Work?? Was i right to be upset?

[oliverthecat]

I work at a supermarket i was asked to help a customer get yogurt from a high shelf. I found at least 10 of them expired 3 of them expired October 6th!!! Over 4 weeks ago!!! I got so upset that the customer saw this that I yelled at the asst. Store manager the customer could have gotten sick . He said I should have not yelled at him but I was upset. I worked in dairy at another supermarket what's happening now at the one i work at is whoever is doing dairy is not roting stock

 

[Disneylover99]

I work at a supermarket i was asked to help a customer get yogurt from a high shelf. I found at least 10 of them expired 3 of them expired October 6th!!! Over 4 weeks ago!!! I got so upset that the customer saw this that I yelled at the asst. Store manager the customer could have gotten sick . He said I should have not yelled at him but I was upset. I worked in dairy at another supermarket what's happening now at the one i work at is whoever is doing dairy is not roting stock

You should have passed the customer a non-expired yogurt (if there was one) and then spoke privately with the store manager about the problem.

It’s fine to be upset, but you need to check your emotions and be professional about it.

 

[SirDuff]

You should not have yelled at the manager in front of a customer. Actually, you should not have yelled at all. As the PP said, help the customer get a non-expired yogurt and then you could talk to (not yell at) the store manager (who, I assume, is your boss/above you in the chain of command). Really poor showing on your part and you're lucky that it didn't have more consequences.

 

[Smugpugmug]

You should not have yelled at the assistant manager in front of the customer. I used to work at a grocery store and have had this same issue come up with expired products (I'm talking like months expired, not within a few days). I would simply give the customer a fresh yogurt and speak to the manager privately. I get how frustrating it is as I've been in your shoes but part of your job is to be professional and yelling in front of a customer is not that.

 

[RedHead0186]

Were you right to be upset? Maybe. It's not totally clear why the expired yogurts were there. Were you right to yell at the assistant manager in front of a customer? Absolutely not, no matter how upset you were. He was absolutely correct that you should not have yelled at him, period. When a mistake is made, turn it into a teaching/learning moment. Figure out why that happened and develop a plan for how to avoid that happening in the future. Yelling does no one any good.

 

[Christine]

It's never acceptable to yell at coworkers, even worse in front of a customer.

 

[Allison]

You don't yell at coworkers. Ever.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

It's all about optics mixed with professionalism and customer service. At the time of the incident, you were working directly with the customer. So, you make sure they get what they need and if warranted (like if they mention it or reacted to the expired products), tell them you'll be addressing the concern with management, thank them for their business, and maybe even a small apology. You do not make a scene about it that might alert other customers to an issue. For the management component, you quietly pull them aside out of customer earshot and talk to them about what you found so you can start peacefully working towards a solution and maybe even a plan to prevent this going forward.

 

[Kim&Chris]

Your heart was in the right place, for sure. I would have been furious if I ended up buying them.

It's hard not to be upset. I can understand how mad you must've been. But I do think it would have been a good choice to speak to him privately.

 

[Silvermist999]

They are fortunate to have such a caring employee working there that takes their responsibility seriously. I check expiry dates on everything I buy, but sometimes in a rush, forget to check and come home with something like cheese or coffee that’s expired. So annoyed.

In the end, it is your job, but remember, it is just a job. You are replaceable if they don’t feel you are a good fit. You don’t want to let your emotions affect your current or future employability, ever.

 

[sam_gordon]

Right to be upset? Sure. Right to yell at a coworker, especially a supervisor? No.

I have been guilty of yelling at coworkers (maybe twice in 30+ years), and while what they had done was wrong, I was "more wrong" in yelling. I apologized to them once I calmed down.

 

[tvguy]

I must be in the minority. I have a bigger problem with expired product being on the shelf because an employee did not do their job that with that employee being called out for it in front of customers for not doing their job.
The situation that does bother me is at the local CVS. They have a big sign on their dairy case saying "please check expiration dates before purchasing, there will be no refunds for expired product". Are you kidding me? It is the STORE'S responsibility to insure there are no expired products in there.

 

[cvjw]

You are lucky you weren’t fired right then and there for yelling at your boss. Expired products slip thru, I have seen them everywhere I shop. Not that big of a deal to me. I just try and check before buying.

 

[sam_gordon]

I must be in the minority. I have a bigger problem with expired product being on the shelf because an employee did not do their job that with that employee being called out for it in front of customers for not doing their job.

Huh? The employee that got "called out" was the assistant manager. MAYBE they're the ones who stock the shelf, but I kind of doubt it.

And it's not about being "called out", it's about the yelling that most people are saying OP was in the wrong about. Should it have been pointed out? Absolutely. Yelling about it is what's uncalled for, especially from an employee to assistant manager.

 

[tvguy]

Huh? The employee that got "called out" was the assistant manager. MAYBE they're the ones who stock the shelf, but I kind of doubt it.

And it's not about being "called out", it's about the yelling that most people are saying OP was in the wrong about. Should it have been pointed out? Absolutely. Yelling about it is what's uncalled for, especially from an employee to assistant manager.

Have to agree to disagree then. The expired product to me is a much bigger issue than that exchange.

 

[sam_gordon]

Have to agree to disagree then. The expired product to me is a much bigger issue than that exchange.

So you're ok with an employee yelling at a supervisor, much less in front of a customer?

 

[_19disnA]

Seems like you overreacted to this situation. Yelling at another worker is rude, unprofessional and out of line (regardless of whether this is your boss or a subordinate). Does having your boss yell at you make you work harder or be more conscientious?.....ummm probably not. You should have made the appropriate person aware of the out of date products when the customer was no longer around. I don't work in a grocery store, but will occasionally see an out of date product on the shelf as a customer. I let the person working the customer service desk know and assume they will take care of it.

Some products have expiration dates that relate more to having optimum flavor/appearance. The product doesn't instantly go bad the day after the 'expiration date'.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

To me that's overreacting to the situation.

As a customer I can appreciate when an employee spots expired food because it should not be my job as a customer to have to look at everything to ensure its not already expired but I do because there's been a number of times that I see things are expired and not just by a day but by a week or two.

But no need to yell at someone in front of the customer. Just take care of it and tell the staff this should not be happening.

 

[tvguy]

So you're ok with an employee yelling at a supervisor, much less in front of a customer?

In that circumstance, yes. That expired product should NEVER have been there, That exchange in front of the customer might help restore the customer's confidence in the store by showing that no matter who made the mistake, they will be held accountable to make sure it does not happen again.

 

[easyas123]

That exchange in front of the customer might help restore the customer's confidence in the store by showing that no matter who made the mistake

eh - I gotta be honest, having one employee yell at another in such a way would be a bigger turn off than finding a expired yogurt on the shelf as a one off thing. Obviously if I found that the store regularly stocked expired items I'd shop elsewhere - but mistakes DO happen. But if one employee thought that was the best way to address another employee in that specific situation I'd think they had a rather odd bunch working there.