reprimanding stranger's kids? (1 Viewer)

[whathappen?]

REPRIMANDING STRANGER'S KIDS

Hello
Just wanted to ask your advice.
I work in a very very busy shop and our customers are often mothers.A lot bring their smallies in and most are very well behaved and usually end up playing with the toys or entertaining the staff by doing something very cute and sometimes horrible(puke andstuff lol)
However occasionaly we come across kids who are , well, badly behaved or at least what a childless shop manager would consider being bold. They would do things like swing out of the rails that the clothes hang on, throw stock around and (most worrying for me anyway ) swing out of the door locks ( big security bolts) and handles of the front entrance doors. I as manager need to be able to ensure the safety of staff AND customers.However sometimes the parents (mothers and fathers ) ignore this behaviour. If this happens I usually say something like
uh-oh don't play with that, it's yucky
or
Please don't play with the door/lock/rail etc
I NEVER shout or get angry or shout out things like WHO OWNS THIS CHILD? lol
But I am just wondering what should I say. Please bear in mind that the parents are seeing whats happening but don't seem to do anything.

Thanks

 

[Scientician 0.8]

When this happens in my store I always talk to the child first and then the parent usually gets a bit embarrassed and stops the kid.

 

[pete]

bring out the wooden spoon

 

[broken arm]

shit absolutely everywhere

 

[Unicron]

shit absolutely everywhere

Is there anything shitting absolutely everywhere can't do.

Simple solution.

 

[ernesto]

ask the parents politely if they could stop their sprogs being little shits. maybe not in those words.

if that doesnt work, go with Broken Arm's advice

 

[GO]

You should make it clear to the parents that you think they're ass's and that their reprobate progeny are no more than mere shitstains on lifes beautiful intricately woven fabric.Let me know how you get on.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

tell them there's no santa, then kick them in the face

 

[plug]

chase them out of the shop with a lighter and a can of deodorant?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

REPRIMANDING STRANGER'S KIDS

Hello
Just wanted to ask your advice.
I work in a very very busy shop and our customers are often mothers.A lot bring their smallies in and most are very well behaved and usually end up playing with the toys or entertaining the staff by doing something very cute and sometimes horrible(puke andstuff lol)
However occasionaly we come across kids who are , well, badly behaved or at least what a childless shop manager would consider being bold. They would do things like swing out of the rails that the clothes hang on, throw stock around and (most worrying for me anyway ) swing out of the door locks ( big security bolts) and handles of the front entrance doors. I as manager need to be able to ensure the safety of staff AND customers.However sometimes the parents (mothers and fathers ) ignore this behaviour. If this happens I usually say something like
uh-oh don't play with that, it's yucky
or
Please don't play with the door/lock/rail etc
I NEVER shout or get angry or shout out things like WHO OWNS THIS CHILD? lol
But I am just wondering what should I say. Please bear in mind that the parents are seeing whats happening but don't seem to do anything.

Thanks

there are many ocasions where I long for the simpler times when you could hit other peoples children.

 

[egg_]

But I am just wondering what should I say. Please bear in mind that the parents are seeing whats happening but don't seem to do anything.

If the parent is not looking, shake your fist and make a fierce face - it's worked for me (though I don't work in retail) and it does nobody any harm. If they are, ask the child to stop and the parents will most likely hear you and assist in stopping him/her.

edit: "That's yucky" mightn't work, say "please stop doing x". If they have something you don't want them to have, take it off them, and you can say "go on over to your mam now"

 

[Reets]

make a point of telling them to stop when the parents are near enough to hear, if that doesnt work say it to the parents.
most parents will deal with thieir sprog but there'll always be some shits that just dont care.
a neighbours kid was kicking my car a few days ago so i went to say it to their mam, she told me that from now on if her kids annoy me i'm to hit them, she was totally serious which freaked me out a bit.

 

[daydream_nation]

ask the parents politely if they could stop their sprogs being little shits. maybe not in those words.

if that doesnt work, go with Broken Arm's advice

i concur. id say it to the parents first, but in a gentle way. especially if its a health and safety (puke) thing, it should be in their interest like.
also, something i encouter in my work and its probably more the exception than the rule, but there are some kids who cant help their behaviour and often it can be really hard for parents to have to listen to someone giving them grief over it.
i guess it goes with the territory, whathappen?

 

[Lolo]

As a non-parent, I'd say that because you're trying to do your job, I'd bypass the kids and go straight to the parents.

I'm interested to see what the parents of thumped say about this one. I don't doubt at all that you're all fab responsible parents who at least try and teach your kids how to behave in public, but I'm sick to the teeth of out-of-control kids in public places. I do live in an area that's so full of young families it's been referred to as The Toddlers' Republic of Stoke Newington.

The other day in the supermarket, a 7-year-old (ish) boy pointed and laughed at me in a nasty, snidey way. And I wasn't looking particularly silly by my standards, although my hair was pink and I was wearing a leopard-print coat. When I said "That's not nice" to him, his mother/ sister/ carer shouted at me: "Oh my gosh, he's only a kid!" The only reason I didn't argue with her was that she was wearing a full burka and I was sure she'd say I was being racist/ anti-Muslim. I just went away seething.

How old does a child have to be before you start teaching him basic manners? My ma, or even a babysitter, would have given out shite to me for being rude to a stranger in a shop at 3, never mind 7. And I know my friends who have kids would at least go through the motions of doing the same.

 

[cpr]

My parents were pretty strict with us when we were kids, we had to be polite and well behaved pretty much all the time. Once tho when I was getting my communion dress my little sis who was about 3/4 wandered off in Alexanders on Dorset Street and walked over to some communion coats and capes. This old battleaxe said "Don't touch the capes dearie" in a really mean way to her despite the fact that there were other little kids tearin round the shop grabbing stuff because she was afraid of their ma's. My little sis, who hadn't touched anything,burst into tears.It was my first experience of injustice in the world and I refused to buy my communion dress in that shop!

don't know what you should do whathappened but I thought I'd tell that little tale anyway!

 

[Scientician 0.8]

As a non-parent, I'd say that because you're trying to do your job, I'd bypass the kids and go straight to the parents.

I'm interested to see what the parents of thumped say about this one. I don't doubt at all that you're all fab responsible parents who at least try and teach your kids how to behave in public, but I'm sick to the teeth of out-of-control kids in public places. I do live in an area that's so full of young families it's been referred to as The Toddlers' Republic of Stoke Newington.

The other day in the supermarket, a 7-year-old (ish) boy pointed and laughed at me in a nasty, snidey way. And I wasn't looking particularly silly by my standards, although my hair was pink and I was wearing a leopard-print coat. When I said "That's not nice" to him, his mother/ sister/ carer shouted at me: "Oh my gosh, he's only a kid!" The only reason I didn't argue with her was that she was wearing a full burka and I was sure she'd say I was being racist/ anti-Muslim. I just went away seething.

Well calling her a raghead might have been out of order but since when did disagreeing with someone constitute racism or islamophobia?

 

[Diddles]

I'd talk to the parents rather than the kid. Just point out that your concerned for the child's safety and sound a bit apologetic, like you're being made to say it by someone higher than you. Try and make them a bit ashamed of themselves as well.

 

[Pantone247]

are you implying someone would ever have to reprimand my little princess? take it back! take it back!

 

[Milker]

Simple..just ask Baron Bomburst for a lend of this guy

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBV93rSbRA&feature=related"]YouTube - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Re-cut as Horror[/ame]

 

[Scientician 0.8]

I still say talk to the kids. Parents don't like being given out to by people they're buying shit off. Just talk sweetly to the kid and embarrass the parents, better tactic.