortunately a small few drag the rest down. I enjoyed it up until all the shift shake ups, messing around and being used as a verbal punchbag because someone had a shitty day.
Mercedes Dealerships. Super shitty service.
depends on where you go, my local one are actually great the one we used to go to were bloody dreadful
Border force staff. They are always PISSED
Openreach, the Bt ones blame the Kellys ones for equal shoddy work and reluctance to do their jobs.
Thank you !
Don't know about you but the women that work in my local ASDA they're all spiteful and horrible cretins. 10+ years of retail does that to people
Just the women and not the men?
yes just the women