ANZAC Day Shenannigans with Bonus Question (for those with tattoos).

[Latekin]

Alright, so any fellow Aussies will know that Anzac Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) just passed (the 25th), and while it's supposed to be a quiet remembrance of our fallen soldiers, it's more often than not an excuse amongst the bogans to drink yourself stupid and get slightly racist in the name of patriotism. I was working the 25th. Now, because of the day, our store didn't open midday, and it was one of few stores that actually opened. Cue madness.
We had people lining up since 7am (our usual opening time), so by the time 12 rolled around, we were FLOODED. BECAUSE ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOPPING = DISASTER.

I was running self service. Belligerent old men and women came though all day demanding I do the scanning for them, or telling me that these machines would put me out of a job. Multiple customers telling me how un-Australian it was for us to be open/working today. One man got shirty with me for jumping out of the way and swearing after he nearly took my damn eye out with a garden trellis he was swinging around trying to scan. Several people had to be asked to not drink beer in the store. Several people getting racist towards my African and Filipino co-workers (why are you working instead of good Aussies, usual bullcrap). It was seven hours of people based hell.

Now, with one customer, I thought they were quite nice. A woman and her boyfriend came through, all nice, yadda yadda. Boyfriend had awesome tattoos on his arm, and I complimented the line work and shading, asked where we got them, and we shared a joke about the scratch artists in my city. They leave. Five minutes after they leave, my coworker asks me what the hel I said to those customers. Apparently, as she was walking out, the lady had snarkily commented to boyfee "who made her the goddamn tattoo expert?!"

Confused, I asked Dan (my partner who has a few tattoos himself) if I did something wrong. He responded no, but told me that some people consider tattoos too personal for others to talk about, although it'd be unusual to put them in your arm and then get mad at people for complimenting them. He thinks the woman was just a major jealousy bag. Question being, did I do anything bad talking to him about his tats? He didn't seem uncomfortable talking, or anything, but now I'm confused.

[registerrodeo]

Most people I now with visible tattoos love to talk about them and show them off..hence the reason they got their ink so visible. I will say tho my daughter can get a bit bitchy when people make some stupid comments about the tattoo on her arm, but then again she is 19 and full of attitude....

[Latekin]

Well, that, and there are judgmental assburgers out there. Stupid or mean people deserved to get full force bitchiness.

A bit more on my comments. He had black and white Norse mythology based tats, and I was talking about how the shading in the tattoos had been really well done and how it was difficult to find artists in this city who could do the work he had. Told him I'd been searching a while for a good artist to get my own tattoos done, and asked if I could know where he'd gotten his. He told me. We chatted a bit about the characters in the tattoos while his gf bought her items and he seemed really pleased. I really don't know where I buggered up.

[EricKei]

Sounds fine to me. I don't know anyone with tats who isn't proud of them. As your poll puts it -- if they're readily visible, they're on public display, often intentionally. Hell, most people with ink I've met will gladly show off their newest artwork even if it's somewhere that's normally hidden, such as on their ankle. I thin kit's notable that the woman he was with was the one who whined -- not the person with the ink. I seriously doubt he cared.

[RealUnimportant]

The clue is in the pronouns here. Basically Ms Ink was jealous of you talking to Sir Ink. Simples.

[Gizmo]

might well be that Ms Ink doesn't like Sir Ink's tats that much. I know a wife like that who will whine that someone was commenting on her husbands tattoos like its such a bad thing because she isn't that fond of them herself.

[evilhomer]

I was just working on a base where a guy had "DILLIGAF" on he forearm so I made a comment that I loved that ink. He didn't seem pissed but didn't seem to appreciate the comment.

As for your situation, I'd say it's far more likely that it's just a bitchy and insecure woman who felt you were hitting on her boyfriend. If somebody has visible ink, as long as it's just small talk and not a harsh criticism, there's nothing wrong with saying something about it.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Well, if they follow the patterning I see here in cheeseville, she's a jealous-type and was getting cranky because you were showing interest in her man. Possibly exacerbated by the fact that you might have more in common with him than she does. I wonder if they were a new couple or what? On top of that, was she tattooed or into tattoos? If she has no ink, or just rubbish ink, I can see the jealousy when you expressed interest, both in the quality of his work and the where of it. Even with tattooed couples, they rarely start on the same level, one of them has either much more work or much better work or some combo of the two.

[Latekin]

She had ink. Coloured tattoos with bolder lines and an abstract theme. His were black ink but photorealistic. Just an odd situation.

[Shangri-laschild]

While I have met people who wouldn't explain the meaning behind their tattoos, I've never met anyone who felt that being complimented or asked who did the good work was crossing lines or asking questions that are too personal. I'd have to agree that it was probably her having a problem with the conversation for other reasons.

[raudf]

I'm betting Ms Ink and Mr Ink met at the tat store and she stole him from a previous GF. SHE probably though you were going to do the same thing and wanted to nip that in the bud NAOW.

The only time I've seen where someone would be insulted by a compliment is when a friend got a tat of a cherub around her belly button, got pregnant and wound up with a flying Buddha. Fortunately, she had a great sense of humor and loved telling people how she got that flying Buddha tat!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well, if they follow the patterning I see here in cheeseville, she's a jealous-type and was getting cranky because you were showing interest in her man.

This. Were I into tattoos I might've complimented somebody with particularly well-done ones myself.

She thought the OP was after her man.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Echoing the sentiment of everyone that you did nothing wrong. Ms Ink was just getting territorial about Sir Ink.

I was just working on a base where a guy had "DILLIGAF" on he forearm so I made a comment that I loved that ink. He didn't seem pissed but didn't seem to appreciate the comment.

Sounds like the guy was just living up to the tattoo's sentiment there.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Sounds fine to me. I don't know anyone with tats who isn't proud of them. As your poll puts it -- if they're readily visible, they're on public display, often intentionally. Hell, most people with ink I've met will gladly show off their newest artwork even if it's somewhere that's normally hidden, such as on their ankle. I thin kit's notable that the woman he was with was the one who whined -- not the person with the ink. I seriously doubt he cared.

This. So much this.

If folks didn't want people to comment on their tats, they'd cover them up.

[UncleImpy]

It sounds like the girlfriend wasn't really into his tattoos much, so you sharing the like of ink when she didn't gave you an 'intimacy' with her boyfriend she didn't. Cue Green Eyed Monster. Her problem, not yours.